La Zoologie
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Hotel Details
Location
La Zoologie · Bordeaux, France
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Key Highlights
- ✓Exceptional Service: The staff is frequently praised for being friendly, helpful, professional, and attentive.
Expert Review: La Zoologie
La Zoologie, a Michelin Key Selected property in Bordeaux, France, consistently receives high praise for its unique design, exceptional service, and inviting ambiance, offering guests a memorable stay in a historic setting.
1. Overall Rating & Sentiment
The overall sentiment for La Zoologie is overwhelmingly positive, with guests frequently describing it as "excellent," "beautiful," and "amazing." The hotel is often lauded for its unique concept and design, making it a standout experience in Bordeaux. With an average score of 8.9 out of 10 from over a thousand reviews, the hotel is rated as "excellent" by many travelers.
2. Key Highlights
Guests consistently highlight several key aspects of La Zoologie:
- Unique Design & Ambiance: The hotel, housed in the former Institute of Zoology, boasts fascinating decor inspired by biology, flora, and fauna, featuring original stones, bricks, and metal structures. This distinctive style creates a "quirky" and "interesting concept" that captivates visitors.
- Exceptional Service: The staff is frequently praised for being friendly, helpful, professional, and attentive.
- Amenities & Facilities: The hotel offers a range of facilities including a spa with a jacuzzi, hammam, sauna, and relaxation areas, a fitness center, a tranquil garden, and a sun terrace. The rooftop bar, open during warmer months, is a popular spot for its panoramic city views and relaxed atmosphere.
- Proximity to Train Station: Its location within walking distance of Bordeaux Saint-Jean train station is a significant convenience for travelers.
3. Room Quality
The rooms at La Zoologie are described as spacious, comfortable, and very clean. They are air-conditioned and include a desk, coffee machine, safety deposit box, and flat-screen TV. Private bathrooms with showers are standard, and some rooms offer private balconies with city or garden views. The decor is unique and varied, with rooms split across three wings – Geology, Zoology, and Botanic – incorporating Bordeaux stone, clay walls, original brickwork, and botanical or animal-themed wallpaper. Soundproofing ensures a peaceful night's sleep.
4. Dining Experience
La Zoologie offers a notable dining experience:
- Restaurant: The on-site bistronomic restaurant, La Zoologie (also referred to as Le Banksia), serves French cuisine, creatively reinterpreting Bordeaux classics with a focus on fresh, local, and seasonal market produce. It features an open kitchen and an enchanting garden terrace for al fresco dining.
- Breakfast: A buffet or continental breakfast is available, featuring local specialties, warm dishes (like scrambled eggs and bacon), fresh pastries, various breads, cheeses, and juices. While generally praised as "excellent," some guests have found the coffee from the machine to be poor and pastries average.
- Bar & Rooftop: The hotel has a musical bar with a unique setting offering creative cocktails. The rooftop terrace, open in summer, provides panoramic views and a menu of sharing plates.
- Brunch: A gourmet buffet brunch with cold, hot, sweet, and savory options is offered every other Sunday for €42 per person (€21 for children under 9).
5. Service & Staff
Guest feedback consistently highlights the excellent service and friendly staff. Reviewers frequently commend the team for being supportive, competent, helpful, professional, and attentive. Specific staff members, like Corentin and Marine, have been singled out for their helpfulness.
6. Location & Accessibility
La Zoologie is conveniently located on Cours de la Marne, approximately 1.6 km from Bordeaux's city center. It is within walking distance of Bordeaux Saint-Jean train station (about 6-10 minutes) and has a bus stop right outside, providing easy access to city attractions. Popular nearby attractions include Saint Michel Basilica (less than 0.6 miles away) and the Great Bell Bordeaux (approximately a 20-minute walk). While the hotel's immediate surrounding area isn't always described as the most pleasant by all, guests generally felt safe and found easy routes to the city center. The airport (Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport) is about 8.1 miles away.
7. Value & Pricing
Many guests consider La Zoologie to offer good value for the price, rating it 8.4 out of 10 for value for money. Prices for a 1-night stay for 2 adults start from approximately $169.49, excluding taxes and fees, as of January 2026. Breakfast is typically €23 for adults and €12 for children. Access to the spa facilities (jacuzzi, hammam, sauna) is available for €35 per person for two hours, or €25 for the duration of the stay, with free access for guests in the Duplex Terrace Suite. Extra beds for children aged 3-17 cost €30 per person per night. Pets are allowed for a fee of €25 per pet, per day.
8. Common Complaints
While generally positive, some recurring criticisms include:
- Room Design: Some guests have found certain room designs to be problematic, particularly showers that are "totally glass" or "open to the room" offering little privacy, which can be an issue for friends sharing a room or if the room feels drafty. The "geology room" design with metal and concrete finishes can also be noisy.
- Bathroom Issues: A few complaints mention a "quirky" and "very severe" toilet flushing system that sprays water over the seat and onto the floor.
- Dining Quality: While breakfast is largely praised, some found the machine coffee "very poor/nasty" and some pastries "average". There was also a comment about "poor food quality" for dinner and lunch at the restaurant, and beer not being properly chilled at the bar.
- Spa & Gym: The gym is noted by some as small and dark with limited equipment. Spa facilities can be limited or come at an extra charge for certain room types.
- Noise and Temperature: Some guests experienced noise from the surrounding area or from other guests if windows were open. Occasionally, rooms were reported as cool, with difficulty increasing the temperature.
- Minor Service Issues: Isolated incidents of an unwelcoming receptionist, out-of-service elevators, or issues with laundry service have been mentioned.
Sources
- planetofhotels.com
- booking.com
- booking.com
- hotels.com
- wanderlog.com
- hotelzoologie.com
- michelin.com
- hotelzoologie.com
- hoteldebordeaux.net
- booking.com
- booking.com
- dayuse.co.uk
- hotelzoologie.com
- hotelzoologie.com
- booking.com
- hotelbordeaux24.com
- myboutiquehotel.com
- bordeauxhotelpage.com
- hotelzoologie.com
- expedia.com
- hotels.com
Points to Consider
- •While generally positive, some recurring criticisms include:
- •Bathroom Issues: A few complaints mention a "quirky" and "very severe" toilet flushing system that sprays water over the seat and onto the floor.
- •Minor Service Issues: Isolated incidents of an unwelcoming receptionist, out-of-service elevators, or issues with laundry service have been mentioned.
Google Reviews
417 reviews
Recent Guest Reviews
Tabi Mi
This is my favorite hotel in Bordeaux. It’s extraordinary , refined, intimate, and monumental. The industrial room design is stunning and still feels warm, which I see as a real success. Rooms with bathtubs and the inner courtyard feel like an oasis. The spa is good , not the best, but enough to relax and unwind. I truly and wholeheartedly recommend this hotel.
Response from the owner
Dear tabi Mi, <br><br>Thank you for taking upon your time to leave us such a nice rate, no to mention the vivid depiction of our establishment allure !<br>We are very much flattered to be your number ...
Matt Metcalf
Amazing! My wife and I stayed here on our honeymoon and were impressed beyond our expectations. The property itself is incredibly unique and beautiful. We stayed in the duplex terrace suite which was a highlight in itself. We dined at the hotel restaurant and were thoroughly impressed by what a high-end experience we had; highlights were the frog legs and the pea royale with seafood emulsion an...
Response from the owner
Dear Matt, <br><br>Thank you so much for your wonderful review. We're truly honored to have been part of such a special occasion and are thrilled to hear that your stay exceeded expectations. It's a p...
Meredith Lloyd-Evans
This is a charming and eccentric hotel, with exceptional rooms. We stayed here for a conference, with the conference room, two evening meals and breakfasts provided. We also took advantage of the spa and I used the gym. On the whole, our experience was good. The bed in our room was extremely comfortable, the level of attention and cleanliness from the cleaner was excellent - I did notice some evid...
Response from the owner
Dear Meredith, <br><br>Thank you so much for your detailed feedback. We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the charm of the hotel and the quality of our service. Your comments are truly appreciated...
Joe Maissel
We needed a hotel close to the train station for an early train to Paris. Couldn't have been happier with our choice. The hotel is funky and charming. Our room was brilliantly designed, and extremely comfortable. We enjoyed delicious creative drinks at the bar, and decided to stay for dinner. Our meal was excellent, beautifully prepared. Two thumbs up!!!!!
Response from the owner
Dear Joe, <br><br>Thank you very much for your wonderful feedback. We’re delighted that your stay met your expectations and that you enjoyed both the comfort and the atmosphere of our establishment. W...
Soyoung Kang
Fantastic stay at hotel la zoologie. Very close to the train station (8 min walk) but not so close it's noisy. Walking distance to capucin market (5 min walk) and city center (10-15 min walk). The room was already ready when I arrived early so they let me do an early check-in, which was great to freshen up before enjoying the city. The room was spacious, clean, well-decorated, and had all the need...
Response from the owner
Dear Mr Kung, <br>Thank you very much for your kind feedback. We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed your stay and appreciated the comfort of the hotel as well as our team’s hospitality. We truly lo...
Adebayo Sopeju
The hotel is a great place for tourist to stay and their services are great. The receptionists are able to communicate in both English and French, making them able to communicate with anyone willing to stay there irrespective of their language of communication. The hotel also have free Wi-Fi that functioned properly during my stay there. They also have a mini-conference room for meetings that requ...
Response from the owner
Dear Adebayo Sopeju, <br><br>First of all, thank you for your detailed review : feedback from our guests helps us improve our establishment every day. We are delighted to read that your stay was perfe...
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