Le Royal la Baule
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Hotel Details
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Le Royal la Baule · La Baule, France
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Key Highlights
- ✓Service & Staff: The staff are frequently described as outstanding, friendly, helpful, and efficient.
- ✓Location: The hotel boasts a superb beachfront location with beautiful gardens nearby.
- ✓Breakfast: Both breakfast and dinner are frequently described as excellent. A buffet breakfast is offered.
Expert Review: Le Royal la Baule
Le Royal La Baule, a distinguished five-star property and a Michelin Key selection, offers guests a luxurious seaside retreat in La Baule, France. The hotel is celebrated for its exceptional service, prime beachfront location, and comprehensive wellness facilities.
1. Overall Rating & Sentiment
The general consensus for Le Royal La Baule is overwhelmingly positive, with guests frequently rating it as "Excellent" or "Fabulous." It scores particularly high on location, cleanliness, comfort, and staff performance. While considered a high-end experience, some guests occasionally raise concerns about its value for money.
2. Key Highlights
Guests consistently praise several aspects of Le Royal La Baule:
- Service & Staff: The staff are frequently described as outstanding, friendly, helpful, and efficient.
- Location: The hotel boasts a superb beachfront location with beautiful gardens nearby.
- Amenities: The two swimming pools (indoor and seasonal outdoor), the Thalasso & Spa Barrière, and various leisure activities are highly appreciated.
- Design & Ambiance: Many guests enjoy the hotel's overall elegance and relaxed, comfortable atmosphere, with some appreciating its "fabulous old style". The hotel is described as a "Thalasso-Resort in historical walls" offering luxurious comfort.
3. Room Quality
Le Royal La Baule features spacious and modern accommodations with an elegant interior design, offering views overlooking either the sea or the garden. Rooms are generally found to be very clean and well-appointed. Amenities include air conditioning, private bathrooms with bathtubs or showers, free toiletries, flat-screen TVs, refrigerators, and free Wi-Fi. Some rooms offer tea/coffee makers, dressing areas, and sitting areas. Specific room types range from Superior Double Rooms (215 sq ft) to the expansive Royal Suite (807 sq ft with a 1506 sq ft terrace).
4. Dining Experience
The hotel offers a variety of culinary experiences, catering to different tastes:
- Fouquet's La Baule: This restaurant serves classic French gastronomy, Breton specialties, and wellness/gluten-free dishes in a mythical setting with chandeliers and woodwork. Pierre Gagnaire has reinvented the signature dishes, with Mikaël Amisse as the chef.
- Le Ponton: Located by the sea, Le Ponton offers healthy, seafood-focused cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere with musical entertainment and exquisite views of the Atlantic Ocean.
- La Brasserie du Royal: Guests can enjoy traditional French cuisine on a terrace with garden views.
- Le Bar du Royal: This bar provides an elegant, cozy English club atmosphere with a grand piano and offers a selection of Champagnes and Cognacs. There is also The Yachting Club, a casual-chic cocktail bar with a sea-view terrace, antipasti, and live piano.
- Breakfast: Both breakfast and dinner are frequently described as excellent. A buffet breakfast is offered.
5. Service & Staff
Guest feedback consistently highlights the outstanding nature of the service and staff. Guests have reported staff being exceptionally helpful, friendly, and efficient. Many reviews commend the "kindness and efficiency" of all personnel. The concierge team also receives specific praise. Issues are often resolved exceptionally by the staff.
6. Location & Accessibility
Le Royal La Baule boasts a prime beachfront location, allowing for easy access to the beach and sea. It is centrally located in La Baule-Escoublac, within a short walk of La Baule Beach (2 minutes), the Bay of Biscay (2 minutes), and Casino Barriere de la Baule (4 minutes). Other nearby attractions include Atlantia - Le Palais des Congrès de La Baule (6 minutes walk). The hotel offers private parking, though charges apply. La Baule is known as an elegant seaside resort with beaches, cultural gems, and various activities.
7. Value & Pricing
As a Michelin Key Selected property and a five-star hotel, Le Royal La Baule offers a luxury experience. While specific pricing varies, a 1-night stay for two adults can start from approximately $355.25, excluding taxes and fees. The hotel offers complimentary access to its wellness and sports facilities, including swimming pools and the gym, and access to kids' clubs. However, some guests perceive the hotel as overpriced and feel that the service or experience, in certain instances, did not fully match a five-star expectation, particularly regarding some dining experiences.
8. Common Complaints
While largely positive, some recurring issues and criticisms have been noted by guests:
- Noise: Rooms overlooking the road can be affected by noise from a nearby nightclub operating until 4 AM on Friday and Saturday nights.
- Air Conditioning: Some guests have experienced issues with air conditioning not working effectively, leading to discomfort.
- Restaurant Inconsistencies: While the main restaurant is often lauded, the beachside restaurant (Le Ponton) has occasionally been cited for not meeting the same high standards in terms of food quality or service, with reports of understaffing and long waits.
- Room Condition/Maintenance: A few reviews mention some aspects of the hotel or rooms feeling "dated" or "dusty" and suggest that the hotel could benefit from renovations. There were also mentions of dirty glasses or bathroom products not being consistently replaced.
- Room Size/Location: Some guests found certain "superior" rooms to be relatively small or poorly located (e.g., near an elevator shaft with associated noise).
Sources
Points to Consider
- •While largely positive, some recurring issues and criticisms have been noted by guests:
- •Air Conditioning: Some guests have experienced issues with air conditioning not working effectively, leading to discomfort.
- •Room Size/Location: Some guests found certain "superior" rooms to be relatively small or poorly located (e.g., near an elevator shaft with associated noise).
Google Reviews
766 reviews
Recent Guest Reviews
Diego Dominguez
Hotel Barrière Le Royal La Baule was pure elegance wrapped in comfort. As a solo traveler, I felt completely cared for welcomed with warmth, not formality. The sea views from my room were breathtaking, and the spa? Heavenly. Every detail, from breakfast to turndown service, felt thoughtful. It’s the kind of place where time slows down and you truly relax. Whether you're solo, a couple seeking roma...
Response from the owner
Dear Mr. Dominguez,<br><br>I would like to thank you for your very positive feedback following your stay at the hotel Le Royal La Baule.<br>I shared your positive perception with all the teams, who we...
Frederic
We have stayed there many times now and always love it. It is a very family friendly 5-star hotel. The location, the scenery, the gardens... are all so grand. You are on the beach with an amazing view. The staff is exceptional. The food is scrumptious. I ate a lot during my stay and still lost a few pounds thanks to the amazing seafood and the sea baths several times a day.
Sarah
What a wonderful hotel, classy but not pretentious. The staff were attentive, friendly and a delight. The Concierge team especially Youri were so helpful to us and even sent us off on our journey home with cartons of water and the local speciality caramels. The rooms are comfortable with luxury linens, the food is amazing and the bar was a lovely area to relax in. A beautiful hotel, it did not dis...
Kathy Denier
Oh I love this hotel! It is so pretty with a lovely spa and a beautiful seaside view of the Atlantic ocean and a large expansive beach! The staff are very accommodating and the breakfast that was included in our room rate was just delicious! A wonderful hotel to stay at when you are lucky enough to visit the town of La Baule and Brittany a beautiful part of France just three hours west of Paris on...
Tina Juan
The hotel exterior is very beautiful,the bar is great !the million bucks sea views so incredible! Staff are friendly super!!! 😍the receptionists are vigilant,kind and helpful.chambermaids are doing the great job! Foods are ok ! Buffet breakfast is ok ! The only thing is ,the rooms need to renovate I think ,a bit old and the cabinet is little ruined,the carpet is not good it makes noise .the buff...
Response from the owner
<br>Dear Tina Juan,<br><br>Thank you for taking the time to share your comments following your recent stay at Hotel Le Royal La Baule. <br><br>Please know that we have already shared your feedback wit...
Don Joki
Grand in an old majestic sort of way. Arrived late at night so I’m yet to really see the hotel in detail but my room is nice. So, having slept in the nice and comfy bed in the amazing room all I have to reiterate is the feeling of regal splendor. Ranging from the meal to the service to the friendliness of the staff, le royal is certainly a good place to stay whenever in nantes
Response from the owner
Dear Don Joki,<br>I thank you for this nice feedback. I am delighted to see that your stay was up to your expectations and I hope that we will have the opportunity to welcome you again soon in our est...
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