Le Parvis

Great location, excellent room, very good breakfast, value for money. But see below. We booked a room for the night of 16 December 2010. We went out to dinner in the evening. When we returned, at about 9.30pm, the hotel was locked and there was nobody there. It transpired that we were the only residents and the staff had left for the night. It was raining very hard and extremely cold. After much banging at the front door, which was fruitless, we went to a neighbouring restaurant. An extremely pleasant young man there (at Le Bistrot de la Cathedrale) contacted the Parvis staff who told him we should use our room key. Long story short, the key did not work. Finally the staff member turned up and let us in, acknowledging that it was the front door lock which did not work. It was by now sub-zero temperature. Not happy.

We stayed for two nights with a view to visiting the cathedral and old town at our leisure, so the location was ideal. The hotel is of interesting character, where uneven floors and doors which don't quite fit properly are all part of its quirky charm. Our room, Les Louis, was warm and comfortable, with a novel shower and a surprise kitchenette in a cupboard. Internet access was fine. We were given a friendly reception by the proprietor, and we enjoyed reasonably priced, unpretentious meals on both evenings. A plentiful, traditional breakfast was served. On arrival, we had to unblock the sink in the bathroom. The lighting was dim, making it difficult to read. Not the hotel's fault, but parking is at a premium in Chartres. We could possibly have used the nearby underground car-park, at the hotel's expense, but chose not to risk it because of our vehicle's height. Luckily, we found a space just outside, but feeding the meter was not cheap.

Interesting decor, comfortable bed. Very close to cathedral No tea/coffee facilities or glasses. No soap or shampoo.