Hostellerie de l'Abbaye

The good: In general terms, this hotel was comfortable, clean and pleasant, with a nicely decorated if a little tired and slightly small, room. Breakfast was good, staff were always friendly and helpful with one hiccup noted below. There was a restaurant, but we coudn't use it because one night it was shut and the other because it was full. The not good: We arrived on a Sunday afternoon, often a down time in Frnace, but usually hotels have a manned desk during working hours - not here. We called the number given on a piece of paper on the door, but that went to answerphone. Luckily another guest came out while we were trying to decide what to do, so we were able to slip in and find our key & information on the reception desk, so got access to our room. Other issues - the automatic lights in the corridor weren't reliable, and I tripped & fell in the dark, grazing my arm. On the Monday night the car park was full of restaurant guests, requiring fnding a space else where. Other info - there was nowhere to eat either in Celles Sur Belle or apparently in Niort on a Sunday night. Our 40th wedding anniversary dinner was takeaway pizza (now the French national dish) from the excellent local pizza place on the edge of the village, eaten with our fingers. Overall a 4 out of 5 stay, but the closed reception really gave us a lot of concern.

We arrived late but were able to enjoy a delicious meal in the garden. We left very early in the morning and were able to check out the night before which was very helpful.

This is a nice old building with an outdoor terrace. The restaurant is really excellent. The rooms have been modernised but on a tight budged. The village and grand old Abbey are gorgeous.

we stayed at the hotel whilst clearing our house which we recently sold. It was a quiet and stylish oasis to return to each evening