Hôtel Le Relais du Roy — Hotel in Avranches

We had a very pleasant stay at Le Relais du Roy at the end of May 2024. We chose this hotel based on convenience and proximity to Mont St Michel, and it was perfect. It seems that most of the hotels in La Caserne are similar, so we chose Le Relais based on availability. There are not really any luxury hotels in the area, and it seems that one might have to stay in Pontorson to find something with central A/C.|The room we had was a Superior Double Room, and it was facing the promenade to Mont St Michel with a small balcony that you could stand on to see the Mont. I would describe the room as basic, like an older Motel 6, with a small toilet room and separate shower (the size of a cruise ship shower) and sink room. The bed was perfectly adequate, and the side of the bed next to the balcony was about 2 feet away from the door, which opens inward. There is an automatic rolling security shutter that comes down so we could leave the door open with the shutter down to keep out insects and light, and also provide a little ventilation through the slats. The weather at night was in the high 50s so we slept comfortably, but we likely would've had issues if the weather was hot, knowing that there is no A/C. There is no closet to put luggage in, but with 1 night's lodging, that wasn't an issue. The room was older and in need of refurbishment, but clean and well-located, so it was perfectly adequate for 1 night.|The breakfast buffet was plentiful and impressive, with all of the standard French hotel buffet foods with regional specialties. Highly recommended!|Parking is easy, right outside of the hotel. To get there, you will get a code emailed and texted to you, which you enter into the machine at the gate to enter La Caserne (the parking lots for everyone else are off to the right), after which you get a ticket and the gate opens. The hotel is on the left after Le Pre Sale restaurant, which we ate at and highly recommend (make sure to make a reservation as there are only a couple of restaurants in La Caserne and service ends at 9, last order at 8:30, so you are either eating there or at the overpriced Mont unless you want to drive.) Based on other reviewers, I was concerned that entering La Caserne and finding the parking lot would be challenging, but it was incredibly easy, provided you have the access code.|From the hotel, it was a solid 30-minute walk to the Mont, and we are not slow walkers. The free shuttles were running until 11 pm (Iater in the summer), with the last shuttle departing the Mont at 11 pm, so make sure to be at the shuttle stop shortly beforehand so you don't have a 30-minute walk in the dark. We got on this last shuttle and it was like rush hour in Paris! It's worth going there at night to wander around with very few people around, although everything is closed. It's beautiful lit up with barely any people around.|Tip: curiously, the emails I received from the hotel/Expedia say that there is no reception area, and check-in information would be emailed to me. I never received any check-in information but was checking and double-checking all of my emails in the car outside, before I decided to go inside to try to find someone to ask what to do. Lo' and behold, there I found a normal hotel reception area with 2 very nice receptionists, one English and one French. This was the only hiccup I had, and I realize now that I forgot to ask about this when...

We had a very pleasant stay at Le Relais du Roy at the end of May 2024. We chose this hotel based on convenience and proximity to Mont St Michel, and it was perfect. It seems that most of the hotels in La Caserne are similar, so we chose Le Relais based on availability. There are not really any luxury hotels in the area, and it seems that one might have to stay in Pontorson to find something with central A/C.|The room we had was a Superior Double Room, and it was facing the promenade to Mont St Michel with a small balcony that you could stand on to see the Mont. I would describe the room as basic, like an older Motel 6, with a small toilet room and separate shower (the size of a cruise ship shower) and sink room. The bed was perfectly adequate, and the side of the bed next to the balcony was about 2 feet away from the door, which opens inward. There is an automatic rolling security shutter that comes down so we could leave the door open with the shutter down to keep out insects and light, and also provide a little ventilation through the slats. The weather at night was in the high 50s so we slept comfortably, but we likely would've had issues if the weather was hot, knowing that there is no A/C. There is no closet to put luggage in, but with 1 night's lodging, that wasn't an issue. The room was older and in need of refurbishment, but clean and well-located, so it was perfectly adequate for 1 night.|The breakfast buffet was plentiful and impressive, with all of the standard French hotel buffet foods with regional specialties. Highly recommended!|Parking is easy, right outside of the hotel. To get there, you will get a code emailed and texted to you, which you enter into the machine at the gate to enter La Caserne (the parking lots for everyone else are off to the right), after which you get a ticket and the gate opens. The hotel is on the left after Le Pre Sale restaurant, which we ate at and highly recommend (make sure to make a reservation as there are only a couple of restaurants in La Caserne and service ends at 9, last order at 8:30, so you are either eating there or at the overpriced Mont unless you want to drive.) Based on other reviewers, I was concerned that entering La Caserne and finding the parking lot would be challenging, but it was incredibly easy, provided you have the access code.|From the hotel, it was a solid 30-minute walk to the Mont, and we are not slow walkers. The free shuttles were running until 11 pm (Iater in the summer), with the last shuttle departing the Mont at 11 pm, so make sure to be at the shuttle stop shortly beforehand so you don't have a 30-minute walk in the dark. We got on this last shuttle and it was like rush hour in Paris! It's worth going there at night to wander around with very few people around, although everything is closed. It's beautiful lit up with barely any people around.|Tip: curiously, the emails I received from the hotel/Expedia say that there is no reception area, and check-in information would be emailed to me. I never received any check-in information but was checking and double-checking all of my emails in the car outside, before I decided to go inside to try to find someone to ask what to do. Lo' and behold, there I found a normal hotel reception area with 2 very nice receptionists, one English and one French. This was the only hiccup I had, and I realize now that I forgot to ask about this when...

The hotel is ok. Not as bad as I feared yet still nothing to get excited about. The rooms are generously big for France but feel old and dated. We booked a “superior room” and it had a nice view of the river with a terrace large enough for one person at a time to stand. No room for a chair or table. The door to the terrace has a convenient shade that opens and closes electronically from the bed. The toilet is in a separate room from the shower/tub room which many couples would appreciate. Of course the reason anyone stays here is because of the close proximity to the Mont-St-Michel and frankly, you could do worse. The frequent bus/Trams to the Mont stop right outside your door. Parking is available on site or in the adjacent hotel Gabriel and the fee is only 4 Euros. You must call the hotel before you arrive to request the access code that opens the gate to the few hotels that are right there at the bus stop. The on-site restaurant is pretty good. It tries to be a high quality place but it doesn’t quite get there. We ordered the cold seafood variety sampler (and paid a supplement for that) and were extremely disappointed. The langoustines were old and dried out. The rest of the platter was weird and did nothing for us. For the main courses, the sea bass was exceptional. The vegetables that came along with it were superb. However, we were less impressed with the beef as it was a lot tougher than we are used to in the US. We split a chocolate cake for desert and I thought it was dryish. Not something I would recommend. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of choices in the immediate vicinity so unless you want to drive a bit...