Hotel La Mère Poulard — Restaurant in Avranches

We stayed at La Mere Poulard for 2 nights and honestly wouldn’t recommend it. Le Mont Sen Michelle is a unique place, millennium of age, exceptionally preserved yet there is this romantic historical aura . But hotel is bad. Despite its history, all the glory is long time gone. Dated decor, no reception or lobby - there is a space but they just left it to store old furniture. Reception desk located in tiny room, only available during daytime. We arrived at 8 PM so checked in at sister hotel facility- fortunately very close to our hotel. Room was clean but very noisy, you could only relax for a few hours after midnight till first light around 4:30 AM - birds time , not a hotel’s fault but could have more soundproofing. Double bed was too small for 2 #60 kg weight women and too short for my 1.70 cm . No mini bar no TV channels in any other language except French. Because we went on tour till 13:00, we asked to pay for late check out at 14:00, our request was declined stating “ we are fully booked tonight “ but check in time is 16:00… Still been charged 700€ for 2 nights. |Their “famous” restaurant on site is another story. They claim to have long history and a Michelin star, sorry for irony but that star probably was just forgotten to be removed as the place is awful in all and every aspect. |Starting that they do not give any preferences to their own hotel guests. We arrived at 8 PM on Saturday night, and it was impossible to find table somewhere else, neither in hotel restaurant no matter we stay there. We had to make very angry face to make them accept us at 9 PM for dinner. Half of not cozy restaurant was empty with dirty smelling tables, never mind - after long waiting we ordered. Their signature dish is omelette- I don’t know how is up to Michelin standards but it was disgusting, bad smell, plain with no salt and pepper, or anything else, just smelly medium cooked eggs and suspicious foam around…. Fish was ok, as the ice cream.. The main problem however was service- or absence of it… not to mention dirty glasses and knifes, waitress dropping dirty cloth/ napkins from other table on our’s - and not noticing it…. Same situation on breakfast. Foreign staff is good but look overused by employers and have to work long hours shifts alone, like a guy at breakfast room was always the same, straggling between dirty tables/ dishes, filling food table / fulfilling guest requests/ fixing broken coffee machine. What we generally noticed was how unfriendly native French staff are towards foreign tourists. Like they try not to have them at all. No menu in English in the restaurant, waitresses don’t speak English, No English speaking tour guides and “ don’t you bother me” face expression. |Just advice - stay somewhere else in land and come for couple of hours day visit- there is enough time because Mt Sent Michelle is a small island, walk up to the Abby , than grab sandwich and do bay walk. Regarding the last, is highly recommended. The guide( also only French speaking, but our’s Jaqui was very nice we loved him) will take you for walk on the bay around the Mount - amazing ! There are different types and duration, we made 10 km in 3,5 hours- so adventurous! It’s scheduled all day long from 10 AM till sunset. At one point we had to cross the tide, fishes hit our feet, we saw even sea lions - one of the best thing I’ve ever done in my life! Bring some food and water with you , consider swimming suit as it might be quite deep, advice with them if you have health / moving issues. |If I knew, I would stay at Sen Malo, beautiful walled city 50 km away , with more accommodation choices, food options and English speaking staff. We only went to Sen Malo for a few hours but loved it . You can also stay on nearby village Pontorson - seemed nice but we didn’t check. |Itself Normandy is beautiful, this wild untouched hard - life beauty , like a fisherman wives painted by famous neighbor painter Virginie Demont-Breton. We will definitely be back but not in scam place like La...

The 1 star is entirely for the restaurant and I want to give -1 to the restaurant, especially to the lady who I was told she is the chief of the restaurant. I must say this is the most terrible experience I have ever experienced in my life. I booked the hotel room together with the package of breakfast and dinner included. I didnt know much of the restaurant until I saw travellers taking pictures of the chefs making omelets. I was excited as I realised the restaurant is an iconic historic eatery in the area. However, it's the most awful dining experience I've ever had in my life. I came with a friend and an elderly auntie who is visiting France at her first time. We told the lady head staff we were the hotel guests with the dining package when we arrived at the restaurant. She showed us the table, gave us the fixed priced menu then left, without explaining or recommendation anything. We have waited for a while, and we tried to ask someone about the menu, but she was kind of avoiding/neglecting us, Luckily, other staff responded and got some other English speaking staff helped. It is interesting the restaurant didn't bother to introduce us the hotel guests the restaurant's signature omelet, nor even offered us a drink list. At the end, we gor an à la carte menu to order the renowned egg dish, and we needed to ask for a drink/wine list to order the wine as well. I must say most of the staff were very helpful (except the lady chief) and the food and drinks were ok (deserves more than 1 star at least). Well, I could comprehend why they provided us the fixed price menu as we were on hotel room plan, but it was kind of stupid or even rude for the restaurant not recommending us the famous omelet or other dishes, and not showing us the drink/wine list. Originally, we thought its all about the language issue. But the interesting thing is, when we asked for the bill, the lady staff just dropped the bill on our table then left. The bill includes the fixed price menu which I've already in our room package. I tried to tell her about it but she just ignored and neglected me (several times and she had been chatting with other English speaking customers). I've been waited for quite a while until another staff checking on me and he realised the bill was wrong right away. At the end, I paid what I ordered(the extra food and the drink) , but I surely didn't order the rude service. I must say, the Mont Saint Michel is a gem, I love it and I would come back. However, I would tell my friends and the world knows, the Mont Staint Michel is good, but not this restaurant, and I would share this story to my friend to avoid this restaurant. P.S. I originally thought Lucy (the chief staff) didnt speak English so that's why she didn't come to serve or help us. But I found that she has been chatting with other English speaking guests, I would address this to the...

I recently had the opportunity to stay at La Mère Poulard Hotel in Mont Saint-Michel, and I must admit that my experience fell short of expectations. While the location and dinner at the hotel's restaurant were commendable, several aspects of my stay left much to be desired.

To begin with, the hotel's entrance, tucked away next to the restaurant, was small and inconspicuous. The reception area, located on the second floor and accessible only via a narrow flight of stairs, was an inconvenience, particularly when carrying luggage. The check-in time of 4 pm was later than usual, but the receptionist kindly allowed us to leave our bags at the reception under constant supervision.

The hotel's rooms are scattered across multiple buildings. Fortunately, our room was of decent size and boasted large windows overlooking the island's front. However, the furniture appeared outdated and could use some modernization. The most significant drawback was the presence of only one electrical socket, making it challenging to charge multiple devices simultaneously, including our phones.

The bathroom, while acceptable, featured a bath basin rather than a shower—a surprising choice for a hotel aiming to provide a comfortable stay. This limited convenience and may not suit the preferences of most guests.

The included breakfast, unfortunately, failed to impress. My partner found the scrambled eggs subpar, and I personally found the overall selection bland and lacking in quality. Considering the high room rate, one would expect a more satisfying dining experience.

Speaking of the room rate, it was exorbitantly expensive, exceeding €300 for a single night. I struggle to justify such a hefty price tag, considering the shortcomings and overall lackluster experience during my stay. Unless one has a strong desire to indulge in the luxury of staying overnight at Mont Saint-Michel itself, I find it difficult to recommend this hotel.

On a more positive note, the dinner at the hotel's restaurant was enjoyable, albeit pricey. We had two menus, a bottle of wine, and two Calvados, resulting in a total expense of €150. The quality of the meal was satisfactory, but the elevated cost may deter some guests seeking more affordable dining options.

In conclusion, while the location and dinner at La Mère Poulard Hotel are notable, the overall experience left much to be desired. The inconvenient check-in, outdated room furnishings, lack of electrical outlets, underwhelming breakfast, and excessively high room rates overshadow the positives. Unless staying overnight on Mont Saint-Michel itself is an absolute priority, I would recommend exploring alternative accommodations for a more fulfilling and reasonably...