Hotel Restaurant du Pont Abense — Restaurant in Oloron-Sainte-Marie

Extremely enjoyable, very nice friendly owners and staff. 9.0

Overall, the hotel was exceptional, the location superb, the sense of being within a Souletin agricultural village made for a very peaceful stay (I've been recovering from a serious health issue)...one day there, about 200 sheep passed the door (I mean in the road outside....not past the bedroom door!) We had our meal time table orders taken by a delightful young waitress...in her "electric dancing boots" (hope she doesn't mind my comment!), and the food was extremely good. The whole experience was very good value for money, and we shall definitely return. We discovered a 30 minute walk around the village which we did daily. We have been coming to the Tardets area since 1988 and know it rather well, but this hotel is just outside Tardet itself and as a result is very pleasantly quiet at night, apart from owls/hibous/uhu!

I think that breakfasts could be more substantial....you could charge more perhaps, and we would have been pleased to pay more? I also think that you should have a printed menu outside the property (you have a glass wall case) so that passers by can see the menu. Other than the above, which are suggestions, there was nothing to...

Supper. Winter evening. Thought this place was going to be OK as it was popular with locals (not many visitors at this time of year). Gloomy interior (& I mean 'gloomy'. Rich toffee coloured wood panelled walls with a colourful & busy wallpapered patterned ceiling ...?! The oddest of objects dotted around the place. French interior design is having a very peculiar moment... The food. starter was horrible. A risotto with mini squid and octopus. Tasteless. Nothing more I can say about that. My main was a steak. Lovely taste to the meat, and the small dollop of sweet potato was nice. I think the French should ban the ubiquitous squiggle of balsamic now - it appears on everything & adds nothing to the food. The pudding was obligatory... oh all right then , it wasn't, but we thought we might as well. I got the apple tart which presented in knickerbocker glory format... Honestly it was. My partner had three mounds of lemon posset and a third larger mound of something else....... decorated with a squiggle of chocolate sauce. ||||It was ok. Just ok.||||It was the only restaurant open for miles. Go if you are hungry and not bothered about exquisite tastes. You won't get any but you...

Supper. Winter evening. Thought this place was going to be OK as it was popular with locals (not many visitors at this time of year). Gloomy interior (& I mean 'gloomy'. Rich toffee coloured wood panelled walls with a colourful & busy wallpapered patterned ceiling ...?! The oddest of objects dotted around the place. French interior design is having a very peculiar moment... The food. starter was horrible. A risotto with mini squid and octopus. Tasteless. Nothing more I can say about that. My main was a steak. Lovely taste to the meat, and the small dollop of sweet potato was nice. I think the French should ban the ubiquitous squiggle of balsamic now - it appears on everything & adds nothing to the food. The pudding was obligatory... oh all right then , it wasn't, but we thought we might as well. I got the apple tart which presented in knickerbocker glory format... Honestly it was. My partner had three mounds of lemon posset and a third larger mound of something else....... decorated with a squiggle of chocolate sauce. ||||It was ok. Just ok.||||It was the only restaurant open for miles. Go if you are hungry and not bothered about exquisite tastes. You won't get any but you...