La Bonne Etape

My husband and I can’t say enough wonderful things about La Bonne Etape. It is a truly special and magnificent place! Our trip got off to a rocky start when we encountered bad thunderstorms on our drive to the town. As a result, we were going to arrive very late at night and were concerned that we wouldn’t be able to check in. We were also hungry (!) and so messaged the hotel and asked if they could leave a little snack in the room for us. And to our pleasant surprise, not only did a lovely staff member named Lucille come out to greet our car when we arrived very late, but the chef had made some incredible sandwiches for both my husband and I! It was such a nice touch and so appreciated after such a long drive. As for the hotel itself- what can we say? Simply perfection. Stunning rooms with beautiful views. Perfect location to explore the surrounding towns. A convenient car park located directly across the street from the hotel. The pool is clean and gorgeous. A staff member walks around and asks you if you want any drinks. They are so accommodating and try to give you whatever you need. I also highly recommend taking a walk thru the magnificent gardens of the hotel which is right near the pool. They are simply beautiful. And the restaurants - wow!!!! My husband and I eat at Michelin restaurants all the time and Chef Jany Gleize and his daughter, Jane, and staff are masters at what they do. They have definitely earned their Michelin star but we think they deserve another! Their attention to detail is incredible and their creativity is something to see. My husband and I ate at the Michelin restaurant on 2 different nights because we loved it so much. We must have mentioned that it was our wedding anniversary, because the restaurant surprised us with a special cake for dessert. What a treat! Thank you to all of the staff of that amazing restaurant for everything they did to make our visit special. I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention that the hotel has a more casual dining option with its other restaurant, Bistro Gaby. We ate here one night as well and were equally impressed with the service and delicious options. I could go on and on. My husband and I just love this Relais & Chateaux property. It’s a very special place and the staff is so kind that they make you feel like you’re staying with family. We can’t wait to return with our daughter next summer. Thanks for the memories La Bonne Etape! Love, Allison and Steven Meier

We decided upon this hotel being both a member of the Relais Chateaux group and having a starred restaurant. We were not disappointed! We travel with our cocker spaniel and the hotel made special arrangements to find us a room on the ground floor for easy access with him. (We subsequently changed as the room had too easy access for him but this was done without any problems). We had a fantastic meal in the main restaurant and the staff remembered it was our 40th wedding anniversary and made us a special pudding - thank you once again. We would thoroughly recommend staying at this hotel!

We dined at T he Bistrot restaurant Gaby.. Avoid! We booked for two nights and have cancelled our second booking.. we ordered the salad nicoise which was very good as a starter but unfortunately the beef main was a very cheap cut and not braised long enough, as a result was chewy and tough.. the waiter offered a replacement which I accepted , however the stuffed tomato and courgette ( mince and rice) proved exceptionally bland and tasteless.. such a shame.. I cook much better and don’t expect sloppy seconds when I am paying reasonable prices . The chef needs the pull his finger out and step up to the plate.. very poor offerings..

Two reviews. Preface, my husband and i have been traveling France for 3 weeks, this is not our first time to the country, we come regularly and only stay at Relais & Chateau properties and dine in Michelin establishments. My husband left early and my 2 university aged children joined me for the latter part of the trip, starting at Le Bonne Etap. Hotel Of the 5 R &C properties we stayed in this was the biggest disappointment. Yes the rooms were equipped with everything you expect from an R&C property but the service was spotty. First day reception was warm, second day very cold and was very hard to find any staff around the property. Housekeeping clean but not detail oriented, one night we had treats on the bed, the next we did not. No fresh water bottles in the room. No service at the bar or at the pool. Restaurant. This was the biggest disappointment. We only booked to stay at this property for the restaurant and it was a sad experience. I am not one to think people judge you by appearances but in this case I would have to say so. I was with 2 university aged children and the only non western table in the room. We were not given much attention. I suspect, and this is conjecture, if my white husband was with us it would have been different. We are Canadian and seriously very easy going but even this was too much. I had to ask for the sommelier to come to the table. We had two courses (amuse bouche) before the wine arrived- after asking for the sommelier to come to the table. I actually ordered a glass o wine in the interim while waiting. No one came to refill our wine or water through the meal unless asked. I may be feeling touchy but the sommelier offered us the cheapest bottle of wine on the menu... and no other options. We were the first to arrive at the restaurant and the last to leave because our service was so slow. Dessert came and the staff never asked if we wanted coffee/tea or even petit fours. A very very disappointing and disheartening experience. The restaurant offered to comp our wine but at this point the evening was ruined and unfortunately a credit on the bill does not make up for the poor experience. For the last three weeks we had dined solely on Michelin restaurants from gourmand to 3 stars and I have to say, from my humble experience, this was not worthy of the designation. I would not return. Speaking for the food, it was good but not excellent, If you are a regular Michelin diner this would not leave an impression.

Fabulous Hotel, Superb Restaurant, great friendly staff. Loved it

What a lovely place. Upon arrival, you can park your car on the right side of the road in a fenced area. There are some spots under a carport, and the hotel has three charging stations for electric cars. The gate to this parking lot locks at night around 11 pm and is then accessible with a code. The reception of the hotel is next to the stairs in the hall. The two ladies at check-in were very attentive, and one escorted us to our room on the first floor. This room was accessible from the outside and had a small terrace in the front with one table, two chairs, and a parasol. On the right side of the building is a reasonably sized pool, including sunbeds. There is often an employee walking around where you can order drinks. Our room was spacious with a large bed and good air conditioning — bathroom with separate toilet, separate shower and bath, and two sinks. In the evening, we had a delicious meal in the Bistro Au Goût du Jour. The Bistro is the 2nd restaurant in the hotel, where they work with regional products. The menu changes from day to day because the chef cooks with what is available on the local market. A perfect breakfast is provided with lots of sweets, delicious croissants, and a perfectly prepared omelet in the morning. Thank you for your hospitality and kindness.

The staff at this quaint, lovely hotel are friendly, efficient and accommodating. We were scheduled to stay 3 nights, but had to leave early by one night for my husband’s business needs. We did not have a chance to eat in their premier Michelin restaurant due to scheduling, but had an absolutely fabulous meal in their Bistro, with top-notch service! We both highly recommend this clean, well appointed and friendly hotel.

We booked 2 nights here as part of a road trip through France. It was a disappointing stay and not up to what we have experienced at other Relais & Chateau hotels. The rooms were fine and comfortable, no complaints there. There was good parking with easy access just near the hotel and in the morning a man washed the car windscreens which was a nice touch. The general area of the hotel is not as nice as the photos show, no real views and the pool area is contained and quite small. Problems? There were a lot of mosquitoes around the pool area, we all got many bites. The service is was not at all attentive and poor - we would go to ask for drinks, they ran out of beer after 4 bottles. Then said they just had no cold beer. We had to suggest bringing an ice bucket and we would wait to chill them. This didn’t happen once, but both evenings. Maybe keep some beer chilled or if asked put some on ice? We asked for gin and tonics… we got some gin and a slice of lemon and bottle of tonic… can we have ice? Oh ok, they come back with ice a few minutes later. Not once, but every time we asked for a G&T! This may all seem picky and why 1 star? The first evening we had booked dinner as we were arriving there after a long drive. It’s a Michelin 1 Star restaurant and we were looking forward to it. But when we arrived in the afternoon we were tired, didn’t really want to dress for dinner so asked to move our booking to the bistro and we would dine in the restaurant the following night. No, they said the restaurant was closed the following night so we should eat there on the first night so not to miss out. We discussed as a group, we were too tired, we just wanted to eat. So we said no, we would cancel the restaurant and eat in the bistro. No they said, the bistro was full and they could not fit is in. Another member of the party went again and asked - no you can’t eat in the bistro it is fully booked. Ok we will cancel the restaurant and find somewhere simple elsewhere. We go through the town for a walk, almost everywhere is closed, but a place on the main street right near the hotel is open. We go there. They check, yes they can seat the six of us. We’re tired and enjoy a good bistro type meal and off to bed. Next day for breakfast we walk through the hotel only to find we had actually eaten in the bistro of the restaurant! It wasn’t obviously part of the hotel from the outside. And when we ate there it was practically empty!! So they basically outright lied to us 3 times to get us to eat in their restaurant. At this type of place it is totally unforgivable to be treated like this as a guest. I don’t care how good the Michelin 1 Star restaurant is there and if that is the main attraction, but to try to force this upon us and lie is terrible. Add onto that the mosquito infestation at the pool and the very poor level of service, this place should not be a R&C hotel and we would never choose to stay there again.