Bordeaux visit

[SpiritualKnot]

Staying in Bordeaux for 3 nights in August and have found good offers on hotels for a family of four. There's too much choice so I'm a bit stuck.

I've got a choice of family room at the Novotel, 2 rooms at the Ibis or a family suite at the Hotel Notre Dame. Does anyone have experience of any of those? Which would be in the best area for sight seeing?

Can people also suggest things to do, my kids are a boy aged 16yrs and a daughter aged 9yrs, so finding things to do that they both like is a bit tricky. Are there any public swimming baths or other sporty things to do?

Appreciate any advice.

SK

which novotel and ibis? what is add of the notre dame?

sightsee on day, chateaux the next and arcachon or pyla beach and huge sand dune thi)rd day

have baby on lap - typing yp spout

Hi there,

It's the Novotel Bordeaux centre Meriadeck, the Ibis Bordeaux Bastide and the address of the Hoel Notre Dame is 36-38, rue Notre-Dame, 33000 Bordeaux.

SK

the notredame one is central and old townish, meriadeck is a huge shopping complex and there is a dual carriage way outide the hotel. I live in the bastide (!), the ibis is d .brand new and bit souless looking. I would go for notre dame, or if you can find a deal on the chichi hotel on rue docteur albert barraud, or the hotel ste catherine which is slap bang middle of town....

no, notredame is not center town but in trendy quais (riverside) district - brillint market sunday mornings, my favourite restuarant and walking distance from bordeaux centre - orthere is tramway there.

I've just emailed the Ste Catherine to ask about family rooms. They bave double rooms with a child extra and a single room (for my son), but thought Id look to see if they could have us us in one room.

One website offered a good deal at the Ste Catherine with breakfast, it's an American buffet breakfast. Any idea what that means? Is it just like a normal one that you find in hotels but with pancakes as well?

Just a little uncertain about the Hotel Notra Dame, but don't know why. Maybe because there's no photo of the actual suite and they haven't actually said it would be the suite we would get, just that they'd put an extra bed in the room.

I might emnail them to ask if it's the suite, it says it's 30m2, don't know how big that is! It's also got an Italian shower.

SK

Hi qqq again,

The Ste Catherine doesn't have family rooms and it was too expensive to go for two rooms.

I booked the Novotel as I found a good price (268 euros for 3 nights, family room, bed and breakfast)and the kids fancied the big breakfast there.

However I've since seen the Ste Catherine on Superbreak, bed and breakfast, for 2 rooms (1 single and 1 double that also takes a child) for 405 euros for the 3 nights.

I always say to my friends to check Superbreak, can't believe I didn't check myself.

I suppose it leaves us with a bit more spending money though! Also the Novotel staff sound really nice, they're giving us a non smoking family room with a nice view with a king-size bed and 2 single beds,

I need to learn some French now. Did it at O'level may years ago, my son is doing his GCSE in French and is apparently very good at it, but I don't want him to end up as our translator. I speak German and it's a real pain when we go to German speaking countries as I'm treated as an interpretor all the time.

Are you French by the way or are you from elsewhere and living in France?

Anyway thanks for the advice, tried to take it but didn't succeed. If only I'd checked Superbreak...aargh! Also I couldn't find the Chichi hotel online at all, just out of interest, does it have another name?

SK

this is the chi chi one

I walked past the novotel today , it is on a bloody awful road!! I cannot see what nice view there can be from the windows..

Apparently the htel Normandie is good - it is also central.

Wow the Chichi looks fab, pricey mind!
I've been to Manchester today to a conference and was looking at some of the big hotels, thinking about the views from the rooms and how busy the roads were and thought that be a bit similar to the Novotel in Bordeaux?
With the £100 I've saved I've booked my son some surfing lessons for when we get to the coast in Bordeaux, where we're spending 8 days, so I feel a bit better about it now. Also if the kids are in the same room, my son can watch my daughter whilst me and my husband have a last drink in the bar together. ....I'm trying to convince myself here...it's paid for and non-refundable!

SK

For the record, and sorry that I didn't post sooner, there is a Holiday Inn by the station with a tram stop very close by which only takes a few minutes to get into the centre. It's by no means a luxury hotel but it's quiet and has large rooms and has always been my hotel of choice in Bordeaux. Have not been to the Ste Catherine for a fair few years now but was unimpressed on my last stay to say the least.

How can a booking made for August be non refundable? I would try as hard as you can to get out of it.

Going to look at the Chichi for my next trip as Bordeaux has been seriously lacking in decent hotels for years.

Hiyah Dee and thanks for the comments.

I've looked up the Central Bordeaux Holiday Inn and it seems to say it's no longer there? Has it been taken over by another company? Web page comes up but when you try and book it doesn't happen. There's one quite near the airport, is that the one you mean?

The rates we got for the Novotel were very good that's why it's non refundable. However, you've reassured me about the Ste Catherine, I noticed that on Tripadvisor the comments for the Novotel are consistently good, but those for the Ste Catherine are very mixed really, with a lot of variablity between rooms and staff not always too friendly.

It's still there! www.holidaycityeurope.com/holiday-inn-bordeaux/index.htm

Another useful site that has a lot more than shopping info is this one - www.schmap.com/bordeaux/shopping_citycentre/

Bordeaux is a beautiful city so hope that you have a great time.

Hi again
That's a really good site about Bordeaux. Thanks ever so much for that.
SK