LE VIEUX CASTILLON ^{* * * *}

Le Vieux Castillon is a 5-star hotel located in the little village of Castillon-du-Gard, near the famous Pont-du-Gard attraction. ||We normally shy away from fancy hotels because they can be pompous, with things like dress codes for dinner and mandatory valet parking. Although this hotel offers valet parking, it’s not required and free parking can be found nearby in the village. And while you’ll probably feel better dressing up a bit for meals in their pretty restaurant, Le Vieux Castillon was not a snobbish hotel and we found them very welcoming and accommodating. ||The hotel is a collection of 18 medieval buildings, with 34 rooms spread around a beautiful, big central courtyard, or in an adjacent building with its own mini-courtyard. There may well have been other rooms in other buildings too. A small stone bridge crosses a nearby lane to get to the restaurant and gorgeous pool that incorporates part of the original town walls into its design.|The overall look is what you’d want in southern France: subdued contemporary colors, stone walls, leafy courtyards. Light, bright, and airy.||Guests can drive their cars up a very narrow street (Rue Turion Sabatier) to a temporary loading area right across from the hotel entrance to unload luggage, and either have their car driven back to a private valet lot, or they can park the car on their own at free parking spaces nearby. Using the valet costs about 12€ a night.||The hotel layout means no two rooms are alike. We reserved a junior suite with shower and King bed and were led to a wonderful room (#4) off the main courtyard. The entry had a little window overlooking the courtyard, and ample storage space. A white canopy was draped over the bed lending a dramatic touch. There were side tables and a small set-up for coffee-making. The adjacent room had a comfy couch, table and TV. The bathroom was of good size with a great shower. Hairdryer, robes, nice toiletries were all provided.||There were windows in the rooms, though being on the ground floor, they looked out to the quiet side lane. When I opened one to check on the weather I saw the woman across the lane watering her flowers. Being on a higher floor might have been better, but only so many rooms were of the type we reserved. We definitely liked being just off the main courtyard, so its beauty could greet us each morning enroute to breakfast.||The hotel restaurant is a spacious indoor-outdoor affair. The generous breakfast buffet was set up in a side room and after serving themselves most guests gravitated to the outdoor area which overlooks the pool. Staff was attentive and helpful. The restaurant also served dinner, which on our visit featured a menu of small-plates, like Spanish tapas. Because we found enough vegetarian options on the menu, we had dinner there and thought it was very good. ||The hotel also runs a pretty cafe in the town square called Joio. Unfortunately, the menu never appeared to have any vegetarian options, so we did not patronize it. ||Overall, Le Vieux Castillon is the sort of dreamy hotel you never want to leave. It has the sunny, uncluttered charm that so many associate with this part of France. Not surprisingly, it has been featured in glossy travel magazines. We were lucky to have chosen to stay there!||Note: tipping is generally unnecessary in France as service is included in all bills. Yet you’ll also read that if you found service especially good, it’s acceptable to round the bill up or leave a few extra euros. We did that for each meal at the hotel. Upon check-out we were surprised they knew the total amount of tips we had left, and that that amount had been deducted from our hotel bill. This meant that our leaving a little additional tip was pointless, since in the end we didn’t pay any. We accepted this policy without questioning, but this was the only hotel that did that during our entire 3-week trip through France

Magnifique établissement, personnel avenant et compétent, restaurant gastronomique à recommander.
Bref un excellent séjour.

Un très bel endroit.
Nous avons séjourné en famille dans cet hôtel et avons passé un excellent moment. Le personnel est attentionné et à l’écoute, ce qui rend le séjour d’autant plus agréable. Un lieu idéal pour se reposer et profiter d’un cadre paisible.

Quelle agréable soirée passée au restaurant du Vieux Castillon toute l’équipe était très agréable en particulier la serveuse Camélia !! Très souriante et sympathique

Un véritable havre de paix !
Nous avons passé un séjour inoubliable à l’Hôtel du Vieux Castillon. Le cadre est tout simplement magnifique, niché au cœur d’un village chargé d’histoire, avec une vue imprenable et une atmosphère apaisante. Le personnel a été d’une grande gentillesse, toujours souriant, attentionné et très professionnel. La chambre était élégante, confortable et parfaitement entretenue. Mention spéciale pour la piscine chauffée, idéale pour se détendre dans un cadre d’exception.
Un grand merci à toute l’équipe pour ce moment suspendu – nous reviendrons avec grand plaisir !