Hotel review: Best Western lOrangerie, Nimes, France

A couple of years ago we were on a touring holiday in the south of France. We didn’t have any particular plans and we didn’t have any hotels booked, we were just drifting, man.

We had been at Carcassonne and then at a little place on the beach called St Cyrian-plage, and on making our way east, we stopped off at Nimes.

We liked what we saw, so we decided to spend the night.

We’ve stayed at a few Best Westerns, in a few different countries, and we’ve never been disappointed at the standard of accommodation for the price. So, when we saw a sign directing the route to the Best Western l’Orangerie, we had no hesitation in having a look-see.

l’Orangerie is situated in a peaceful, and very pretty area of wooded parkland, around 1km from the historic heart of this beautiful city and with easy access to/from the A9 motorway. This suited us fine – neither myself or Mrs P are all that keen on city-centre hotels. We always think it’s nice to have an oasis to escape to, and the secluded situation of this hotel guaranteed that.

The hotel only has 30 rooms so that together with the location, it all leads to a very intimate experience.

We didn’t have a room booked but fortunately, the hotel was fairly quiet that day and there were no problems getting a room. The lady I spoke to wasn’t completely fluent in English, but with my 17 or so words of French, some hand signs, and a few nods and shrugs, we were soon signing on the dotted line.

The reception area was bright and airy, very cool and – considering the heat that day, extremely welcoming. We could only hope the room would be as welcoming.

The hotel is all on one floor so there were no claustrophobic elevators and no awkward, spiral staircases to negotiate.

It was a pretty standard room with twin beds, desk, bedside cabinets, table and chairs, and storage space etc. The room wasn’t overly large but certainly wasn’t cramped, and it looked as though it was fairly recently decorated. All the soft furnishings were in shades of golden yellow which gave the room a lovely, sunny feel, even when the curtains were closed.

The room was equipped with clock/radio, A/C, cable TV with movie and sport channels, coffee maker and mini-bar – the large, patio doors led on to a furnished, private terrace overlooking the swimming pool.

The bathroom was OK, but nothing special. All the usual facilities including a decent shower, a full-size bath and an adequate vanity area. It seemed just a little tired and maybe could have done with some freshening up, but it was definitely clean enough. A small range of toiletries and plenty of large, fluffy towels were also provided.

There was a swimming pool which, as it was absolutely scorching weather, I wasted no time in examining in depth. As the hotel was so quiet, at least when we checked in at 1.30, we had the pool to ourselves which is always nice.

There was also a hot tub, sauna and a fitness room.

The hotel had a nice-looking restaurant, called l’Orangerie by an amazing coincidence, but we dined in a restaurant in town overlooking the Roman Amphitheatre (which was spectacular, especially when lit up at night).

This was a very pleasant hotel and the situation, for us, was perfect. It really felt as though we were in the middle of the countryside and yet a 20 minute stroll along an atmospheric, tree-lined boulevard brought us to the very heart of the city.

If you’re visiting Nimes, and would prefer somewhere quieter, but still within easy walking distance of all the attractions, this hotel is ideal and I wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again.