Hotel reviews: Mercure Sete Balaruc Bains, South of France

We stayed at this hotel by default but we weren’t disappointed.

We were at the end of a long drive along the coast in the South of France on a scorching day and got lost in the town of Sete. We were looking for an Ibis hotel that our guide book said was in Sete but it was actually in Balaruc les Bains, a separate town on the other side of a salt water lake from Sete.

Eventually we found the Ibis hotel only to discover they had no rooms but they found us a room at their sister hotel, The Mercure, booked it for us, and got us a reduced rate as the Mercure is a bit pricier than the Ibis.

Balurac les Bains is a pretty little spa resort with modern hotels set in spacious parklands around the old village. The town sits on a peninsula in a salt lake with walks along the coast. One side was sheltered with beaches, piers and a promenade lined with predominantly seafood restaurants. The other is more open and wild with a strong wind cutting across the lake. It was very busy with windsurfers and I imagine it is quite popular for sailing and fishing.

Check in was nice and easy and the staff were very friendly and spoke excellent English, my French is very limited. The reception area was kitted out with leather sofas and a pleasant area to sit and have a coffee although the bar/cafe was directly next door.

To get to our room we took the elevator to the 3rd floor and walked along an outside walkway and into a separate building, along to the end of the corridor and there we were, eventually. It did seem a long way but then it had been a long day.

Our room was very pleasantly and recently decorated in a blue floral design and was very cool, which was welcomed.

We had 2 twin beds, which were firm and comfortable, and cabinets with clock radio, a dresser and desk with drawer space and a mini-bar, cable TV with pay for view movies, coffee-maker and ample lamps.The air conditioning was efficient and kept the room on the point of downright chilly. We also had a small balcony with a couple of chairs and we overlooked mostly open ground and could just see the Med off in the far distance.

The bathroom was sparkling with lots of mirrors and spotlights and was well equipped with quality toiletries and soft towels. There was a full size bath and a very welcoming power shower.

There are indoor and outdoor swimming pools and I had a very enjoyable splash around in the outdoor one which was surrounded by landscaped gardens.

They have a cafe and a restaurant which we didn’t try but it looked lovely and it was very busy.There was also a lounge bar and night club which must be well soundproofed as we didn’t hear a thing and my wife is an extremely light sleeper.

We were only looking for a stopover but this would have been a pleasant hotel to spend a few days in.