Grand Hotel Français Bordeaux

Backstory: stayed for a 3 nights November 2025, 2 queen rooms, 2 women USA travelers. The hotel is in a great location- A block away from the bus station so it was easy getting there with our luggage (we took the high speed train from Paris to Bordeaux and then the local train/bus to the hotel). It is also within walking distance to stores, shopping, and most importantly restaurants. We felt very safe walking at night. Every person who worked the front desk spoke English pretty well and were helpful in recommendations; the bartenders were less fluent but we made it work! Our rooms were on the 2nd floor (so really 3rd floor for Europeans) and I did hear some noise when people where coming and going at 2am but I was also already up due to the time difference between France and the US. I do not believe it would have woken me out of sleep. The toilet room and the bathroom room (2 separate rooms) were on the small side in 1 of our rooms, but bigger in the other room where they were just 1 big room- so if you need a little more space you should ask which room would best suit you. The breakfast was fabulous each day and changed slightly each time- it is a serve yourself. There was always scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, fruit, yogurt, bread assortment. The quiche (which was AMAZING both days!) and sides changed between the days (one day bacon another day sausage, one day pancakes, one day mushrooms, etc). Juices, water, coffee and tea were also present. There is an elevator but we typically took the stairs. You have to put your room key into the slot to make the lights turn on (this is not common in the US), but that is just a hint for other US travelers. They do have water in the rooms but you have to return the water bottle or get charged; there is also a water refill station down by the breakfast nook if you have your own bottle which is always a nice finding. The hotel is cutely decorated and even more so for Christmas. I was very happy with my stay at the Grand Hotel Francais and would definitely recommend!!!

Beautiful period hotel in the heart of the old town.  Charming staff who were attentive and very helpful.  Lovely cocktail bar.  We had a deluxe room with a balcony which seemed smaller than I had anticipated and a bit dark, despite the balcony windows.  In my opinion, the bedrooms are a bit stark for the style of the hotel - I would have liked them to be a bit prettier!  But the bed was very comfortable, the bathroom super clean and a good (except for the dire machine coffee) breakfast.

This hotel wasn't nearly as nice as we hoped for, and we would likely not stay her again even though it has a few things going for it. Pros: -Location! Very much in the heart of the historic downtown area and walking distance to many areas of interest. This was basically the main reason we picked this hotel. -The staff was super nice and helpful. -The shower in our bathroom (room 301) was fully enclosed with an actual glass shower door! This is almost unheard of in France were most bathroom designs are weird at best. -Having 2 sinks in the bathroom was great. -Storage in our room was ample with 2 closets and several drawers. -Our room was relatively quiet, although I see that people on lower floors have had a much different experience. -The breakfast was good with options that seemed to change daily. Cons: -The hotel has a rule that you must drop off your room key at the front desk every time you leave and pick it up when you return because of "security". This is a dumb rule and super inconvenient. -All of the hotel rooms have refrigerators in them....and they are all disabled. The hotel staff said that this is due to a "green initiative". That's fine, but please don't advertise that you have in room refrigerators if they're actually inoperative. -Our room (# 301) was in need of some updates. The carpet was gross and needs to be replaced. The shower head wasn't working perfectly. Just some routine maintenance would have been nice to keep the rooms up. -Our Queen bed was actually 2 smaller beds pushed together, and they were quite stiff. -Our AC wall unit was too weak and didn't cool the room evenly. -The elevator is only big enough for 2 people and VERY slow, so be prepared to take the stairs a lot. -Laundry service is advertised but it's actually not done by the hotel. You have to drop off dirty clothes before 9am (except on Sundays when this service isn't offered) and they will clean and return them the next day. -The bathroom doors are transparent, so you can't use the bathroom light at night without waking up your partner. -The bathroom has thin walls, so there's basically no privacy if you're using the toilet.

Close to the main attractions, to the river side, shopping and restaurants. Close to 2 tram stops. Breakfast is good. Bathroom is quite small. Check in was quick. They ask you to hand in your card key when you leave the hotel. I do not quite understand why they do that, particularly when one reception employee that I did not know didn’t ask me for any proof of identity before handing me my room card. I did have security concerns.

At the last minute we were able to get a room at this hotel and were quite pleased. The hotel was in the center with many nearby restaurants and you could walk everywhere. The staff was friendly and at the desk to help. There was a beautiful bar area which really upgraded the hotel. It was very clean and much better than the other nearby Best Western Hotel Bayonne Etche Ona.

Staff is courteous and friendly. Location is perfect for exploring. And breakfast is superb. I’m a breakfast grouch and not easily satisfied, but the homemade granola, locally-sourced baked goods, cheese, and yoghurt, and freshly made quiches are outstanding. Wonderful stay.

This hotel has a great location and is extremely quiet. The room was comfortable. All the staff wer helpful and friendly. The bar is a nice room and they have some interesting cocktails.

Great location except you can't drive here. Utterly dismal simulation of a real hotel, don't be fooled by the "Grand Hotel" in the title - the rooms are microscopic, neither the room heater nor the hair dryer worked, and the toilet flush button falls off. It's all gimmick. No way this is a 3 star hotel yet it's rated 4? Fairy tales, I love them.

Le Grand Hotel is just that, an old, quaint French hotel, straight out of H E Bates A breath of French air with a scowling maid in the morning, who will actually do anything for you but will complain about doing it all the time! This is NOT a Hilton or a Marriott, you cannot pick up your mail from the TV set in the room or watch an adult movie! It's what it is. Le Grand Hotel. They've been doing things their way for a long time, and they hope you like it, if not........they'll give you a typical French shrug and wave you goodbye! That said, the bed was downy soft, the sheets crisp and spotless, the bathroom straight out of a black and white 30's movie and the 12 feet high french doors open straight out onto small balconies overlooking a facinating street with a genuine patissiere directly opposite. The elevator in itself is an experience with the concertina grill and an almighty thud on take off! The breakfast was bread, bread and more bread, cheese, ham, croissants and coffee together with foiled wrapped butter and plastic pots of jam. Don't go here if you want efficiency, but the hotel is next to everything Bayonne has to offer; fantastic riverside restaurants and walks, shopping, churches, and great open air markets with the local Basques passionately singing their lungs out. Oh don't take your vegetarian teenager to the markets ......plenty of live lunches on sale and skinned rabbits hanging everywhere! Go with a sense of adventure.......or book into the Ibis!