La Licorne

This hotel is like the Marie Celeste - the staff seem to be invisible. There was no one there to welcome us after a 4 hour drive. Nowhere to get a drink or something to eat. We had to go to Tourist Information to find out where to check in - at another hotel down the road. The rooms are shabby with throws & cushions that have seen better days. The walls are paper thin so you can hear everything in the next room! The food in the ‘Michelin’ restaurant was inedible. The steak was so tough we couldn’t eat it yet had to pay the bill of €110. The spa looked quite upmarket but despite showing our keys at reception just to have a look around we were given the third degree by the receptionist who shouted ‘NO SHOES’! Supposedly a 5* hotel but would barely give it 3.

The hotel looked beautiful from the outside and also on the webpage but what a deception when we arrived. The furnishing was old and cheap and looked rather like a 2 star hotel. In our room the carpet was dirty and had a lot of stains. The armchair also had stains. The water drain bathtub and shower hose were rusty and all brown. The tap was disgusting and the hairdryer was melted and dangerous. Besides that, the swimming pool and whirlpool are also not very clean and looked very old. This is really not the standard for a 4star hotel (rather 2 star or lower) and the price of 265 Euro is completely overpaid. |The worst was that there was only cold water in the morning. When we called the reception, they told us that in 5 minutes it should be warm (they have swithched off the boiler overnight) but even after 20 minutes the water was still cold and we had to take a cold shower. |In response of all our complaints the hotel offered us a night for free if we return knowing that we live so far away from Lyons de la Forêt the chances are zero that we ever return. They refused to give a price reduction and after our second e-mail complaint they did not even answer anymore. So the hotel lacks also good manners.

Pretty hotel in a small pretty town. Rooms were small but nicely furnished, pet friendly. Reception , bar, bistro spa and restaurant all located in totally separate buildings , so a little confusing when getting around. Bistro was lovely for dinner, breakfast was a little lacking but the croissants were good! Spa is small but nice environment, great hamman . Good carpark. Friendly staff. We booked last minute abd got a great rate.

Hotel Grand Cerf in Lyons-la-Forêt is an absolute gem! The moment I stepped in, I was captivated by its charming ambiance. The staff was warm and welcoming, making check-in a breeze. The rooms were tastefully decorated and exceptionally clean, providing a comfortable stay. The hotel’s location in the heart of Lyons-la-Forêt is perfect for exploring the picturesque village. I especially loved the delicious breakfast served with a wide variety of options. Overall, my experience at Hotel Grand Cerf was delightful, and I highly recommend it for a peaceful and memorable stay in Lyons-la-Forêt.

Relaxing stay, which I picked based on having dinner at the (superb!) restaurant La Licorne Royale. Comfortable bed. Quirky room, e.g. bathroom door layout, but that is to be expected in a beautiful, historic building. Polite and professional service throughout!

What a quaint and beautiful place this is. We stayed there for a week over summer and have a marvellous time. Felt very safe with all the covid measures in place. Bedroom was stunning, I think we must have been upgraded to be honest as our supposedly standard room was palatial! Spa area was lovely although you might need to book in advance due to the pandemic and there is an additional charge for weekend use which we were not aware of when booking. Luckily it wasn’t too busy when we were there so we managed to book a slot most days. All in all a great little hotel with friendly and helpful staff set in the centre of one if the most picturesque towns I’ve ever seen. Highly recommended.

The village is beautiful with a convivial main square full of flowers. ||The hotel has some positives. The spa looks lovely, we thought the breakfast very good - freshly squeezed juice and excellent jam. The room was comfy enough with a good shower and nice toiletries. And the package at €160 good value. We didn’t eat in the Michelin restaurant and as it was Tuesday, their brasserie was closed. ||However there were a couple of really annoying things. ||The COVID one way system was totally ignored by the staff so of course the guests all followed suit.||There doesn’t appear to be anywhere to have a pre dinner drink or coffee and nightcap. Did we miss it?||Access to the spa was by appointment, and the outdoor pool had half its cover on as if they wanted to discourage you, even though a quick outdoor dip would have been nice and they provide robes. No one asked us on check-in if we would like to use the spa or have a treatment and by the time we’d walked up there and found we couldn’t enter, we weren’t going to walk back again to book with reception. The spa staff were standing around outside chatting to each other. ||The WiFi was next to useless. There was no code in the room but when I asked for it on the phone it was so complicated that I had to go back to the reception where I was given a 19 character code - seriously! When I ventured that this was possibly not very customer friendly, I was told to take it up with the “direction” although the whole time we were there it was not apparent who was in charge. (The receptionist actually spelt the code incorrectly but luckily my French was good enough to spot the error). In fact, it made little difference as the service was so awful so I tethered my iPad to my phone in the end. |Finally on check-out the receptionist didn’t bother to ask if we had had a nice stay or needed any help with luggage - just processed the card and handed over the bill. Indeed each time we were at reception, they answered the phone first and left us waiting. |This is so easy to get right. Put in a better WiFi and hand the code over on check-in together with a spa leaflet and an explanation that due to COVID no walk ins are allowed but they’d be happy to sort out a swim or a massage. Ask if you’d like any dinner reservations with them or elsewhere. Divert the phone on reception after a couple of rings and deal with the person in front of you. And finally put the staff on a “being more smiley and actually interested in their customers” course.

Big room, good breakfast. Service is not worth a 4 star hotel. I asked for a baby cot no-one ever came back on this. We waited 15mns to get a menu I finally had to go to the reception to get one but then no-one ever came to take the order so we just gave up. There was no AC in the room on a really hot day. Lots of hazards in the room I don't think it is suitable for people with walking difficulties and parents with babies. access by stairs only. The hotel itself is charming