MrsNB13
Google
I visited La Pinede Plage a few years ago for dinner with friends staying there. It was an oasis of calm, chilled out sunset cocktails and a delicious meal. I vowed I would stay at the hotel at some point, and in early June this year, I did. I booked a week as part of a bigger holiday staying in different hotels in the South of France. On day 1, I realised I'd made a big mistake. Even though early June, it was bedlam with screaming kids and screaming parents - including parents shouting to kids from the pool area to the beach and vice versa. I just hadn't realised this was such a family focused resort - my fault of course.||On day 1 we had a late lunch in the restaurant after being told it closed at 4. Although we arrived at 3, our waitress made no secret of the fact she was frustrated with late arrivals. As she served other tables she was rolling her eyes to the other staff, and didn't hide her frustration with us, telling us "the kitchen closes soon" when we were asking for guidance on menu choices. Her attitude was poor, and seemed to be the same with other customers too. However, that was not the biggest problem with lunch, the issue was the quality of the food - I simply could not believe the 'catch of the day' fish quality - it was a dried up, clearly previously frozen piece of fish. We should have sent it back, but it was day 1, meal 1, and we wanted to give the hotel a chance. The lunch (shared starter, 1 beer, water, fish of the day plus a salad) cost nearly 180 Euros. We were staggered, because we'd been in 5 star hotels that trip where the food and drink was priced the same, but the quality was significantly ( not marginally) better. I think it's such a shame for the hotel to be associated with Michelin star chefs, and be sitting literally by the sea and serve fish that is such poor quality. ||So, we gave the hotel another chance and had dinner there. OMG, dreadful quality, tasteless food again. This meal cost ca 240 Euros for the 2 of us, and unfortunately it was another top dollar poor meal (my husband had the lamb, despite seeing another couple complain about it - he wishes he had listened). ||There were few staff who appeared to us to be committed and wanting to do a good job for the customer when we were there - the young guy at the bar, the waitress with "faith" tattooed on her neck, the cleaner, and the guy with the shaved sides of his head at the main desk - but all the rest appeared surly and looked unhappy. This was such a stark contrast to the attitude of the staff in the other hotels. It was like everything was too much trouble, there was no proactive customer service at all.||I'm so sorry, because I was so looking forward to this hotel the most, but the location isn't actually that great, the beach at Cavalaire-sur-mer is far nicer (even the beach clubs have beds spaced further apart than at La Pinede Plage), the staff make you feel uncomfortable, and the food is simply dreadful compared to other places that are as expensive (or even cheaper) in the south of France. Plus is a kids playground, where parents just let them run wild just wasn't for us. Maybe we just picked a bad week for everyone concerned. We did wander up to the Chateau for a look, the receptionist met us with the same disdain as we had seen at La Pinede Plage, but it did seem a better quality place and if we were to ever return, we would stay here instead.