Demeures & Châteaux Hôtel les Hospitaliers

The hotel lives up to what one expects from a three star hotel.||The pool is larger than expected. The staff is friendly and customer focused. The restaurant serves delicious food, but the overall offering is very limited and concerning for those who stay more than two days.||||

The hotel is situated in historic buildings in one of the 'plus beaux villages' of France. It has comfortable, tastfully decorated rooms, a good-sized pool, a gourmet restaurant and attentive, friendly staff. We only stayed one night, on the way to the Mediteranean. We liked the hotel and the area so much that we changed our plans for the return journey, to include a two-night stay at Les Hospitaliers.

We spent three nights staying at this hotel while we visited Dieulefit and other nearby towns. Our room was clean and tidy with a breathtaking view of the surrounding mountains. While I didn’t take a dip in the pool, I did sit poolside to read. We had both dinner there one evening and breakfast one morning. Both were excellent. The restaurant was particularly impressive. The staff were all pleasant and helpful. The rooms a simple, clean and tidy. Had all the things we need and the closets were stocked with extras. It’s located on the grounds of castle ruins which creates an interesting set of grounds to explore. It was quite warm while we were there and they don’t have A/C, but they did provide a fine that met the need. We will certainly visit again.

So bad that we had to leave and find another hotel. We had ordered the "junior suite"; to access it, we ascended a staircase and hovering and lighting on the attendant's head were wasps. Inside, the smell of closed and mould was distinct. The room was dark and hot. I had read that they provided fans and the nice woman immediately retrieved a fan for us. However, opening the windows and hoping the smell would dissipate we realized we would not be able to sleep with the odor, even though cleaning products were evidently used to try to mask the underlying problem. ||The lady did offer me another room but this too required access through a mouldy-smelling corridor. That room did seem better but at that point the bloom was definitely off the rose.||We asked for a refund and were told it was not possible. I later sent a letter to the director who did not even respond. ||Oh: The blue waters in the swimming pool posted on the website were green. One could not even see the bottom of the pool.||We had been looking forward to the restaurant which also had received good reviews but we skipped that too.||Highly un-recommend this unpleasant, greatly in need of renovation and cleansing castle.||I feel that we were treated very unfairly; they kept the money and did not provide the service. ||Lodgers beware.

I booked a room at the last minute and asked for a room on the ground floor as we had to bring our elderly dog - to be honest, the comfort room ( number 2) was rather small for 2 people plus a dog. No way to do my yoga! The room was also below the restaurant so some noise from the restaurant above and as the staff cleared up. luckily, by 11 am all was quiet though.|| we loved the hotel though, the situation, the service, and the restaurant dinner was superb. Breakfast on the terrace was a reat as well.||we will happily go back but will ask for a larger room in a different location

Staff could not do enough, friendly, helpful and approachable. ||One minor issue, the shower in room 35 is only a hand shower even though there is a shower screen in place. Not sure why the shower head is not in a higher position on the wall. That is our only niggle. Over all a lovely two days.

The hotel is located at the top of a hill surrounded by historic buildings commanding wonderful views over the wooded foothills of the Jabron Valley. Le Poët-Laval is classified as one of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (most beautiful villages in France). Definitely take time to explore the village and buildings. We booked late and decided to go for a superior room (No 21) which was on the second floor of the ‘Grande Bastide’. We received a warm welcome on arrival and were shown to our room which was very spacious, with a wonderful terrace with views overlooking the historic Château des Hospitaliers and also the Chapelle Saint-Jean-des-Commandeurs located on the second floor. Other windows offered views over the Jabron Valley. It was lovely to sit on the terrace and watch the many birds (Swifts, Craig Martins, Black Redstarts and even a vulture flying over at height) The room, as I say, was very spacious with a large, very comfortable double bed and additional built in single bed, there were a couple of chairs, desk, coffee machine and kettle and there was a small bottle of water left in the room. There were toiletries in the bathroom. We were there at the end of May and we felt warm, at this time there was no fan in the room which would have been nice, however we were able to leave the terrace door and windows open. WIFI worked well in the room. The bathroom was enormous with a wonderful view of the valley. It was somewhat dated, it would have been nice to have a walk-in shower in addition to the bath or at least a shower screen around the bath to avoid water going everywhere, but this is part of an historic building so maybe there are complications with making renovations. The wonderful gastronomic restaurant located on the first floor was bright and airy. Offering a small menu which changes regularly. Food was beautifully presented and delicious we had fish as a main course which was cooked to perfection. There is an extensive wine lists and the owner is happy to make recommendations. Service from all the waiting staff was professional and friendly. There is a large terrance on the upper floor where you can have drinks before your meal and enjoy the wonderful views of the wooded hills that surround the hotel. There are tables up there, used during the summer for outdoor dining. At night many of the buildings are sympathetically lit and it really is very magical. After a very good nights sleep, breakfast was served in the upper restaurant and offered a good selection of pastries, cheese, cold meat and cheese, washed down with coffee and fresh orange juice. Staff were friendly and showed us to our room, we also managed to get parking by the entrance to the hotel which was great. The pool looked lovely but we were only here for one night and did not make use of it. There are many wonderful villages and scenic routes to discover, great vineyards to do tastings and plenty of excellent markets to discover some of the wonderful local produce from the area. NB if you have mobility issues ensure you speak with the hotel before booking a room, there are no lifts and many steps and stairs to some of the rooms and also the restaurant and area where they serve breakfast. Staff will be able to advise on the best accommodation, but don’t let this stop you from experiencing this magical place.

Everything about Les Hospitaliers is marvelous, the view, the rooms, the food, the staff! Bravo!||Location and view are superb! Poet Laval is a beautiful little stone village which tumbles down the hill||in a most charming manner. We loved every minute of our stay there.