Hotel de la Cite Carcassonne

This is a beautiful property, centrally located in Carcassonne. We had been here with a group the day before, and everyone was admiring the hotel and jealous we were coming back. I would say the hotel has a lot of things going for it, but also some things to be aware of. We did have a drink on the terrace, which we ordered inside (aware that others had trouble getting service), and the drinks came quickly. Our room was very nice. It was spacious, had a king-sized bed, separate toilet and shower rooms, refrigerator and hairdryer. The A/C was not functioning on the last day of April. This is one of those hotels you find in Europe where the entire hotel has to be on “heat” or “a/c”. No choice for the person, and if it’s a warm day and cool night, it’s heat. Not sure if they throw the switch on a certain day (like June 1) or based on the weather. Having said that, we asked about the climate control as she was showing us the room, and she told us right away “no AC”, but offered to deliver a fan, and did. With the windows open, it was fine. Another odd thing was the shower/bath. Basically, there was a bathtub which was unusually narrow to start with. A shower head on a flexible hose had been added—so far, so good. And there was a pole on the wall from which to hang it. But there was a short glass wall on one end, and about a 25% glass wall on the long side, which looked like they met, but did not. Aware of the short length and height of the wall on the long side, I was careful to put the shower head lower than I wanted it (I am very short) and to point in in the corner of the glass (which I didn’t realize didn’t meet). In a short period of time, there was a lot of water in the bathroom floor. This was very poorly designed. I have only seen one other person complaining, so its possible that other rooms had showers installed differently. I hate those showers where the doors cover 50% anyway and was well aware of the risks, but even in hindsight, there was no effective way to use the shower head without getting water all over the bathroom. Final note, which is really a note not a complaint, is that the parking is offsite. It wasn’t completely clear how to find it (though we knew it was outside the walls). We did find it. The guys were there with a car, and they took the luggage, and told us to walk up the hill, through the portal, around the church to the hotel. That was fine for us, as we are fit and it was a beautiful day. Then in reverse, we dropped our luggage at the front desk and walked down to meet them. On the arrival, our bags got to our room before we did (since we were walking and they were driving); on the departure, we had to stand around for 10 or 15 minutes waiting on them and call the desk to see what was going on. It isn’t avoidable and of course, if you don’t park a car, not your issue (although I don’t think you can drive cars in town, so not sure how you get there exactly). Just be aware if you have mobility issues, or it is hot or raining, that you are not driving up to the reception area. I would summarize as high positives, and a few negatives, that might not be issues for you if you are aware. The shower situation in particular caught me by surprise (I was sort of aware of the parking although not clear on exactly how it worked till I saw it).

This wasn’t a good experience I’m sorry to report. We were picked up at the offsite parking lot by a man who worked for the hotel. The car was filthy. The man gave us history as he drove us to the hotel which was nice- but he stayed close to us at check in and continued his lecture. He followed us up to our room, came in and talked about the area. We were tired from traveling and simply wanted quiet. Very awkward. As for the hotel itself, It is utterly gorgeous. The location, the lobby, the library, the dining room, and the rooms are all beyond beautiful. The issue we had was with the staff. Besides Sophie, and a couple members of the wait staff, the experience was quite cold. This was the only hotel on our weeks long journey where we came across rudeness. Sadly we don’t endorse this beautiful hotel.

The hotel is situated in a fortress (that's how we can explain it to Americans), it's beautiful, and we were well accommodated. It was off-season so the crowds weren't too bad. Beautifully located next to an ancient Church where St. Dominque preached! If you are American and like the old France, go!

We loved Hotel de la Cite. The staff couldn't have been more helpful. The location inside the medieval wall was magical. The food was fabulous. The only negative is that there is no onsite parking. But given everything else, the short walk was well worth it. Wish we had stayed longer. Highly recommend this hotel.

Six of us shared a lovely bottle of red as a night-cap and the staff were welcoming and friendly and sat us in the beautiful library. The nuts and olives were free. It felt very sophisticated and homely.