Our Summer Road Trip: La Maison des Armateurs, St Malo

Having started our road trip in Cornwall, made our way through Dorset, and sailed across the channel to France, our next stop was somewhere I have been wanting to visit for such a long time – St Malo. Located in Brittany, in the north west of France, St Malo was once a stronghold for privateers and even now, the old town is surrounded by tall granite walls and just bursting with history.

We were fortunate to have been invited to stay at the only 4 star hotel in St Malo Intra Muros (the name given to the area inside the city walls), La Maison des Armateurs. Although parking is impossible inside the city walls, there are large car parks the whole way around the outskirts where you can securely leave your car. We left our car for three days and the cost was 25 euros.

La Maison des Armateurs could not be in a more ideal location – directly in the centre with the beaches, restaurants, shops, ramparts and cathedral all within a five mile radius.

We were greeted at reception by the hotel manager who welcomed us in, offered us a cold drink, instructed a porter to take our bags up to our rooms and then personally walked us to the door to check the room met our expectations which, of course, it did!

With being a family of six we were split between two family rooms, both of which would normally have been interconnecting but due to it being peak season these were unavailable at the time of our stay. I love finding hotels which cater for larger families and interconnecting rooms always gives us plenty of space to enjoy our stay without feeling as though we are on top of each other.

With a large king sized bed (which can be split into two singles) and a separate single bed in each room, Gaz took Eva and Megan and I took Lewis and Harry (pretty sure I got the best deal!). The rooms were lovely and cool due to air conditioning, clean, spacious, modern and had everything we needed to make ourselves at home for the next few days.

In each room there was a large desk and chair which I made use of at night when the children were in bed. Being self employed it can be a real juggle during the Summer holidays to take time off during travel, particularly when we travel with the blog, and yet I would much rather be sat in a gorgeous hotel, in a beautiful country, working away that at home in my office. The hotel also has free wifi which was obviously a real bonus!

Each room also had full tea and coffee making facilities, a fridge stocked with complimentary bottled water which was restocked during our stay. Having a fridge made such a difference, especially as our visit coincided with the French heatwave.

In the bathroom in Gaz’s room there was a bath, sink and toilet, which was great for us as a family with young children who prefer baths to showers. In my room there was the most amazing rain shower which was the perfect way to cool down at the end of the day!

Both rooms had complimentary toiletries which smelled amazing and were replaced during our stay. Having these little extra touches really makes a difference and I think the standard of the bathroom toiletries actually speaks volumes about the quality of a hotel.

My favourite spot in our hotel room was this little chair by the window where you could sit and watch the world go by. With the hotel being so central the streets below were busting with activity and, although with the windows closed it was lovely and quiet, when we opened them up you could hear the sound of music and excitement on the streets.

Downstairs the restaurant has a bar, conference rooms and the restaurant where we ate breakfast each morning. The bar was a lovely spacious area which was very quiet during our stay, perfect for enjoying a drink at the end of the day.

Each morning of our stay. we went down to breakfast where we had a reserved table for six waiting for us and a choice of a continental or hot breakfast or, in our case, a bit of both! Despite eating croissants often at home, there’s something very special about enjoying your first croissant in France and the children declared them the best they have ever tasted. Washed down with hot chocolate and fresh orange, it was a great way to start the day.

I had forgotten just how delicious a French breakfast can be and enjoyed loading my plate with fresh meats, cheeses and fruit. I found gluten free bread very hard to come by in France, not just in the hotel but throughout our stay, but when there’s platters of French cheese I’m always happy to fill up on that!

We absolutely loved our stay at La Maison des Armateurs and can’t fault the hotel, our rooms, or the service we received. Although we fit so much into our stay, there is still so much of St Malo I want to see and I will absolutely be booking this hotel for our return visit.

To find out more you can visit the website www.maisondesarmateurs.com.

** We were given a complimentary stay at the hotel in exchange for an honest review. All words and opinions are my own. **