La Terrasse

Stay at this hotel. You will NOT be disappointed! We were driving back from the middle of France to St Malo and wanted to find a nice overnighter — the kind you have in your mind's eye: typically rustic French on the outside, a comfy charm inside, and a smiling and friendly host. Welcome to the (Two Star) Hotel de la Terrace at Mauleon, about 45 miles SW of Nantes and just off the excellent N249 (free) motorway. The hotel even looks great on a dreary, late January afternoon. Whoa! I want to return to wine and dine on the terrace out front during a lazy summer evening. Perfect! M and Mme Dreyer (pity we didn't ask their names) have been running their hotel for over a decade. And what a great job they do... The guest rooms are not the largest — but everything worked and there were delightful views over the town below and the old town walls. Tranquillity is guaranteed. The hotel faces a large, but very quiet, square. It is not next to a busy road. We stayed just the one night (€59 for a double room). For our evening meal, we chose from the entry-level three-course menu (€14.80 each) which was tasty, wholesome and terrific value; a demi pichet of house red (€4.20) was easily the quality of an £8-£10 bottle of wine back in England. Breakfast was a typical continental affair, priced very reasonably at €7.50. Total bill for evening meals, room, and breakfast: (€111.60 / £84.50). WHAT A BARGAIN! WHAT A GREAT HOTEL!! Bravo M & Mme Dreyer!!! Now check out their website: http://www.laterrassemauleon.com (That's M Dreyer doing the voice-over.)