Hôtel Thermal du Parc

It's not Aix-Les-Thermes, but it's steps away from a fabulous cavern with guided walking tours (walk 300m towards Foix, snack bar/cafe is exactly opposite cavern gate). There's a phone number there for reaching the manager, who does 10 am walking tours of the inside... remarkable and worth a detour. Anyway, this hotel is purpose-built for people on medical prescription for hydrotherapy and other spa treatments. It's nothing like you imagine a European spa resort might be, but it's friendly to outsiders and fits anyone's budget. Like a cross between a hospital and a Motel 6, if you don't mind a very utilitarian atmosphere, it's just fine. And the price was very good... something like 45 Euros a night, in June. We had to stay just one night, hoping to miraculously nab a couple of cancellations for the Niaux cave tour (success next morning; it was stupendous), and we managed to convince the management of the other cave (mentioned earlier in this review) to give 3 of us a tour of THAT wonder in French. It was just kind of spur-of-the-moment all the way. When we got to town, we didn't even bother with Aix-Les-Thermes because this Hotel Thermal du Parc had openings that evening for the two of us to get an hour each in hydrotherapy for our aching post-bike-tour muscles. The spa is full of elderly people taking exercise classes in the indoor pool, and there are all kinds of rules about where men can and can't wait before and after their spa treatments. No problemo, though. We had pleasant therapists and the place is super clean. Right after drying off, we had a decent meal in the hotel's restaurant for a low price and slept fine in our ho-hum but comfortable room. There's a hilarious putt-putt golf course outside in the "park" complete with Concorde jet par 3 hole and Lucky Luke par 2 hole.