While I was planning a trip to the Languedoc region of France last September, I searched for a suitable hotel. Somewhere where we could relax for a couple of days in nice surroundings and still have plenty to do. Near the beach, but also close to some historic sites if we chose to visit. In the BEST WESTERN Le PHOEBUS, I found exactly what I was looking for.

The hotel is situated on the edge of the ancient village of GRUISSAN, between the new development of Gruissan-Plage and the lagoon, just off the main Gruissan-Narbonne road - it's 10 minutes from Exit 37 on the A9 m/way.

GRUISSAN is a picturesque, medieval village. Built in a circular fashion, the narrow, winding lanes lead up the hill to the 10th century castle. The village sits on a peninsula which juts out into the salt-water lagoon, whilst behind the village is the harbour where fishermen have been plying their trade for centuries.
There's a bit of a sprawl along the coast these days, but it's mostly low-rise holiday homes, except for around the port, which has apartment blocks lining the marina and the canals - this is where most of the shops, bars and restaurants are.

It's impossible to miss the hotel as it's probably the first building you see as you enter town. Well, that's not strictly true, the first building is in fact a sports centre, but next to that is the hotel's casino. Actually, now I come to think of it, you can't see the hotel from the road at all - it's hidden behind the casino!
(Just ignore that first part)

We arrived before noon and took a chance that the hotel would play ball so we could check in early - they would, we did.

THE HOTEL is more like a motel, with a central building housing the reception, breakfast-room and meeting rooms. There are four, two-storey buildings leading off wing-fashion, with outside access to the rooms - of which there are 50. The hotel sits on one-side of a small, man-made lake.

THE RECEPTION area was bright and airy, with glass walls front and rear, and air-conditioning keeping it from overheating. It wasn't a particularly large reception - enough room for a couple of sofas and some display cabinets, with a small breakfast area at the back. With the glass walls, it had the feeling of a conservatory so I imagine that it could become pretty uncomfortable without A/C.

CHECK-IN was dealt with by a young girl who wasn't overly fluent in English, but she spoke enough to handle our booking with only minimal puzzled looks. (Actually, I got the impression she hadn't been in the job long, and was just finding her feet- careless of her to lose them...) A couple of minutes saw the necessary paperwork completed and we were on our way to the room, just a few short steps away.

All the rooms are thematic so I can only describe the one we had, which was the CHAMBRE SUD.

THE ROOM wasn't huge, even by French standards, but as we weren't planning a game of indoor hockey, it was adequate.
We had twin beds which were pushed together (I don't think there was room for them otherwise!) and bedside cabinets built into the surrounding headboard. The headboard was composed of a combination of wood, terracotta panels, and small coloured tiles - very pretty and very impressive. This theme was carried on throughout the room, with the dresser consisting of small panels of terracotta off-set by tiles of the most vivid, electric blue.

The walls of the room were adorned with quite a few colourful paintings while the painting-less area was brilliant-white and spotlessly clean, keeping the room bright. Curtains and bedspread were a swirling pattern with the colour matching the headboard, armchair, and indeed, the tiled floor.

The room was equipped with A/C, a well-stocked mini-bar with some additional cupboard space in the long entrance hall, and a safe (no charge). The satellite TV had around 16 channels to choose from and there was a reasonably roomy wardrobe with mirror doors.
There were numerous lighting combinations to make the room cozy and add to the ambience.

THE BATHROOM was tiled throughout and was clean and well-lit. One entire wall was taken up with a mirror and there was a large vanity area with a shelf large enough to store all our junk. Toiletries were nothing special - the usual Best Western bottles of shampoo, bath foam etc, and plenty of decent towels.
The shower was OK, but the mechanism for switching from bath to shower was faulty - it still worked, but it was a little tricky to get the hang of.

We were on the ground floor and this meant that instead of a balcony, we had a deck with a table, chairs, and a couple of sun-loungers in the long garden which stretched down to the water's edge - all enclosed by hedges either side, giving a good level of privacy. The view across the water was to a wooded hill so, all-in-all, a very quiet and secluded spot.
Did I say quiet? Well, if you discount the gangs of clackering water-fowl patrolling the lake, it was peacefulness personified. Personally, I can listen to the sound of birds all day so it wasn't a problem - but it wasn't that loud anyway.

On checking their website for this review, I noticed that breakfast is optional and charged at 9 euros. I certainly don't remember paying extra for breakfast, so they must have changed the policy this year (or we were lucky). The hotel gives you the option of eating breakfast in the little room designated, or having it delivered to your room at no charge. We had it delivered.
At the exact time it was requested, a tray was brought to us with a huge spread of: bread and jam, croissants, pain-et-chocolate, yoghurt, fresh fruit, orange juice, and a gallon of coffee. We took breakfast on the deck and what bread didn't get eaten by us, got eaten by the ducks. Perfick!

OTHER STUFF

The hotel is separated from the restaurant and casino, and therefore there's no disturbance from the entertainment complex. The area between the hotel and the restaurant is where you'll find the kiddies play-park and also the swimming pools - a proper one for adults, and a wee dinky one for kids.

The restaurant overlooks the pool and looked very nice but we ate down by the port so I can't testify to the quality.

There's a disco with laser shows and a couple of bars - we weren't tempted. Or with the night-club.
I did take a wander into the casino where I proceeded to drink a glass or two of teeth-chatteringly-cold beer, and lose some surplus cash in an obscenely short time. No holiday prezzy for Mme. P then.

We paid 140 euros for two nights which represented great value for the quality and amenities offered.

This was a hotel I could happily spend more than a day or two in - not just because the hotel and facilities were excellent, but the surroundings were pretty good too.
There is plenty to see and do in Gruissan itself, but the proximity to places like Narbonne, Perpignan and Carcassonne means that there's lots to do in the area as well.

A quick word about the staff:
Anytime we encountered a member of staff, it was big, warm smiles all round. I don't think I've ever stayed in a hotel with such a happy-looking work-force.

Next time I'm in this area, I plan to use this hotel again.

Highly recommended.

http://www.phoebus-sa.com/index2.htm

Thanks for reading,

©proxam2004