stefd9542026-07-13
Disappointed 😞
It is with great disappointment that we are writing this review, as this is our third stay at the Thalazur in Royan. We had already come two years ago, then last year, and we had always been won over. That is, in fact, the reason we kept coming back: the setting is magnificent, the hotel is quiet, the staff is usually discreet and professional, the rooms are pleasant, the breakfast is excellent, and above all, a restaurant that had always seduced us with the quality of its cuisine, the care put into the plates, and its very good value for money.
If we return to the Thalazur, it is above all to rest and disconnect. We own an auto repair shop; our daily life is very noisy and fast-paced. We therefore particularly appreciate the calm, serenity, and discretion that are usually part of the experience at this establishment.
Unfortunately, this third stay did not live up to our previous experiences.
Upon our arrival at the restaurant on Friday evening, we heard a conversation between two bar staff members with unprofessional remarks. This is not what one expects to hear in an establishment of this standing.
During the meal, the servers had conversations among themselves when they were going to or coming from the kitchen. They were speaking loudly enough for us to hear a good part of their exchanges from the restaurant dining room. This considerably harmed the calm and relaxing atmosphere we had come looking for. We actually reported this lack of discretion, both at the restaurant reception and at the hotel front desk.
With our aperitif, no snacks accompanied our drinks, whereas during our previous visits, seaweed-flavored cashews were systematically served. My ginger beer-based cocktail, usually very fragrant, was this time totally bland, with the only flavor being a very diluted ginger beer.
The service was then particularly slow. My dish, consisting of monkfish medallions accompanied by rice pasta in a lemon cream sauce, was very far from what we were used to. The pasta was broken, like the bottom of a bag, the sauce seemed simply poured on one side of the plate, without any care in the presentation, and the monkfish was overcooked. The menu advertised a horseradish side dish, but I only got sliced fennel. When I asked a young waiter for an explanation, he went to check with the kitchen but never came back on his own. My husband had to call him over a quarter of an hour later to get an answer. He then claimed that the chef had confirmed that it was indeed horseradish and that there was even "a lot" of it, even though it was clearly fennel. This response left us very perplexed.
Disappointed, we skipped dessert.
During our previous stay, last autumn, we had been truly won over by the quality of the cuisine, particularly well-crafted dishes, and excellent value for money. We had therefore planned to have all of our meals at the restaurant this time. Unfortunately, after the experience on Friday evening, we preferred to eat our meals outside.
When leaving the restaurant, the person at the front desk asked us if everything had gone well. We shared our disappointment with them and the drinks were offered to us, a gesture that we appreciated. However, we would have much preferred to find the quality that had until now made the reputation of this establishment.
The next morning, the scrambled eggs were also surprising: very grainy, with an unusual color, far from the creamy and tasty eggs that we had always enjoyed. Fortunately, the Sunday breakfast was excellent again, which leads us to think that it was perhaps a one-time issue.
We reported all of these remarks, both to the restaurant reception and to the hotel front desk, because we believe they deserve to be heard. This review is not intended to disparage the establishment, but to express our disappointment with a quality of service far below what we had always known.
Regarding the room, although we noticed some signs of aging (visible paint touch-ups with a difference in shade, as well as a very damaged corner of the window frame), and that it was smaller than those we had previously, we found it very clean, with a pleasant balcony and a view of both the city and the ocean.
We particularly appreciate the kindness, politeness, and discretion of the housekeeping staff, whom we thank.
We sincerely hope that this experience will remain an exception, because we have always recommended this establishment to those around us. We have excellent memories of our previous stays, and it is precisely because we knew the usual level of quality that our disappointment is so significant today. We sincerely hope to find, during a future stay, the level of excellence that made us want to return each time.
Mr. and Mrs. Doucet
