After my two comfortable flights with Eurowings and Lufthansa I had a two night layover in Paris before continuing to the UK and Egypt.
I chose the Relais Hotel & Spa near CDG airport (now reflagged as the Clarion Paris CDG), as I didn’t feel like dragging my luggage into the city.
I had stayed at this property some years before, when it was flagged as a Crowne Plaza, so I knew roughly what to expect.
The property, along with several others on the Allée du Verger, is an easy 10-minute shuttle ride from the airport.
I had booked a Studio Double, which was comfortable and well equipped with a small kitchenette, a refrigerator and a safe.
The bathroom was a good size, with a bathtub, a walk-in shower and separate lavatory.
The room was also equipped with a balcony, which although not exactly aesthetically pleasing, was very welcome for a committed smoker like myself, even in a cold and crisp Paris December.
The first of a couple of annoyances came when I found the promised pool and spa closed.
Having promised myself a relaxing swim, I decided to head out to the municipal pool in the nearby village of Roissy-en-France. This proved to be a somewhat surreal experience, as I had forgotten the unique rules at municipal swimming pools in France. My swimming shorts were immediately frowned upon and I was wordlessly issued a bright red swimming cap and Speedos, both of which were rather ill fitting.
I will spare readers any pictures of this particular spectacle, but suffice to say I have now made a mental note to check for any pool closures at hotels, particularly in France.
Since I was in the village and having been well fed on the flights, I decided to skip the hotel restaurant and pick up some snacks to eat in my room, before an excellent night’s sleep.
Breakfast was a very relaxed and civilised affair and I stayed in the restaurant for around two hours, enjoying the full hot and cold buffet and some excellent coffee.
The hotel is located conveniently enough that I could head into the city by train for the intervening day. I have been to Paris a number of times, so I just took a short stroll along the Seine to reacquaint myself with some of the iconic landmarks.
The next annoyance came that night. Having settled down early before a morning flight to the UK, I was abruptly awoken at 1:30am by a fire alarm. After around half an hour of being kept standing in the car park, I must admit that this produced some rather ripe French from the author, suggesting that I would not be best pleased if there was no fire.
Despite the annoyances, I can say that this is in fact a good hotel. The rooms are very comfortable, the breakfast was excellent, the pool and spa are now refurbished and fully open, and I am sure that the fire alarm was an isolated event. Along with the balcony and the convenient location, it ticks all my boxes.
I look forward to returning to this property to experience it under it’s new Clarion banner.
