Hotel De L'univers - Saint-Malo, France 

We have just returned (yesterday) from a visit to St Malo (we go every year). The hotel we usually stay at was full so we took a room at L'Univers. We tried checking in very early (the ferry gets in at just after 8) but our room wasn't ready. No problem, as I said, it was early. The girl at the desk said we could leave our luggage though. We tried again at 1. Still a bit early but our room was ready. What a result! We had booked through an internet scraper and had paid ?77 a night. We had been given a suite which, according to the notice on the door was 160euros (?127) a night, and; according to the hotel directory in the room; one of the most expensive rooms in the hotel. Having said that, I would describe the room as a "family room" rather than a suite and I would have been a bit disappointed if I'd paid the full price for it. The room had a great view out over the square, which was especially nice as it was the weekend of the longest day of the year and there was lots of activity in the town, including a stage with live music in the square. When walking along the corridors of the hotel and seeing into other rooms, a lot are very small. As is often the case with French hotels, the rooms vary hugely and it's largely down to luck what you get. This time we were lucky. Breakfast was OK but nothing special. I also don't like the fact that it is extra. If you're staying at a hotel you're going to be having breakfast aren't you? Why is it not included in the room price? But this does seem to be a widespread practice in French hotels. We have stayed at the Chateaubriand (right next to L'Univers) several times and the breakfast there is much better. At the Univers it's any cheese as long as it's Emmental, no cold meat, which I would expect a hotel breakfast to include and any fruit juice as long as it's orange. At the Chateaubriand there is a choice of cheeses, cold meats and fruit juices. And the breakfast is included in the room price. The bottom line is that we had no real complaints about L'Univers and we were lucky to get a room "upgrade" and a great view but if the Chateaubriand has rooms available next time we go to St Malo we'll be staying there.

This hotel was in a great spot - on the corner of a lively part of the walled city, with lots of restaurantsand the ramparts near by. Parking was just outside the ramparts. The hotel itself was quirky, eg our wardrobe was very old and the doors were a bit hard to shut. The bed was comfy, the hotel was clean and staff were very pleasant. Breakfast was included in the package - there was plenty of it, it was fresh and tasty. A help yourself continental breakfast of a good standard. We didn't eat in the hotel, apart from breakfast. However, we did use their very cosy bar a few times - we found the house red wine very palatable. We really enjoyed where the hotel was situated - but we were staying at a quiet time of the year. My sister's room overlooked a side street and one night she was kept awake by noisy passerbys. Perhaps in the high season it may be a bit noisy at night - as with many centrally located hotels. All in all we would recommend this hotel - but if you want the amenities of a 5 star hotel - which in my opinion can be very comfortable, but the hotels are somewhat characterless, then do not stay here.