154 Rue Du General Buat, 44000 Nantes

Hotel Saint Yves

Name: Hotel Saint Yves
Address: 154 Rue Du General Buat, Nantes, 44000, FR
Price range: 67 EUR
Rating: 4.4

Hotel 2-star in Nantes

Presentation

Hotel Saint-Yves is identified by a blue door set in a wall, on a quiet street in the center of Nantes, on the Bretéché clinic side. Nothing on the façade really gives it away. You ring the bell, push the door open, and you already feel almost at someone’s home.

Nine rooms, no more. The place feels more like a guesthouse than a hotel in the usual sense. Each room has been recently renovated and designed individually, with its own color palette, furnishings, and private bathroom. The flat-screen TV and Wi-Fi are there, unobtrusive, never taking over the space.

It should be said right away: the building is old, and there is no elevator. The rooms are reached by a staircase with its own character. For people with limited mobility, it is better to mention this when booking. For everyone else, it is the price of a charm that cannot be recreated with new tiles.

On the ground floor, a sheltered garden opens up to guests who know it exists. You can store a bicycle there, get some fresh air in the evening, sit without being seen from the street. Those arriving via the Loire à Vélo, in particular, appreciate the place for taking a breather.

In the morning, the breakfast room serves a buffet from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. on weekdays, a little later on weekends. Expect to pay 8 euros per person, extra on top of the room rate: here, they do not bury the nightly price in an all-inclusive package that inflates everything. The coffee is good, the pastries too, and the buffet is replenished without you having to ask twice.

The neighborhood has that double face people often look for and never quite find: residential and quiet at night, lively and full of shops during the day. The historic center, Saint-Pierre Cathedral, and the Château des Ducs de Bretagne are all about a ten-minute walk away. The train station is a fifteen-minute walk, or a few bus stops.

At the end of the day, the neighborhood becomes quiet again. The rooms overlooking the garden keep that calm even after dark, unlike those facing the street.

A piece of advice, passed along by returning guests: ask for a garden-facing room when booking, and if you linger a bit at the table in the morning, they will gladly bring you the newspaper with your second coffee.

Summary of a few positive reviews read on the Web

Found this hotel almost by chance. Really friendly welcome, spotless room from floor to ceiling.
The owner renovated the hotel himself; you can see it in the finishes, and he talks about it with pleasure.
Quiet room facing the garden, bathroom recently renovated, good soundproofing at night.
Simple but plentiful breakfast, good coffee, pastries that do not come from a packet.
About a ten-minute walk from the cathedral and the castle, on a quiet street near the Bretéché clinic.
Value for money far above what I usually pay for equivalent comfort.