Bateau Hôtel Le Chardonnay

A stay so good we extended it! Hotel Chardonnay is an historic barge in prime position on the waterfront by the Palace of the Popes. The upper deck Starboard side has views of the ancient city walls, while the Post side has the river Rhone. We preferred the city side view from 2 glorious arm-chairs and floor to ceiling windows. The cabin, indeed the whole boat, is old style. Whilst the cabin is not huge in the context of modern shore-side Hotels, its quite adequate. But then there's the larger communal space. Maximum occupancy must only be about 50 people so the large dining room, adjoining bar and aperitif lounge become perfect, plus, forward on the main deck right at the front is a large saloon with 180 degree views forward. A terrific place to pull the laptop out or have a quiet afternoon coffee. We loved the old world charm so much we added a third night to our stay and had an excellent (and budget friendly) dinner onboard. Breakfasts were excellent to give a good start to the day in the very interesting city. The staff were excellent, genuinely happy, friendly and appeared 'invested' in the boat and caring for guests. We loved the step back in time, as well as the affordability. Better than a hotel, and better on the pocket.

This was our first time sleeping on a boat, and it was such a fun and unique experience! The view from the boat is beautiful, and you can enjoy it from your room, the diner or the lounge. Watch which side of the boat your room is on, but you can occasionally see nutrias from the side closer to the bank. The crew is kind and accommodating.

The staff support was exceptional. They allowed us to move into a room facing the water instead of the noisy traffic, and while that room only had two small beds, they moved furniture around to make one whole bed for us. Some of the staff also work the nearby small ferry that crosses the Rhone and therefore know about it's daily functioning. The room was pleasant too, having a large sliding window and refurbished bathroom. They are great people, which can be rare to find in touristic Mediterranean cities.