Lyon Hotels with balcony

Some places are simply unlike anything else, la Suite de l'Île Barbe is one of them. Tucked away on a small island in the middle of the Saône, it feels completely removed from the city despite being just minutes from Lyon. We stayed for a romantic weekend and it exceeded every expectation. The setting is extraordinary. Waking up surrounded by water and greenery, with nothing but birdsong and the gentle sound of the river, is something you won't find in a conventional hotel. It genuinely feels like you've escaped to another world.

The check-in went smoothly until the receptionist told us that we had requested a non-AC room (with the AC to be disconnected during our stay), supposedly based on a note from Trip.com. I told the receptionist that I definitely did not make such a request—especially not in the middle of summer—and asked to see the note from Trip.com. They couldn’t show me the note and instead claimed that, since I was now denying the request, the note had already been removed. We were checked into a non-AC room, and the hotel promised to send a technician to reboot the AC. That never happened. Eventually, we were moved to another room where the AC was already functioning. The whole situation felt suspicious. It seemed like the receptionist was trying their luck by placing us in a non-AC room. What’s even more ironic is that the new room had a welcome note addressed to me, while the non-AC room was completely bare, with no such note. We definitely won’t be coming back. The hotel staff came across as insincere and pretentious.

Perfect! Couldn't fault a thing. The reception staff were incredibly friendly and accommodating. Thank you again for the warm welcome.

Staying in this hotel was quite a miserable experience, barely adequate for a hostel, never mind a 3 star establishment. The room (although quite clean) was tiny for our party of two. The luggage occupied almost half of the floor, making us jump over it when we needed to move across the room. The window was facing the railway, which was expected on the one hand, but sleeping with it open was very noisy in the morning. Here is the list of things that were missing compared to a standard hotel experience: - no kettle (had to be asked for) - just two paper/plastic cups in the bathroom, no ceramic mugs in the room - no tea, coffee or anything really to have a snack with - no safe in the room (common one at the reception) - no fridge (seriously?) - no slippers (and they don’t provide them) - no towel heaters or radiators in the room - just 3 towels for two people, no hand towels - no bath robes - no bide or hygienic shower - no toilet brush (are you for real?) - one trash can (without a bag) - extremely small rooms, no adequate space for two luggage bags On the positive side, the breakfast was decent, though nothing to write home about. Hot and protein-rich options were definitely limited. The staff were friendly and helpful. However, upon check-in, I was charged 60EUR as a damage deposit which was not stated when I booked a room. I’m yet to have it returned. The hotel/network drives this alleged “eco-friendly” agenda but in reality it’s just extreme economy and penny-pinching at the guests’ expense. Very disappointing. 1/5.

The hotel's location is great, just about 100 meters from the subway exit. There's a supermarket about a 5-minute walk away, and during the day, there's a small market near the subway station where you can buy fresh fruit. Being on the main road means you don't have to worry about coming back late at night. The room size was decent, especially considering European rooms tend to be small, and the cleanliness was also good. My only complaint is the terrible soundproofing; you can hear people walking around upstairs very clearly, which made it hard to sleep at night.

The location is great, right in the city center. The host was very welcoming; we arrived super early on the first day and stayed in the lobby for a long time, and they didn't rush us out. The room is super small, and even though there are two bathrooms, one is only for showering and not for using the toilet. The toilet in the other bathroom had some issues with the hot water. Only one of the two bedrooms has a door. However, considering the low price and cleanliness, it's still worth it.

The cleanliness was not satisfactory — I found dirty shoe prints and someone else’s hair in the bathtub. I reported the issue to the front desk and requested a room change, but they told me there were no available rooms that night and asked me to handle it myself. The location is average, not very close to the city center. The positive side is that the hotel is very quiet, the bed is comfortable, and the gym is quite good.

Hotel Vabec is in a fantastic location, right by the river. It's very close to both bus and metro stations, and the surrounding area is quiet and feels very safe. Getting to various attractions and restaurants from the hotel is also incredibly convenient. The rooms are a bit small, but the overall vibe is very cozy. The front desk staff are warm, friendly, and professional. My only minor regret is that there's no mini-fridge in the room, which makes it inconvenient for storing cold food, and there's no kettle either.

The location is good in the sense that it is close to the tram station. Unfortunately, there were a few homeless tents set up directly under the bridge between the tram station and the hotel, and we had to walk past them to get to the hotel. That part felt a bit unsafe. However, aside from the homeless tents located directly under the bridge, the surrounding area was very clean, and we didn’t see any graffiti at all. The bridge area was really the only part that felt uncomfortable. When we arrived around 1:00 PM, no one was at the front desk. There was a sign saying the staff member was in the breakfast area, but there was no indication of where that was. A phone number was provided, but no one answered when we called. We understood that check-in wasn’t until later, but we simply wanted to leave our luggage so we could start exploring the city. After waiting about 20 minutes, a staff member finally arrived and informed us that our room would not be ready until 5:00 PM, even though the stated check-in time is 3:00 PM. We came back around 6:00 PM to check in, and the ladies assisting us were really nice and welcoming, which helped improve the overall experience. We rented this place with another family, and they were able to place us on the same floor next to each other, which was super awesome and very much appreciated. Once we were checked in, we did like the hotel. We requested that the sofa be converted into a bed for our girls, and this was done promptly, which we really appreciated. We stayed for only two nights, and there was no housekeeping service during our stay. It’s unclear whether housekeeping would be provided for longer stays. We were expected to take out our own trash and keep the kitchen area clean. While I understand washing dishes and cleaning up after ourselves, having to dispose of trash ourselves was inconvenient and should have been clearly communicated on the website. It was also odd that guests are expected to clean, yet dish soap and sponges are not provided unless you specifically ask for them. Overall, I wouldn’t consider this an aparthotel, as it lacks many services typically provided by a hotel. It feels more like a furnished apartment rather than a hotel-style accommodation. That said, we paid less than $100 USD per night during New Year’s Eve, which is excellent pricing. I would stay here again for the price and the level of service provided, but it would be helpful if the self-service expectations and the surrounding walking conditions were clearly communicated beforehand—for guests who may be willing to pay more for less work or for those who are not comfortable walking past the homeless area.

First of they, the staff issued a room with someone staying. It is a serious breach of guests’ security. Then there’s no air-condition even they advertised that aircon is available. So we have to open the window for ventilation, it was very noisy probably due to a weekend and also the curtain is thin and the sunlight gets in. We are not able to have good rest. The staff said they can’t go anything about it. Also the pots and pans are moldy. Not very pleasant. The location is good, near train station and a very big mall.