As always we trusted Trip Advisor, et voila, we came up trumps again! Having read the reviews we knew what to expect so we booked as part of a long weekend to watch Cardiff Blues in the Heineken Cup.

Although a little difficult to find we found that it was a perfect base from which to see everything Toulouse has to offer - and there's lots!

Firstly- the Navette Shuttle Bus to and from the airport is a must at 6 Euros each return. The service drops you at Jean Jaures Allee which is a 5 minute walk from the hotel. The hotel itself is hidden away but can be found from Place Wilson or at the back of the precinct area of St George Shopping Centre.

Our check-in was quick and after trying our best French, we conceded and the English of the staff there was perfect. Our room was on the second floor - small but perfectly adequate for a 3 star city hotel. It was great to have a power shower (hot water anytime of day), comfortable bed and satellite TV including BBC World, Sky News and a whole host of other channels (very pleasing for us that it's rugby mad area of France as there was great coverage).

The great thing about Toulouse is that everything is within reasonable walking distance as long as you've a good base. It's mostly on the flat, but there are cobbles.

Things we did and would what we recommend:

A walk along the river - by the barge and also on the opposite side by the hospital
St Etienne Cathedral
Place Capitol
Coffee and pastries whilst people watching anywhere in the old town
St Sernin Basilica

We did not eat at the hotel so can't comment. We would highly recommend Van Gogh's on Place St George (fois gras and creme brulee to die for!) and a lovely little cafe on Rue Boulbon, again just off St George for great pastries. We also ate at La Suite which is near to the Irish Bar De Danu's (the official Cardiff Blues suppoters meeting place for the weekend). La Suite is really relaxed and served a great plat du jour with plenty of choice (and it's not Irish!). At the end of the day there are so many eateries, patisseries and bars that there is something for everyone.
Take your credit card if you plan on eating on Place Capitol - we paid £7 a pint and even though it was lovely we don't like being ripped off! There's a Casino Supermarket close to the hotel that had an excellent range of wines and we were so comfortable in our room that we enjoyed having a bottle whilst watching even more rugby!!

If you're going to Toulouse for rugby be aware that there are very few bars around the Stade de Toulouse (a bit like Twickenham!) and that from the centre you need to allow at least 40 minutes to walk it. The Ernest Wallon Stadium is not walking distance as it's quite close to the airport.

What a fab weekend (despite us losing to the better team).

Hope this helps.