My family and I stayed at this hotel following a wonderful few days at the blissful Auberge de Chassignolles in the Auvergne where we enjoyed simple but honest hospitality and extraordinary food.We decided to spend our last night in Lyon and based on the website and other reviews decided to go with the Cour des Loges.
The hotel is situated in the old town of Lyon which though very charming presents drivers with a nightmare of one way systems and shut off streets.In desperation I walked to the hotel and their efficient concierge kindly sent one of his minions to guide us to their parking garage.
First impressions of the hotel are good -it is a truely beautiful building and Gerard the head concierge knowledgable and very helpful.
Our room however-not so much!.We were given a "superior" duplex.Downstairs contains a shower cubicle and toilet of the kind one might find in a camper van( no hand basin though thats upstairs) and a small bedroom area.There is also a T.V. and couches.Up a steep flight of stairs there is another open plan bedroom area with an enormous bath taking up a third of the room space. Nowhere to hang clothes-thats downstairs, Very little storage generally.All in all not in any way user friendly or comfortable and certainly not what one expects at this level..Problems really began however when I attempted to shower. Within 3 minutes the shower cubicle flooded as the water was unable to drain.Called the front desk who promised to fix it.Returning from dinner we were assured that all was working now my husband got in the shower and yes youve guessed it flooded once more.More phone calls -more unsuccessful attemps to fix.It was now quite late and I decided to speak to the manager the following morning feeling that the junior staff on duty had neither the experience or knowledge to deal with the situation. It was a very warm night and the air conditioning barely worked .
In the morning I adressed my concerns to the most senior member of staff on duty( no manager there that day) who offered us a complimentary breakfast while he considered my complaint.We had not planned to take breakfast in the hotel as we felt that no breakfast can really be worth 27 euros per person(which is what they charge).After breakfast we were informed that a "deduction" of 110 euros had been made from our bill which comprised the 3 breakfasts + one nights parking.It was made clear that there was no one present with the authority to offer further compensation for our miserable and uncomfortable stay.On my return home after a lengthy exchange of emails the hotel at last agreed to deduct 110 euros from our bill finally recognising I suppose that croissants ,orange juice and a free parking space are not really adequate compensation for a room in a four star hotel that offers neither a usable shower or adequate air conditioning.However the whole experience was so unpleasant and stressful that I can only describe the hotel as a total Monet---great from a distance but up close you really see the flaws.I recognise that we may have been singularly unlucky with the room we were allocated and that in the best run places things sometimes go wrong but surely a test of the quality of a business is how they solve problems and endeavour to put things right for their customers.My sense is that it was with the greatest reluctance that any compensatory gesture was made.Surely this cannot be the best that Lyon has to offer.

After a luxury break at New Year last year in Lille, we decided to repeat in another city. Cour des Loges seemed an obvious choice with its location and reviews.

My problem was that it knows it's the best hotel of its type in Lyon - it's in all the guide books and gets plenty of high-end visitors. We stayed 4 nights in room 43 (see the previous description), which is fine, albeit a little dusty round the edges (too many nooks and crannies to clean efficiently). In addition to the lovely view of the garden and Fourviere, the room was incredibly peaceful, which I really valued. Not sure it was worth 290 euros a night though.

There are three keys things about the hotel:
- the concierge service, which is reputedly excellent
- the location in the heart of old Lyon (le vieux Lyon)
- the architecture and interior design of the hotel, which is getting a little bit tired around the edges.

So it's a beautiful hotel. You'll get the best out of it if you use the concierge service and money is no object. We just didn't think that the basic quality we had provided the value we've found elsewhere in Europe.

A World Heritage site, a 14th-16th century convent, the whole concept and website photos appealed to us. At check in the hotel seems wonderful. It actually looks very nice. The staff is helpful and the conciergerie - as we would find out later - are proud of their work and have superb suggestions. That is it! Wait till you enter your room. We had requested a room with a view and they gave us one: of the room across. Of course we asked for another room. I have only been able to upload two pictures of it, but in sum: there were tiles coming off everywhere in the bathroom; the curtains and the bed cover were filthy; the sink was rusty as well as the mirror; and having a shower in their large but low bath having to hold the hose yourself all the time (nowhere to hang it) was a classic! Ah, the indoors pool was not heated.

We stayed at the Cour des Loges for 5 nights and loved every second of it. It was exactly what I expected when we arrived. Our room was so cozy and clean and it smelled soooooo good. Not sure what they use, but the room always smelled like a good candle. The bedding was all white with green velvet pillows and blanket. The room was plastered with a dark color, but it had huge windows overlooking the gardens and dim lights all over the room. We read by the bedside lights just fine....The bathroom was very exposed and only had a big bathtub, but we loved it. Our room didn't feel run down at all (#43). The double bed was kinda hard, but the sheets were so soft...still very comfy. The location is the BEST!!!! We loved that it was right near all the shops and restaurants and always looked forward to getting back to our room. And Gerard, the consierge was truly amazing. So nice and welcoming and planned every one of my days, because my husband was working. He also made excellent reservations for us every night. We ate the breakfast once, but it is expensive and not really worth it. The hotel is cozy and romantic and very special! We would stay at The Cour des Loges again in a second!