Sorry Disney's Sequoia Lodge, you're not my favourite hotel stay ever anymore.
Until a few years ago, Parc Asterix was never really on my radar. A park themed to some comics I read as a kid but had completely forgotten? Eh, I could take it or leave it. But as I got more invested in the theme park and rollercoaster communities it was a name that kept cropping up. However, the thing that made me realise the scale of what they had over at the Parc was not even in the park. It was a hotel. When I first saw the concept art and following photos of Les Quais de Lutèce, I knew immediately that it was somewhere I needed to stay one day. Probably just one night, and probably a special occasion but stay nonetheless. Luckily, I didn't need to wait for any time too special (although I did only stay one night) as Asterix had an incredible offer running. The catch was that the offers were - of course - non-refundable. Quite a risk to take during these times. But I threw caution to the wind - there was a dream stay on the table after all - and booked and incredibly it paid off.
Arrival
I don't have many negative things to say about this hotel, but they all fall into this section. The arrival process - by public transport - left a lot to be desired. After arriving at the front gate on the Flixbus, I made my way over to the gate to ask where I should go for the hotels. At this point a very friendly security guard walked in to the park to get a member of staff to call a shuttle for me. I was then instructed to stand in the security bay with him and wait for my shuttle. Half an hour passed, stood in awkward silence, before a query was made and I was told I had been standing in the wrong place and needed to go back to the coach station to call the hotel to pick me up. So, off I went and found a sign with instructions to arrange pick-up. I called the number, followed the instructions and got hung up on. Twice. I watched a French couple struggle doing the same thing. We shrugged at each other and each went to dial again as thankfully a mini bus pulled up to drop hotel guests back to the coach station and seemed surprised to see us - we were saved! Once at the hotel, check-in was very quick and easy but definitely have plenty of screenshots of your details ready to keep things simple as language can be a barrier. Also, do make sure to book breakfast before arriving or else you'll end up with 7am timeslot like me!
The lobby itself however took my breath away. Everywhere you look around the space, there are little theming details just waiting to be discovered. It's a warm, inviting room with a beautiful collection of lanterns and a series of carved fish as the centrepieces. It was so lovely that I popped back late in the evening, just to have the opportunity to take it all in undisturbed.
Common Areas
The headline attraction in this hotel is, of course, the stunning city of Lutèce (Roman Paris!) overlooking the Seine. Having had my breath stolen by the hotel's reception and having seen many, many photos of this area I thought I would be ready. Alas, dear reader. I was not. If this walkway was in the theme park itself, I would probably declare it one of the best themed lands I'd ever stepped foot in. As a hotel, it is so far beyond anything I've ever experienced. There are bridges, nooks, crannies and even a blacksmith's shop to discover. Thankfully, there is also seating for the hotel's bar outside overlooking it all so if you wanted to sit back and take it all in - which you definitely should - you can grab a drink and soak up the absolutely unparalleled atmosphere.
At night, the riverside becomes even more beautiful with a warm glow coming from the beautifully themed lights filling the town. My phone camera is getting old and fails to even remotely do this justice. Believe me, you need to see this for yourself.
The Room
One critique I'd read of the hotel before my stay was that the rooms weren't themed nearly enough to match the stunning exterior. Now, I can sort-of see where they're coming from but honestly, I think the rooms have a great blend of theme and comfort. First of all, they are big! The main bed area is spacious with plenty of room to move around the bed, then there are four separate rooms leading off of the hallway. Behind thick curtains lie a separate sleeping area for children with gorgeous wooden bunk beds, as well as a closet area with a safe and a fridge. Then behind beautiful heavy wooden doors with iron detailing, you can find the bathroom in one room and the toilet in another. I've not seen that in a hotel before!
The bathroom is really beautiful, clean and modern, but the fittings keep the theme intact. Just look at this gorgeous sink!
The TV stand too is beautifully themed, with stunning carvings running from the floor, almost to the ceiling along both sides - plus it has built in sockets! Paired with the large amounts of wood framing the walls and door frames and I'd say this theming was more than enough to be deserving of the incredible exterior.
In the room, as well as a refrigerator you are supplied with: tea and coffee facilities (darjeeling, peppermint, espresso and decaf coffee), a branded glass bottle of water with branded napkins(!), two shower caps and hairbands, shower gel, shampoo, organic paraben-free moisturiser(!), conditioner, a sewing kit, a shoe polishing glove, a notepad and a pencil. It's little touches like this that make this not just a gorgeously themed place to visit, but an excellent, welcoming hotel.
Plus, the bed is insanely comfy. I felt like Goldilocks, finally getting in to a bed and immediately knowing that it's just right. That bear is never getting his bed back.
Food
Dinner
As this was a complete dream stay for me, I wanted to make sure I was getting the full experience. So I went ahead and booked the 36€ dinner buffet at the hotel. Having scoured the internet, I couldn't find any indication of what sort of offerings there may be at this buffet, so - being in France after all - I geared myself up for the most expensive plate of french fries I'd ever bought. Thankfully, the meal exceeded my expectations - and then some! The food was - without exception - absolutely delicious, and the vegetarian offerings were far more numerous than I'd expected. Whilst each - well, most - dish is labelled, these labels didn't feature any sort of dietary advice so these are items that are assumed to be vegetarian which is fine for me, but may not be sufficient if you have stricter reasons for avoiding animal products.
I started - as is traditional - at the starters section, where I was able to come away with a potato salad, tomato confit, sweetcorn, rocket and some baguette. This does admittedly sound a little meagre, but the potato salad was dressed in mustard and olive oil and was utterly divine. The mustardy oil left behind was perfect for mopping up with the baguette and I topped all of my salad with pine nuts meaning I'd basically already gotten my money's worth with one plate!
Having had a quick gander at the mains section, I was anticipating a bit of a struggle here but on closer inspection there were some really great options! I managed to grab a chef who spoke a little English and confirmed that the tortellini was vegetarian as this had no signage at all. As well as the cheese tortellini, I grabbed some vegetable pizza, emmental dauphinoise, turnips with grapes and zucchini duo. Definitely a lot of cheese on this plate, but darn it was the good stuff! The pizza was drowning under a wealth of toppings, whilst it turns out that all dauphinoise should definitely be emmental based and even the turnips were delicious.
Finally, dessert. Usually the safest course as a vegetarian, the options here did not disappoint. In fact, with both almond nougat and a snickers chocolate tart(!) available it felt like a menu designed just for me.
Breakfast
Breakfast here was spectacular. But then, it has been in every French hotel I've visited. Honestly, give me a crossaint or a crepe and I'm one happy bunny. Infact I had crossaints, crepes, pancakes, mushrooms, baguette, apple sauce and more. There was even a full selection of dairy-free milks. The chefs were sneaking out to hide little food creations amongst the buffet too which I thought was adorable! The breakfast was included with the room, always a huge plus.
Perks
As a hotel guest, Parc Asterix offers a solid line-up of perks. As well as a private entrance at the back of the park behind Zeus, guests may access the park 45 minutes early for 30 minutes of extra ride time on a trio of rides. On my visit, these three rides were Pegase Express, Discobelix and La Riviere d'Elis. With Pegase and Discobelix frequently attracting some of the longest waits in the park this was very much appreciated! As day guests are held at the entrance until 10am, this also means you are able to reach Zeus way before the masses. On my visit, there were also several flats operational during this time but I believe that's operator dependent. Finally, hotel guests are entitled to 10% off in the park's shops which I think is incredible!
All in all, as I said at the very beginning, this is now my favourite hotel on Earth. Les Quais de Lutèce drew me in with it's astonishing theming, but made me fall in love with it's level of care and attention to detail. I really hope I get to return in the future.
A bientôt Lutèce.
Speak again soon,
Claire
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