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A
Charming Hotel in a Seaside City 
La
Rochelle is a charming port city on the Atlantic coast of France,
about 280 miles southwest of Paris and 100 miles north of Bordeaux, a
picturesque place that I discovered years ago when looking for
offshore breezes in the heat of early summer. It was time for another
visit en route to Bordeaux in April, so I consulted my Michelin Guide
for a place to stay.
The
Hotel Trianon et de la Plage seemed promising, and the price was
right, rooms ranging from 70 to 84 euros ($94.50-$113), according to
the guide, though we actually paid a lower off-season rate of 67 euros
($90.45) for a double. Michelin had called it “19th
century character with bourgeois comfort,” which is exactly what it
was.
It
was one of those establishments that oozes comfort as soon as you set
foot inside, with carpeted floors, floral wallpaper, crystal
chandeliers overhead and a winding staircase to the second-floor
rooms. It was also about three blocks from the old harbor itself, just
far enough to be quiet but close enough so that the sights of the old
city beckoned.
Several
nearby restaurants looked interesting, but it was an off-season Sunday
night and most were closed. The hotel’s spacious dining room offered
white table cloths and moderate prices, and we dined well, about $28
each for appetizer, main course and a shared cheese platter. A bottle
of rich Côtes-du-Rhône added $18.
Our
stay lasted only one night because we were due in Bordeaux the next
morning, but we vowed to return for a longer sojourn to sample those
nearby restaurants, perhaps visit the casino and sightsee along the
waterfront.
Hotel
Trianon et de la Plage, 6 rue Monnaie, La Rochelle, France. Tel.
from the U.S. 011-33-5-46-41-21-35. Email trianonlarochelle@wanadoo.fr.
Fax 011-33-5-46-41-95-78. Closed Dec. 22-Feb. 1. Dining room closed
Saturday lunch and Sunday Oct. 15-March 15. 
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Published June, 2005