15 Place Jeanne Hachette; Beauvais
Anyone who has caught the Ryanair flight to Paris will know that it doesn’t actually go to Paris, it goes to Beauvais which lies nearly ninety kilometres away. Instead of jumping on a shuttle bus/train to Paris at 8pm, we’d decided to spend the night in the town next to the airport.
It meant in less than an hour after landing we were dragging our luggage through Place Jeanne Hachette to book into the Hotel Victor. Its cosy looking brasserie with funky jazz sounds looked exactly the sort of place we wanted to plonk ourselves down to enjoy our first taste of French food and wine. Hotel Victor fit exactly my idea of what a modest, French town centre hotel should be.
The Buzz Trips’ View
A friend who knows Beauvais very well describes it as bourgeois and smug. As we were only staying one night, we weren’t there long enough to be smugged. But as a convenient place to spend the night and explore for a few hours the following day, Beauvais fitted the bill. Within minutes of throwing our cases into our room we were back in the brasserie, perusing food and wine menus with equal vigour, feeling relaxed and happy. It was perfect for what we needed. Cutting out extra time to travel into Paris and find our accommodation in the busy city meant we were perky and fresh for our first full day in France.
Rooms
Our standard double was attractive enough – modern and economically furnished with parquet floor, pine headboard and bedside tables, a comfortable double bed, a small table and a flat screen TV. A sloping roof and old iron radiator made it feel very French town house, helped by a small window that overlooked the old square. There was free wifi, although the signal wasn’t very strong. The room was very clean and comfortable; just what we were after. One thing to be aware of, Hotel Victor is an old building with narrow stairs and no lift. Getting to the fourth floor rooms with heavy cases might not be the sort of exercise that appeals to everyone.
Facilities
The Hotel Victor’s brasserie is what really makes it a pleasurable place to stay. It was the sort of place we’d have chosen to eat and drink even if we hadn’t been guests. The décor is warm and slightly off the wall and the menu full of enticing Gallic goodies, including coquilles Saint-Jacques (scallops) and steak haché – a dish that consists of beef that’s minced and then moulded back into a steak shape. Accompanied by a light and fruity Pinot Noir, it was a tasty introduction to French cuisine. The food had more flair and flavour than some of the other restaurants we were to try over the following three weeks.
Breakfast is held in the brasserie and consists of fresh croissants, breads, jams and coffee. I think we must have been early breakfasters as the cleaner/breakfast waitress was still hoovering the bar’s floor. It wasn’t something that bothered us, we ‘d been charmed by the casual friendliness of Hotel Victor. It was unfussy and relaxed.
Basically, Hotel Victor is a unpretentious town centre hotel without any frills that has comfortable rooms, friendly staff and a great brasserie.
Hotel Victor; 15 Place Jeanne Hachette; tel: +03 44 10 00 59 ; double rooms with breakfast cost from around €60 per night.
Jack is co-owner, writer and photographer for BuzzTrips and the Real Tenerife series of travel websites as well as a contributor to online travel sites and travel magazines. Follow Jack on Google+
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