Parc des Marechaux in Auxerre -- ? re choice of rooms
 

We plan to stay at Hotel Le Parc des Marechaux in Auxerre for 3 nights. I requested one of the larger corner rooms and they gave me 3 options:

"Murat is the largest superior room in the hotel facing the avenue at 120 euros per day (on the first floor)

or Gouvion St Cyr another superior room facing the Parc with direct access onto the terrace at 120 euros per day (on the ground floor)

or De Grouchy large, not as big as the superior rooms at 104 euros per day facing the avenue (on the second floor)."

Murat sounds like the nicest room available, but will it be noisy facing the avenue instead of the Parc? Gouvion St Cyr faces the Parc and has direct access to the terrace, which sounds nice, but does that mean people will be sitting right outside our room eating and talking? I guess we could save a little money by going with De Grouchy, but I am worried about having to go up and down 2 flights of stairs (bad knees) and I assume there is no elevator.

Sorry to be a pest with the details, but could someone who has stayed here please advise me regarding best room locations (quiet, nice view, etc.).

ttt

Kay, they do have an elevator.I wouldn't worry about street noises particularly at night as it is not a main road. I think we had a standard room, maybe not but it was medium sized and overlooked the garden. Did you see the other post when you asked me if we'd been yet? I'll top it just in case.

Hi Jody, I am surprised they have an elevator. Maybe we should take the 2nd floor room to save a little money. It sounds like they just have the 2 large and 1 medium sized rooms for our dates. I did not inquire about the standard rooms because reviewers on Trip Advisor said they were small. Maybe I should re-think that, although the hotel will probably think I'm crazy if I ask for a different size now.

DH likes the sound of the Parc view, but I worry about being on the ground floor with people chatting outside our room. Which floor were you on? Did it look like the avenue side would have attractive views?

The street is residential with lots of big mansions set back and trees. The parc was so pretty with the fall leaves that we never see if FL. There should be a picture of the view from the little balconey we had. I'd call the room we had medium sized..I'm terribe with measurement! There was a desk and chair, along 1 wall, the bed and 2 large nightstands along another wall. The TV , fridge, and a large free standing closet set off in an alcove and there was also an armchair.
We were on the second floor in Berthier.

I agree with you about the ground floor room. As I recall there is also a door from the bar into the pool area. Don't hold me to that but I'm fairly certain.

Jody,

Your description of Berthier with the balcony overlooking the Parc sounded perfect, so I asked Rosemary if they had a similar room available. Berthier is available for our 3 nights, so we will be staying in the same room! (Now I just have to figure out how to pronounce the name.) Thanks so much for your help.

Hi Jody and Kay,
Based on your wonderfully helpful threads, we've just booked at the Parc des Marechaux for two nights in May, between a week in Paris and 4 days in Dijon. The hotel looks just beautiful on the website.

Kay, when will you be there?

The room we've been offered is a superior room (120E) on the ground floor with access to the terrace -- Gouvion St Cyr, perhaps? I've asked Rosemary if this is one of the rooms I can see on the website.

I, too, am a little concerned about having people chatting outside my window, so maybe when she gets back to me I'll ask her about the now-famous Berthier (bear-tee-ay, I think).

Speaking of pronounciation, how do you pronounce Auxerre? Is it 'ox-air'?

More like Ooss aire..But you have bear tee ay down right...I think , roll those r's.

There are pictures of Berthier on my review on trip advisor.

Ooss as in moose? or as in boss?

Jody,
there are 5 reviews on TA (all excellent) but only 2 candid photos, both of them outdoors. How do I find your photo of Berthier?

I have trouble typing sounds!! Maybe more like Oh zair

The TA picture of the trees and pool is mine.
Here's a link to my Auxerre album..starting in Avallon, going on to Vezelay , then Auxerre is at the end!

http://tinyurl.com/y4zx2r

Auxerre is not ox-air. or oo anything. Part of this is custom for the town's name, but in that name, the "x" is pronounced as an "ss" around that regional area, as I recall (rather than like the x in auxiliary).

"au" is not pronounced as "oo" in French, but as "oh".
Do you know how to say "au pair"? I imagine you've heard that phrase, that's the pronunciation of "au". There are many French words that begin with "au" that have that syllable in front pronounced that way -- aussi, auteur, autobus, autrefois, auberge, automne, etc. none of those are ooo anything

As I corrected OH!

oh, just saw that last post -- X before E wouldn't be a "z". For the city name of Auxerre, locally it's like an "s" as I recall rather than what it would be otherwise, which is an x (ks or gs) . It's the same as the city name Bruxelles. You wouldn't pronounce an x like a z in the word exercer or exercice (par exemple, for another).

An x would be a z only in a liaison with another word.

oh-sair. Right? thanks, Christina.

Jody, I can't wait to look at your pictures when I get home. We're also going to Vezelay and Avallon -- just driving through on our way from Auxerre (oh-sair!) to Dijon, where we'll be staying for four days.

If you have any suggestions about nice things to see in Vezelay and Avallon or perhaps a nice place to have lunch, I'd love to hear them. We'll be doing that drive on a Monday.

Unfortunately we arrived in Auxerre on a November Sunday when almost all the restaurants were closed, even the bistrots. We did have a pretty good light lunch near the Cadet Roussel statue in a place called Maitre something. Dinner at La Salamandre was slightly expensive but was EXCELLENT. The other place we had chosen before we left was closed for vacation after the busy summer and early fall season,La Jardin Gourmand.

Monday we spent in Vezelay and surrounding areas. Vezelay too was just about shuttered down for the season but we did have a nice lunch at a boulangerie/patisserie on the main street , going UPHILL!

We just drove thru Avallon early on a Sunday morning and only stopped for coffee.

Thanks, jody. Good to know about Auxerre on a Sunday. I trust we'll be able to get dinner at the hotel, if necessary.

We'll have better luck, I think, in Velezay and Avallon since in will be a Monday in May.

Hi hdm,

We will be in Auxerre May 6-9. It is our last stop after 1 week in Paris and 5 days in Beaune.

I loved Auxerre - was there for 2 nights in October of 2005. I tried to get a room at Parc des Marechaux, but they were booked up. I ended up staying at the Normandie Hotel, which was basic, but nice. Had a wonderful dinner at Le Jardin Gourmand, which I highly recommend.

hdm.. this is really pretty funny! We came back to the hotel after lunch and walking around and told the manager we had a hard time finding lunch! We said maybe we'd have dinner there....she, BTW is a very lovely person, She knew we were asking about various good restaurants and told us ..no..our meals are pre-prepared and really She didn't think we would like them much!! I almost fell down at her honesty!!

You will be there in high season and I'm sure there will be somewhere that you can get a good meal!

That's too funny, jody. Well, as long as we're prepared for Sunday closing, maybe on Saturday we'll buy a few things that don't have to be refrigerated and take them somewhere pretty for a picnic dinner.

Kay, you probably already have your air tickets but if not, you might want to know that Air France is having a sale with a last departure date of May 9. I don't know if that helps you at all.