Saint-Jean-Roure Hotels $66

"If you want a break from busy cities and crowded streets, this house is perfect. The drive from Valence was two hours with plenty of switchbacks. Ludovic, the house’s co-owner, attentively answered questions and provided directions. (He even explained how to call French phone numbers both inside and outside France!) He doesn’t live close to the house but his father, Michel, does. When we arrived, Michel gave us an introductory tour to the house. We don’t speak much French and Michel isn’t fluent in English, but Google Translate came to the rescue! We also chatted with Ludovic on the phone.Michel is a friendly do-it-yourselfer, and he lent a hand when needed. When these two desert dwellers were cold, he showed us how to control the heated floor tiles. When the boiler went out, Michel quickly reset it.The house is comfortable and the view across to the Velay valley from the dining room is beautiful, especially early in the mornings when the valley fills with fog and clouds. We did a lot of driving around the countryside enjoying the fall leaves as well as grazing cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. We hiked Mount Signon. We took a day trip to Le Puy-en-Velay and climbed hundreds of stone steps up to the ancient cathedral. Two items you would expect to find in a rental are not available in this well-stocked house: a television and a microwave. There is a projector, speaker, and screen, but the sound kept cutting out. Instead we snuggled on the couch with an iPad. "

"The facilities of this hotel are really nice (restaurant and pool) however our room needs a renovation. The carpet was so dirty we did not want to take our shoes off. Our room had a faint smell of cigarettes (maybe from the old carpet). Otherwise this hotel is really lovely and the staff were really kind! "

"Perfect stop over - 20 mins from autoroute, with plenty of supermarkets for food and fuel. Pool area was a lovely addition if you have time to use it. "