Description: I am never a major fan of either eating or staying too close to a train station. No matter where I venture, it always seems that a city’s main station tends to be a beacon for scams and rip-off’s. For example, some of the worst Chinese food I have ever eaten was close to the stations in Tianjin and Datong. Similarly, I have seen some rather dismal looking places to stay in such areas. However, when I arrived in Nice, I was on a budget and hotels on the Cote D’Azur can be very pricey. Therefore, I took the risk of making an online booking at the Hotel Pastoral. Thankfully, even though the hotel was certainly nothing spectacular, this proved to be far from the worst decision I have ever made.
The first thing to note about Pastoral is not the easiest place in the world to find. It is located on the first floor of an elegant building situated on a side-street adjoining Rue Jean Medecin, Nice’s largest shopping street. I checked in quite late in the evening and had a little trouble actually finding the place. The side street is not particularly well marked and the hotel only has a very small sign that is not visible from the main road. This all meant that I spent 45 minutes dragging my suitcase around in the dark.
The second thing to note about Pastoral is the security. This was a major concern of mine as the area around the station is not one of the safest in Nice. It is not particularly wee lit and there seem to be plenty of gangs of youths hanging around on street corners. To my relief, the hotel allayed all my concerns. Not only did it have large exterior doors that could only be opened using a security code, but it also had a second interior door that shielded guests from the streets outside. There were plenty of other hotels in the area that looked far less secure and far more open to thieves.
Once inside, I found the Pastoral something of a mystery. The rooms managed to blend the twenty-first century with the nineteenth century. The décor and the bed in my room were far less than impressive. They looked like something from a by-gone age. That a comment I do not mean in a positive light – the bedding seemed threadbare and dull, whilst the walls looked like they had not been painted for many years. My first impression was one of disappointment. Even though I was spending just 30 Euros per night, I was expecting something a little better. However, when I opened the bathroom door, I was astounded. The room was better than many I have encountered in five-star hotels – it was truly stunning. The disparity confused me. How could the bed and the décor in the main part of the room be so old and drab and the bathroom so modern and luxurious?
I stayed at the Pastoral for 6 days. Overall the stay was not too bad, aside from the bed. The price was also very reasonable at 35 Euros per night.
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