Blue Cat has been to Toulouse, France quite a few times now and has stayed at a variety of hotels. Today he wants to talk about the latest place he’s stayed and why it’s his new “go-to” location.
But first – here’s where Blue Cat has stayed on his other visits, and why you might want to stay there instead:
- Blue Cat’s first visit to Toulouse included a stay at the Hotel Heliot, a small “boutique” hotel very close to a metro station and the Place du Capitole. Very charming, with the proprietor living on-site, and with rather large rooms (Blue Cat had a suite with a sitting area, bedroom and bath). Very nice except no elevator, which meant that Blue Cat (who had overpacked that first trip) had a bit of trouble getting his suitcase up to the 4th floor. And in France the 4th floor is indeed 4 floors up (not 3 like in the USA). It was a nice spiral staircase though and they had a really nice petit dejeuner (breakfast).
- On his second trip, Blue Cat stayed at the Ibis Toulouse Centre. Yes, there was an elevator there and an on-site exercise room to make up for the lack of stair-climbing. The breakfast was a very extensive buffet that was the best Blue Cat had seen. (The hotel restaurant also served a nice dinner.) However, the room was very small, but that was made up for a bit by the hotel being a bit off the busy roads. Again, very nice.
- Blue Cat stayed for two weeks on his next trip and wanted something that was more like an apartment. The place he found was the Citadines Apart’hotel Wilson Toulouse, where the room had a larger bedroom and a small kitchenette. Blue Cat did some cooking – made easier by a nice supermarche (supermarket) almost next door where he was able to buy things for late-night dinners. And the hotel also had a laundry that was only slightly difficult to understand. Overall a great place to stay for an extended period.
But Blue Cat’s favorite place to stay now (for a shorter period that doesn’t include cooking) is the Hotel Ours Blanc Wilson in the Saint-Georges district of the city. While a bit pricy (Blue Cat had some hotels.com credits to bring the price down) it is the hands-down winner in terms of room, view and location.
First – the room. Blue Cat had a corner room with a good-sized (for France) bedroom, a separate hallway for a closet, and a full bath. As you can see, the bed was huge (for Blue Cat – actually a good sized full bed) with space on either side. The desk area was also a good size and very comfortable.
And here’s the bathroom:
Even better though was the view from the French balcony you see above. This is what it looked like upon arrival…
…and at night (with a bit of fog)…
Which leads to location – the hotel overlooks the Jardin Pierre Goudouli (the big circular park you can see above) and is close to a number of great restaurants. (You can read about where Blue Cat ate on this trip here.) It was also close to the main street where Blue Cat works in Toulouse, Le Place du Capitole, the Basilique Saint-Sernin de Toulouse, and enough shops and stores for any need.
The Ours Blanc Wilson (Ours Blanc means “white bear” so there were drawings of polar bears throughout) also had a nice breakfast, a great staff (who helped Blue Cat with his French), and the best elevator ever – which Blue Cat forgot to take a picture of! It was an old fashioned elevator where you could see it moving past each floor and had a lovely speaking voice to announce the floors.
So if you’re going to Toulouse and want to stay at a really nice hotel, you can’t go wrong at the Ours Blanc Wilson. Just be sure to make your reservations early (to get a better price) and ask for a corner room.
Do you have a favorite place to stay in Toulouse (or your favorite destination)? Let Blue Cat know in the comments below. Bonne nuit!
© William P Doyle Jr, 2024
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