MAISON LA COURSE

Great boutique hotel with lots of charm, just like you would expect in Bordeaux

We were so excited to stay at Maison la Course in Bordeaux after reading about it in one of our favorite travel magazines.We booked the "best" rooftop room with its own dipping pool and couldn't wait to experience the small cozy atmosphere of a luxuryB&B, but with all the conveniences and "extras" that luxury travelers would expect. As a fluent French speaker and Francophile, I was excited for a small local hotel experience.Unfortunately, the Maison de la Course did not deliver.While the rooms were was artsy and unique, they just didn't work. In our room, the "bathroom" was a clawfooted tub within the actual bedroom (approximately 3 feet from the bed), with no curtain, and no separation from the bedroom. The handheld shower sprayed water all over the floor and walls. There were double sinks along the side of the room, and a TINY toilet room on the other opposed side of the room near the entry door. It was not an issue for us, but should be noted, that our room was up 3 flights of narrow stairs with no elevator option.The rooftop pool (just larger than a hot tub) was marginally heated (~75 degrees F) but not of much use to use in April.On the positive side, our room had the most amazing retractable roof - we could open the shutters on the entire ceiling and look at the stars all night long. A unique and wonderful feature.After winetasting, we were excited to sit on our private rooftop patio and enjoy our local wine. We asked for glasses and a corkscrew from the "come anytime, help yourself, make yourself at home" kitchen downstairs, only to be asked to pay a €15 corkage fee (???!!!) to drink wine in our own hotel room. We explained we didn't want them to serve our wine -- we were drinking it upstairs in our own room, but they said that was hotel policy. We simply refused to pay such a fee, and it put a bad taste (pun intended) in our mouth.Instead of a convivial wine/happy hour each evening, there was a little machine where you swiped a card and had to pay for each glass of wine (~€8-10 per glass). Instead of light snacks each evening, there was a kitchen table with pates and various jars and bowls of olives, etc, to share, but that you were asked to fill out a receipt for (like an honor bar) and pay for your portion(?). It was extremely uncomfortable and
unappealing, and we did not see a single guest partaking in either the kitchen snacks or the wine machine during our stay. They had a beautiful wine cellar, but we did not make use of it because there were so many wine bars in town that were more lively.Breakfast was a lovely idea - fruit salad, fresh squeezed juice, yogurt and granola, local mini pastries, etc. There were also cooked to order eggs and omelets if you wished. However, rather than asking what we would like to eat each morning, the fruit and juice and pastries were put on our table, and we noticed several tables where it was untouched and wasted. A simple "would you like fruit and juice this morning?" would have helped.The staff were very nice and accommodating overall - suggestions for dinner, help with luggage (there is a tiny dumbwaiter that was used to help get our bags up to the top floor), etc., but the overall concept of feeling "at home" did not work. The room rates were high, even for April. We absolutely loved Bordeaux, but did not love the Maison de la Course, and would not recommend it.

Fabulous! I just wish we could stay longer!

It is a gem in Bordeaux

Magnifique chambre avec rooftop. Une décoration où rien n’est laissé au hasard. Une ambiance propice à la détente et au bien être