La Bastide du Cantal

Located 15 minutes outside of Salers next to a small camp site, but the lit road to the town allows an evening stroll. The hotel has a swimming pool and small patio, also the hotel has its own parking. The rooms must be the plainest I have seen - no cupboards at all. The room was also grubby. The hotel has a restaurant which is quite good for the price. The main problem is the hotel is grossly understaffed which can lead to long waits. We too encountered staff arguing and a sometimes overfamiliar attitude to customers. This could either annoy you or become quite amusing - it's up to you.

Following two sleepless nights in Montsalvy, I really appreciated the quiet setting of the hotel although when I checked in my reservation had been cancelled. The front desk manager fixed the issue up, I was given a room facing the mountains. Food was good; note that the restaurant is closed at lunch time. The Manager indicated to me a nice restaurant in Salers (quaint historic village) La Diligence (better to book before going). Le Gerfaut is 3stars hotel, it would need some fixings and/or lift up (I.e. Toilette seat in my bedroom was broken... Ouch!). Overall, a decent and suitable place for vacationing. Anne, Ottawa, ON, Canada

The other reviews will have told you a little of the risk of encountering a tense atmosphere among the personnel. This indeed varied between friendly and somehow hostile during our short stay. However, we ended up having a room upgrade (the hotel was not full) and a very pleasant stay. The village of Salers is great, at walking distance, very charming. The views of Auvergne from there are simply amazing. There's a lot to do around. We hiked the Puy Violent, a volcano nearby, and it was really beautiful. We had a nice (upgraded) room, with a great view (and the cow bells as background music), a balcony, and it was big enough for the two of us to spread our things around. It was very clean. It's true there's only a hand shower, but this is quite common in France. There's a swimming pool but it was already closed (October). As the other reviews say, there was a little bit of a pressure to book dinner, which we did, twice. Food was alright. The wine good. Breakfast very good. We'd go back to Le Gerfaut.

Arrived at the hotel and it looked fantastic as we rode up. That all changed as we entered and tried to book in. Brittany Ferries had not supplied the right paperwork for the owner and his wife and they became very aggressive to us. They then started to argue between themselves making us very uncomfortable. Eventually rooms were allocated and mine was out of the 70's, shocking pink bathroom walls and the only shower was a hand held one in the bath. The owner became very aggressive again and said we must book a table immediately for dinner even though all of our party were not there at that time. We did book and that was a BIG mistake - I also had the Coc-au-Vin, supposedly a classic French casserole with chicken in wine. I was served a piece of chicken that looked as though it had been in a re-heating oven for 3 hours, totally dry, tough to cut and totally inedible. No dinner that night, could not eat the food served. During the meal the owner alternated between pleasant and aggressive with various customers and staff. If you want a nice hotel with a relaxing atmosphere then I'm afraid this is not the one, He totally reminded me of Basil Faulty in Faulty Towers. I will not be returning for another stay.

On arrival it appeared that our agent had not advised the hotel that one of our group had cancelled some weeks ago. Although not our fault the proprietor was quite unpleasant throughout our stay causing an unpleasant atmosphere. We ate in the hotel in the evening ordering coq au vin which was particularly recommended. What was served was dry and tough with no sauce. The hotel enjoys a good location and is an attractive building and with better proprietors could be very good

This time we stayed a couple of nights in the middle of June 2015, having stayed here in June 2010, and we again received a very warm welcome. So nice that they now have their own restaurant with buffet style starters and deserts and very good main courses. The view of Salers from our room was delightful (although the weather wasn't!) and is an easy walk away. The two large dogs were very well behaved and didn't come into the restaurant area. The hotel is surrounded by meadows that in June are full of wild flowers - althouth we have been unlucky with the weather on both our visits - but we will visit again and will definately use this hotel when we do.

We stayed at the Hotel Le Gerfaut in August 2014. Perfect.... if you seek a quiet place with beautiful surroundings. We had the most warm welcome and introduction to Salers, the region and the regional food including wine by the owner of the hotel. Our room (#10) had just been restored. The bathroom, as well. Pleasant colours and interior design. Clean beyond expectations. The menu had been selected with taste and good choice. Both international as well as regional starters, main courses and desserts. All in all, we had a lovely and memorable stay. We look forward to returning for another pleasant and relaxing holidays. Lene and Hugues