Pros:
Secluded location in the woods yet old town only 20' away
Cons:
Reception mess bills up!
cristian
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(3)
Atmosphere
(4)
Stayed there 1 week in August 2006. In fact I bought a package "full pension at the hostel + riding lessons" in an independent riding center a mere 10' walk from the hostel (Centre Equestre Saint Valay in Taden). The instructor was brilliant and the ponies were very tractable, they spend half the day in pastures and are locked up between lessons only, so they're friendly towards human beings and other horses. I didn't see a single case of obsessive disorders. A far cry from some riding centers around Paris! The hostel itself is charming, with a lovely garden (poss to plant a tent for 5.70 euros a night). The dorms are quite roomy (8 beds). Keep windows shut in the summer: hungry mosquitoes at large! Showers + toilets outside the rooms are OK, though there can be a queue in the morning. Breakfast is the "eat your fill" kind, with very good bread and a large choice of different jams and honey. The meals and picnics are not so value for money, it tastes like at school, and there's not so much to eat: we had to walk to Dinan and to buy crêpes because we were still hungry! Very good ice-creams at "Le Pole Nord" in the lovely old town. Nice guests' kitchen + poss. to rent a bike (shops not very near). Some fo the guests and staff would sing, play the guitar in the evening, it was quite nice, and since they did that in the courtyard, and the dorms' windows open on the garden, on the other die of the building, it didn't disturb those who were tired or had to get up early. Walk from the railway station a bit tedious: when you exit the station, you turn left and cross the track, then walk along the railway towards Pontorson, till you reach a roundabout, where you follow the signs for the hostel (and real hotels). You'll reach a small carriageway which you'll leave to follow a smaller winding road, on the right, which burrows through the woods (the creek is on your left). You pass under the railway bridge, along a bed and breakfast, and eventually get to the hostel. Beware of the cars on that road! My only complaint about this hostel is that when I booked the stay, I sent a first cheque, and then, 1 month before my arrival time, a second cheque with the rest of my money. They cashed in both cheques but I received no acknowledgement, so about 3 weeks before the stay I emailed them and they replied "yes, everything's OK, we're expecting you" and when I eventually showed up, the guy told me I hadn't paid all the money! I told him I had, but when I left, again they told me they hadn't received one of the cheques, and it was very annoying I hope they've managed to put some order into their accounts Better ask for a receipt if you pay in advance like me!!!
2 of
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(Review ID: 7992)
An excellent deal!, September 28, 2004
Reviewer:
blue_girl
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Imported Review
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
This was one of the first hostels I stayed at during my recent trip to Europe, and for 11 euros a night, it's a good place to stay. It's about a 1/2 hr walk to the train station--if you're arriving at the Dinan train station, get on the side of the tracks opposite the station building--there's a road there, and just follow it in the direction of the tracks of the way you just came, if you came from Dol. Partway down, you'll see hostel signs you can follow, and at the bottom of the hill, you turn right and walk on a road through the woods a little ways to the hostel. The hostel building itself is an old stone building, right beside a creek and in the woods--really quaint. The inside--fair enough, it's a little run down, but the rooms are clean, the beds are fine, and the bathrooms were clean too. There's a kitchen--the kitchen's not necessarily always so clean, but as I said, for the price, it's a good place to spend a couple of nights, and explore Dinan, which is a gorgeous old medieval town!
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(Review ID: 7993)
Good location/ building, very poor accomodation., September 28, 2003
Reviewer:
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(1)
Cleanliness
(1)
Facilities
(1)
Atmosphere
(1)
The building is in a very good area and location and the staff are very friendly and helpfull. However, the sleeping occomadation is very, very basic, complete with peeling wallpaper, mould in the showers and in very great need of decorating. Shame, it has great potential.
Walk from the railway station a bit tedious: when you exit the station, you turn left and cross the track, then walk along the railway towards Pontorson, till you reach a roundabout, where you follow the signs for the hostel (and real hotels). You'll reach a small carriageway which you'll leave to follow a smaller winding road, on the right, which burrows through the woods (the creek is on your left). You pass under the railway bridge, along a bed and breakfast, and eventually get to the hostel. Beware of the cars on that road! My only complaint about this hostel is that when I booked the stay, I sent a first cheque, and then, 1 month before my arrival time, a second cheque with the rest of my money. They cashed in both cheques but I received no acknowledgement, so about 3 weeks before the stay I emailed them and they replied "yes, everything's OK, we're expecting you" and when I eventually showed up, the guy told me I hadn't paid all the money! I told him I had, but when I left, again they told me they hadn't received one of the cheques, and it was very annoying 
Better ask for a receipt if you pay in advance like me!!!
