Hotel La Zoologie

Recent Reviews: 63

• User:Kath F

  Trip type: Friends getaway

  Good First Impression, Let Down by Room Design and Service

  24 Oct 2025

  On first arrival, this appears to be a lovely boutique-style hotel with attractive public areas and a welcoming atmosphere. However, we found the room design and overall practicality could be improved, particularly for two friends sharing.Lighting in the bedroom was quite limited, and there was no fridge. We also had to request cups and milk twice (though staff were quick and courteous in providing them). The main issue for us was privacy — our room faced directly onto the outdoor terrace, so we felt very visible from the restaurant area. The bathroom and shower were fully glazed without any frosting or screens, which was uncomfortable for two people sharing. To their credit, the staff did provide two bamboo screens, which helped.In the bar, service was rather slow — after waiting about 15 minutes without being approached, we eventually decided to leave. The spa area is small but pleasant, though access for hotel guests is quite restricted in timing.There are a few steps into the hotel, and it would have been nice to have some assistance with luggage when checking out. The location is slightly outside the main centre in a less polished area, but there are good transport links nearby.Overall, this hotel has charm and potential, but some improvements in room design, amenities, and service would make it a much better experience. Hotel Zoologie, Service clients/Réception at Hotel La Zoologie, responded to this review Dear Madame Fontana,Thank you very much for taking the time to share your detailed feedback following your stay with us. We’re delighted that you appreciated the charm and atmosphere of our hotel, as well as the kindness and responsiveness of our team.We understand that our architectural style and interior design may not suit all tastes. However, they are deeply rooted in the very essence of La Zoologie — a place where contemporary design and natural materials blend harmoniously with the history of the building to create a truly distinctive experience.Regarding the spa, we note your comments about access and availability. Our spa is an intimate space designed for relaxation, and for this reason, access is limited to ensure the comfort and tranquility of each guest.We sincerely appreciate your remarks about our service. The satisfaction of our guests is at the heart of everything we do, and constructive feedback like yours helps us to improve further. Please be assured that we remain committed to offering attentive, personalized service to make every stay as enjoyable as possible.We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you again and providing you with an even more seamless experience on your next visit.Warm regards,La Zoologie

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• User:robertjhammond

  Trip type: Couples

  A green haven in the midst of a bustling city

  10 Sept 2025

  A delightful hotel keeping many of the features of the old zoology faculty of Bordeaux University, but with a modern, industrial twist to the rooms. The restaurant offered good French cuisine and wine. The rooftop bar is a great place to unwind after a day’s sightseeing, but sadly the wine on offer there was dreadful. A big thank you and special mention for the staff on Reception who could not have been more helpful, friendly and went over and above the call of duty to make us welcome and to help with recommendations and with booking other restaurants. Hotel Zoologie, Service clients/Réception at Hotel La Zoologie, responded to this review Dear Robertjhammond,We warmly thank you for your great comment on our establishment. Our main goal is for our clients to feel at home and we are really proud you felt this way during your stay wiht us.We will be taking into account your review about the wine served on the rooftop and we will be looking into improving our offers on the item in order to please our guests.We hope to have the chance to welcome you again very soon !Have a lovely day.Best regards,The Frontdesk team.

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• User:Emma R

  Trip type: Couples

  Hotel 10/10 Location 5/10

  12 Sept 2024

  We stayed here for a three night city break. The hotel itself is fabulous, we stayed in the zoological section of the hotel and had a delightful balcony overlooking the hotel’s central garden which we absolutely loved. The room itself was large with everything we needed apart from a fridge to store some milk for coffee but it was speedily delivered when rang for. The rooms are stocked with L’Occitane products and Evian water. We ate in the hotel restaurant the first night and had a really lovely dinner. Special word of mention must go to the two ladies serving us, one of which was the sommelier - she provided us with exceptional service and provided us with a fabulous wine pairing for our dinner. That being said all the staff in this hotel were wonderful especially the two guys running the bar - great cocktails and gin and tonics. We had lunch at the hotel’s Italian restaurant on our first day, the menu is small but the service and quality of food is exceptional. One thing to note if booking this hotel and I can only speak for our room in the zoológica section - the shower is open to the room by a clear screen, not a problem for us as a married couple but would be awkward for friends sharing or perhaps a newly dating couple!! Some things should be kept a mystery! The only downside we found with this hotel is the location, it is a 20 minute walk up to the old town and in quite an industrial area, the tram is about a 6 minute walk, okay during the day but we were a little nervous walking back at night. There seems to be some sort of school/child care facility right beside the hotel - the noise from this during the day from early morning until evening is quite extensive - if screaming children is not your thing perhaps ask for a room at the front of the hotel. The roof terrace is a great amenity on a warm day however it could do with some comfortable chairs for relaxing in, the ones there at the moment are not great! My husband had two massages at the spa and throughly enjoyed them, the only thing that’s missing is a pool. We had a lovely stay and would like to thank all the staff for being so lovely, we really felt at home - merci Beaucoup! Hotel Zoologie, Service clients/Réception at Hotel La Zoologie, responded to this review Hello Emma,We warmly thank you for your great comment on our establishment. Our main goal is for our clients to feel at home and we are really proud you felt this way during your stay wiht us.Almost all of our rooms have indeed bathrooms open on the rooms, we make sure to share many photos in our website so that people are aware of this and are not surprised when they discover the room, because we understand it might be somehow difficult with the privacy.We take great note of your comment about the rooftop and will surely make some change about the chairs so that our clients are more comfortable in this beautiful space of ours.We hope to have the chance to welcome you again very soon !Have a lovely day.Best regards,Lucie, Reception team.

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• User:timhailstone

  Trip type: Family

  Can't get a drink at 11PM!

  27 Jul 2024

  The building is nice and our room is fine (although the soap dish has fallen off the wall in the shower and has not been replaced and the water pressure is not up to the task of filling the huge bathtub.)At 10AM this morning there was virtually no food left at the breakfast buffet and the single staff member didn't seem able to do anything about it.However, the main reason I will not stay at La Zoologie again is that when I asked for a drink at 11PM this evening I was informed the such a thing was not available at all. Not even a non-alcoholic drink! This hotel has pretensions to being first class but it is not. Hotel Zoologie, Service clients/Réception at Hotel La Zoologie, responded to this review Dear Sir Hailstone, We take note of your message and are sorry to hear that certain events had a negative impact on your experience at La Zoologie. We would nevertheless like to comment on the main reason for your dissatisfaction : you asked for a drink at 11.00 pm on Sunday, despite the fact that the bar closes at 10.30 pm. This information is available when you make your reservation, online and directly in your room. Our barman politely replied that unfortunately the bar was closed. In response, you made insulting and disrespectful remarks to our staff, which we cannot condone. Our reception would have been happy to point you in the direction of bars that were still open at that hour, but our staff are obliged to adhere to a set timetable in order to work as perfectly as possible. We hope that this additional information will change your opinion of our establishment. Best regards, Johann, Reception

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• User:Rowena P

  Trip type: Couples

  Beautiful decor, but cold and impractical

  26 Jan 2024

  GOODLovely staffGreat location, 10 minute walk from main stationClean and spacious roomComfortable bedLarge fluffy towelsGood breakfast buffetQuiet roomInteresting decor, clever reuse of old University science building with beautiful zoological art motifs everywhereBADNo top sheet. This seems to be a horrible trend in hotels worldwide - travellers should not have to bring their own sheet or light covering. The doona was too hot and thick, but the room was too cold if you took the doona off. Would a top sheet and a light-weight blanket be so impossible to provide?No mini fridge - couldn’t keep complimentary water bottles cold. Although there’s complimentary tea and coffee equipment and supplies, there’s no milk, because no mini fridgeNo bathroom, as such, just 3 separate facilities within the room. Toilet next to main door, with its own door, but hand-washing facilities on the other side of the room in a separate alcove near the bed.No door or screen on the shower, just a very cold open cavity, next to the hand basin.No soap holders near the basin or in the shower spaceNowhere to hang wet clothes, shower cap, or washing.Not enough hanging space on a small metal grill on the wall for two full-sized bath towels - one had to be draped on the back of a plastic chairNo plug for the hand basin for hand washing of clothesCurtain rod is 3 to 4 metres off the floor, but no cord or rod to close the curtain - you just have to tug awkwardly at the curtain to close the gap in the middleNo power points next to the bed for charging devicesAir con control is a small shiny black plastic box on the wall - the power switch is an invisible touch button on the top edge of the device, in the same shiny black plastic. The controls are touch icons in tiny faint grey font, almost invisible. So completely unintuitive that you have to ring reception for assistance with something that should be easy to operate.The walls and ceiling are all concrete and the ceiling is so high, it’s almost impossible to heat the room (same for the cavernous shower space - must be a miserable experience having a shower in there in winter).While the design and decor of the hotel is beautiful and ingenious, the practical details have been ignored. It’s a classic case of form over function. Hotel Zoologie, Service clients/Réception at Hotel La Zoologie, responded to this review Dear Enzrow,We thank you for your feedback, and we are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the architecture and ambiance of our establishment. Please know that we take each of the points you raise very seriously, and we will strive to improve upon them in the hope of having the opportunity to welcome you again in the near future.Best regards,Reception.

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