Hotel De France Ax les Thermes

Hotel De France is a very basic hotel in Ax-les-Thermes, where you get a good ratio between price and quality as the hotel is very cheap. The hotel is a traditional hotel which you find in some small mountain villages. The service was nice and friendly and they had an okay breakfast.

The town itself is small and agreeable enough, but there's little to see once you've wandered a couple of streets in the quarter surrounding the main street, avenue Delcassé. In Rue de l'École and rue de la Boucarie retains a few medieval buildings, and above place du Breilh, the church of St-Vincent is of architectural interest for its Romanesque tower.

Just across the road you can dangle your feet for free in the Bassin des Ladres, a pool of hot sulphurous water which is all that remains of the hospital founded in 1260 by St Louis for soldiers wounded in the Crusades.

The village is ideal for starting a trip to Andorra from the early morning and waking up in these surroundings is a treat.

Parking at this hotel can be a fun experience; it is like playing a game of Tetris.