"Having planned a longer stay in France than usual, this time we opted to stay in the Accor branded Adagio aparthotels so that we could have two meals per day in our room and go to restaurants as our ‘main event’. French restaurants are not renowned for ‘Ozempic menus’; eating out 3 times a day is impossible given the size of the portions served here. Out of the two available in Lyon, we chose the Adagio University aparthotel.
The Location:
This aparthotel is curiously yet conveniently located, close to the left bank of the Rhône, and is very well connected to the rest of the city. Tramline 1 is a 4 minute walk north. Tramline 2 is a 4 minute walk south. Metro stop Jean Macé (line B) is a 4 minute walk to the east and the beautiful left bank walkway/cycle path down the river to Confluence is a 4 minute walk west. You can be anywhere in the city within minutes.
On the corner of the street is a major modern hospital. There are many bars, cafés, shops in the area, including the largest Lidl supermarket I have ever seen, just across the road from the Tramline 1 stop, selling quality products for a quarter of the price of other establishments. A breakfast of two croissants and two ‘pains au chocolat’ came to just €1·48; the same breakfast from a local boulangerie came to nearly €10.
Strangely, many of the bars and restaurants in the area close on Saturdays and Sundays; possibly because the university students go home for the weekend.
The Rooms:
At first glance, the rooms are a little old fashioned but fully functional; all of the bathrooms have been renovated and are in excellent condition, with the WC in the bathroom and not in a 1 square metre closet as is the case in the Ibis hotel brands.
The beds and pillows were very comfortable.
The kitchenette has every utensil you could wish for including a new fridge and microwave oven, plus vitroceramic hotplates. There are tea and coffee facilities which are replenished every day, plus a cafetière should you wish to brew your own coffee. There is also ample storage space.
Laundry services are available at a cost of €3 (2026).
The AC unit is fully functioning and on demand, unlike many Accor hotels, in which the AC unit is controlled centrally at the management’s convenience regardless of the real time weather conditions.
Check in/Check out:
Absolutely seamless.
Staff:
Very welcoming and attentive. I would make a particular mention of the friendly woman on the evening shift in reception, Lorraine. I spoke to her in French and she spoke back in very good English.
Welcome Drink:
Accor members of our grade are entitled to a welcome drink. We usually ask for a local wine. Despite our status, the welcome drink was denied. The woman on reception said that there was no wine in the hotel; difficult to believe in a country like France. This was the case in every Adagio aparthotel we stayed at. What is the point of having a corporate loyalty programme if the rewards are not the same across all brands?
Constructive Criticisms:
There are three:
1) Housekeeping: rooms are serviced on a daily basis but at erratic times. We had to turn down the cleaning service on one day because the lady came in at 3pm.
2) There is no net curtain between the window and the curtains so you can’t be walking around ‘in the nip’ as half the neighbourhood will see your naked rear end… or worse.
3) The television only shows French TV which is as bad, if not worse, than Spanish TV. I could not for the life of me work out how to get the programmes in the original language, so I give up. There are a couple of international news channels but who wants to watch the [bad] news when on holiday?
Recommendation:
If you are not afraid to live like a local then I would have no hesitation about booking here. The area is busy and safe. Despite the old fashioned décor in the room, I would have no qualms about staying here again, as I absolutely adore Lyon and visit as often as I can."
