Choosing Hotels When You Have A Chronic Illness
Lessons learned from 8 Nights, 4 hotels in France
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My family and I spent 8 days and 8 nights touring France. To say this was an amazing trip would be an understatement. Every two nights we moved so we stayed in 4 different hotels. All the hotels had their charm and appeal. Some were more functional than others. Choosing a hotel when you have a chronic illness may not sound that hard. But there is a lot to consider and it is important to have the right environment. This is where you rest and recharge. This is where you get important sleep that will impact your trip enjoyment. So you want to consider some things and ask questions before booking. Specifically, you need to consider the bed, bathroom, room setup, and amenities offered.
Before I dive into what to look for, I want to give you an overview of the hotels we stayed in. I’ll go over them in the order we stayed in them and you can get a sense of how we moved around the country.
Hotel Madison
First up is Hotel Madison. Hotel Madison is a 4-star hotel on the left bank in Paris’s Saint-Germain-des-Pres district. It is a wonderful neighborhood with many famous cafes and restaurants and incredible culture. I loved this location. The beds were comfy and the bathrooms were lovely. The place was clean and modern. Both our rooms had walk-in showers with hand-held shower heads, and rain shower heads, and one room had Swedish shower heads with a bench. There were bathrobes, luxury towels, towel warmer, and also luxury toiletries provided. Plenty of storage space was available.
Breakfast was a typical European breakfast with pastries, croissants, meats, cheeses, and fresh bread. They also had scrambled eggs, sausage, and potatoes. Coffee, tea, and water were available all day. They do not have a restaurant but partner with a local cafe to offer room service for lunch and dinner. There also was tea and coffee in our rooms and a small fridge stocked with water for an additional cost. Gluten-free options are available upon request.
Additionally, there is a massage room and wellness space.
We were on the first floor so we did not have a view, but I’m sure the views from the top floor were very nice of the neighborhood.
Churchill Hotel
Next, we traveled to Bayeux and stayed at the Churchill Hotel. This is a 3-star hotel in the heart of Bayeux so the location was perfect. It’s a short walk to the Cathedral and Bayeux Tapestry. The hotel has a shuttle that runs daily to Mont Saint-Michele and the D-Day landing beaches are a short drive. It is not as updated as the others we stayed in but it has a lot of history. The hotel is decorated with original photos and newspapers from World War II and antique furniture all feeling very 1940s.
We had a little attached cottage off a courtyard that had a queen bed and a loft with two twin beds. It was perfect for our family. The bathroom was downstairs and had a roll-in shower area, a large counter space, and a roll-up sink. So the bathroom was designed for a wheelchair user. The room also had a good deal of maneuvering space for a European hotel room. The towels were scratchy but there was a towel warmer.
The stairs to the loft were very steep and my daughter with Ehlers Danlos had difficulty with them at times. The beds were comfortable. One thing we noticed was there was no ventilation in the room so we opened the windows when we were in the room. There was a heater, but I’ll discuss heat/AC a little later.
Breakfast was similar to Hotel Madison with the addition of yogurts and they have a bar open to the public from 1-10:30 PM and room service available.
Grand Hotel des Terreaux
After 2 nights at The Churchill we moved to Lyon and the Grand Hotel des Terreaux. We loved this family owned 4 star hotel as we also fell in love with Lyon. The hotel is decorated in the art-deco style and it was beautiful, having been recently updated. Since opening in 1855 it has been an independent, family owned hotel. The hotel sits on the peninsula and it was a great location. It was a short walk to an amazing street of bouchons, cafes and other restaurants which was our first stop having arrived at dinner time. It was also an easy walk to many sites including the old city.
The beds were great, maybe we were just getting exhausted by this point, but they were comfortable. The rooms had sitting areas and my husband and mine’s room had a small outdoor courtyard. The bathrooms had deep tubs with hand held shower heads. Not a lot of counter space but did have luxury toiletries, bath robes and slippers, and very nice towels. There was towel warmer here as well.
Of all the hotels, the style and comfort of this hotel was probably my favorite.
Breakfast was again a typical European style but they also had yogurt fruit, and cereals served in a lovely lounge. They have a bar where you could get an express breakfast and were also open for drinks until 1AM, but also serves coffee, hot chocolate and snacks all day. They do offer room service.
One unique feature was the indoor relaxation pools. We did not take advantage of these but I would love to go back and enjoy them after a day of sightseeing.
Hotel Brighton
Our last stop was back in Paris at the Hotel Brighton. This is the only one we really had a view in and it was amazing! Just check the pic below. Hotel Brighton is a 4 star hotel facing the Tuileries Garden. From our french balcony we could see The Louvre to our left, the D’Orsay in front of us and the Eiffel Tower to our right with everything in between and beyond. Talk about a fantastic location. The lobby is stunning with beautiful marble columns and mosaics and the rooms are decorated with original artwork from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Again the beds were comfortable with the linens being high end. The bathroom had a deep tub and handheld shower and was overall the smallest of the bathrooms we had. It still had a towel warmer and there robes and luxury toiletries.
The coffee and tea offerings in the room were very nice and there was water available free of charge in the small fridge.
Breakfast was great with organic and fresh offerings. Still standard European style but their breakfast felt and tasted a little more luxurious. The girls got wonderful hot chocolate and their croissants and pastries were wonderful. They did have gluten free offerings upon request. Room service and afternoon tea are also available. Additionally there is a bar open until 10pm each day.
To see the sights, especially if it’s your first time in Paris, the location and atmosphere are fantastic. Again, the view is just stunning.
Choosing a hotel when you have chronic illness
So, what should you look for when considering a hotel and what are lessons we learned? First off, the symptoms you struggle with most should help you prioritize what you need out of a hotel. When trying to prioritize though, there are several things you should consider.
For the room itself you should look at the beds, bathrooms, set up and amenities offered.
The bed
The bed is probably the hardest to figure out ahead of time. I do know people who travel with memory foam toppers because they know typical hotel beds cause them pain. It’s something to consider but you could definitely get one like this that is easy to transport. Flying may be harder to find something to fit in your suitcase, but you could look for a mattress protector like this one that has addes cushion. I have not tried these myself so you do let me know how they work out. If possible, I always bring my own pillow as well. Hotel pillows are not usually good for my neck. Also look at the height of the beds or ask. If you have mobility challenges, trying to climb into a tall bed will not be safe or comfortable.
The other thing about beds is allergies. My daughter is allergic to every hotel we have ever stayed in because of the laundry detergent they use on the sheets. She now travels with this sleeping bag liner that is warm and helps to minimize contact with the sheets and pillows. She also brings her own blanket in case the room gets cold. There are cheaper versions out there, but I will say this one has held over multiple trips the past couple of years and lots of washing. Knowing there are not lots of options with beds, you need to look at items you can bring with you to be comfortable and safe.
One other thing on beds. During our travels around France we got 2 rooms at each hotel and had the cottage at The Churchill Hotel with the twin beds for the girls. In the past we have done family suites with a pull-out sofa but my daughter with Ehlers Danlos can no longer tolerate sleeping on those. The mattresses are always so thin and hard. So we did pay for 2 rooms so she would have a real bed. It made a huge difference in how she felt each day and was completely worth the cost.
The bathroom
For bathrooms, another lesson learned for her this trip was having the ability to sit down in the shower. I honestly didn’t think of this when booking even though I know she sits in her shower. She also has POTS and tends to get dizzy trying to wash her hair. So the two hotels with tubs and hand held showers gave her the ability to sit when she needed. The other two required her stand the whole time. In the future, I will remember to ask for a tub or a walk in shower with a seat. 2 of the hotels also had dressing seats. It would have been nice to have those in all the bathrooms to allow her to sit while doing her makeup as well. Your mobility will determine which is best for you. Climbing over a tub shower combo may not be smart for you.
Room set up
For the room itself my husband always needs a table next to the bed for his CPAP machine. That also means we need plenty of outlets to plug everything in at night. American hotels usually have this, but European hotels do not always have enough outlets for everything and they don’t always have more than one next to the bed. So I have traveled everywhere lately with this outlet adapter. It doesn’t work all over the world, but pretty close and you can plug multiple devices into it at once. Just a note, it is not a power converter, just an outlet adapter. It has been great to get all our devices powered at night.
If you use a mobility device you have to pay attention to the size of the room and if you can maneuver around. “Accessible” means different things wherever you go. Other mobility issues to consider are if the hotel has an elevator or all stairs and what floor you are staying on. We had several rooms on the first floor so it was one flight of stairs which I can do. When we stayed on the fourth floor though, an elevator was required for me. So again, something that is assumed in the US but not in other countries.
Another thing to consider is if you need a fridge for medications or supplies. Most hotels will list on their websites if they have mini fridges in the rooms. Always good to confirm at booking though to make sure the room you are reserving has one. And check as soon as you get in the room that it’s working and clean. You want to do this before you start unpacking because if it’s not working you may have to change rooms.
Amenities
Amenities you need will vary. I appreciate a good breakfast being offered because I don’t get moving fast in the mornings and it’s easier to grab what is offered in the hotel. I cannot use the toiletries hotels provide due to allergies, but a lot of people do appreciate them because it is less to pack. Since I do have to pack my own toiletries the trend of walk in showers stalls with no shelf or bench is frustrating. It leaves nowhere for me to sit my toiletries. As mentioned above, this is also a challenge for my daughter with POTS because she is having to reach down for toiletries constantly and at times that causes dizziness.
There is no perfect hotel for everyone’s needs but if you plan in advance and ask questions you can have a better stay and a better trip. Thinking through your needs in the bathroom, the bed, the set up of the room and the amenities offered will allow you to relax and recharge as you need to during your stay.
What are some lessons you’ve learned? Let me know in the comments.
