Villa Maïa

We had a wonderful one night stay at Villa Maia and would like it to have been longer. The hotel is magnificent and in particular the pool and sauna area. We always look for a hotel with a 20m pool but it is a rarity. The pool at Villa Maia is magnificent and deserves a special mention. The staff were extremely helpful and friendly and if we have reason to travel to Lyon again we will most certainly book in again.

Was the hotel pretty? Yes. Did it have amenities? Yes. Did we actually enjoy staying there? No. The rooms, services and staff all LOOKED good at first blush, but didn’t succeed in practice. First, the room. It was lovely and the bed was comfortable enough. But so many things just didn’t actually work: 1) If you’re going to have a large window from the bathroom to the bedroom, you need a) a better curtain/blinds system than was there, and/or 2) a separate light for the toilet room. As it was, to use the toilet at night, it was necessary to turn on all the main bathroom lights (bright with no dimmer), which meant that light spilled through the big window disturbing the other sleeper. How hard can a light in the toilet room be? 2) the thermostat was hidden in the closet space leaving us uncomfortable and unable to change the temperature without a hint from the staff. 3) There was no towel rack near the sink. Instead that’s where the robes were hung, so the robe was more convenient for drying your hands than the towel. 4) the much-touted “Japanese toilet” either didn’t work or needed an instruction manual. 5) The Wi-Fi in the room was spotty at best. We ended up using our phones as hotspots most of the time, adding huge expense. Second, the staff: I’m sure that they have been told to seem “responsive,” but they erred on the side of stifling and tone-deaf, with an insanely controlling manner. For example: 1) Instead of key cards, they have these ridiculous “keys” on bulky leather chains with your room number on them (safety, much?) that you are supposed to to leave with them if you go out. 2) Asking for a second key for the second person in the room seemed like an imposition. 3) When Kim needed to use the lobby in the middle of the night, the night person kindly asked if she needed anything (answer was no) but then hovered and KEPT asking, making her feel watched. 4) As we left one morning, we were chased out by the staff, telling us it was cold and we needed coats. We’re adults. 5) When we arrived and just wanted to drop off our bags, we were subjected to what seemed like a mandatory tour of the hotel. 6) When Paul booked a massage, we were as clear as could be in two languages, that ONLY he was getting a massage. But when he arrived there were two masseuses there and they expected us for a couples massage. It added to the feeling that the staff thought they knew what we wanted better than we did. Worse, although the spa offered a number of different types of massages, Paul was not asked what he wanted and they just gave him an assumed relaxation massage. 7) The driver that the hotel called for us on two occasions and who seemed to be their person on retainer, was rude and seemed more interested in whatever was on his phone than in paying attention to the road. He also swore and yelled at us, accusing us of being rude and would not accept our apology or explanation that we likely came across as inadvertently abrupt in our second

Lovely hotel, wonderful staff. Though expensive. But don't go in the second half of October, as they close the funicular to Minimes (the station near the hotel) for two weeks for maintenance. It is a real pain having to go up and down by the other funicular, to the basilica, and walk or use the shuttle bus to the hotel; and in the afternoon there is usually a massive crowd to get on that funicular which means waiting 20+ minutes.

We stayed here for a few nights. It is at the top of the hill and best way is to take the tram from the city and then walk downhill from there to the hotel. There is a small uphill walk to get the tram to go back down to Lyon or a 20 min stroll downhill all the way to the city. Views are spectacular. We didn't get upgraded to a room with a view of the city which was a shame since I was told they were full. Service otherwise was excellent. Rooms are well appointed. Breakfast was a bit hit and miss on one day but excellent on the other days. You get a small buffet and then order an item from the a la carte menu. The welcome gift of a glass of wine was good since we sat in the outside part of the bar overlooking the city and sipping the wine. This is an excellent hotel and if we are back in Lyon, will definitely stay again, even though it is not in the city itself.

Very good for a couple spa day. Do it you won’t regret it. Nice food , nice staff good view . Comfortable Do it you won’t regret it