La Maison 20 Degrés Sud - Relais & Châteaux (La Maison 20 Degrés Sud - Relais & Châteaux)

Rats in restaurant On arrival the hotel is really beautiful - a small oasis tucked away with gorgeous colonial style. The reception staff were really lovely and made us feel welcome. The room was really nice - but there were a few things we noticed (which we let slide at the start) - massive dirty lipstick mark on one of our water glasses, filthy lampshades above the bathroom sinks, bed linen that didn’t feel particularly fresh and the robes as well had a slight greyish colour rather than bright white which they were meant to be. These were all minor things at the start which we didn’t even mention to each other but did notice. We then had our first night at the cocktail bar where our drink was served by the lovely barman (very polite and smily) - as we were drinking we saw a huge rat run across the terrace - we decided it was an island and maybe this is normal (although we really weren’t happy about it). We then were dining within the restaurant and again a huge rat was running towards the table. For us, this is not ok. We asked to move tables as we saw a rat and the waiters barely acknowledged it - didn’t offer any apology and then proceeded to avoid our table for the rest of the night. We informed the manager the next day who assured us he was aware and the rat had been caught, and to “give it a chance”. We weren’t offered so much as a complimentary drink. After dining in the restaurant again the second night and again seeing a rat - for us it was time to check out. Not only is it unpleasant seeing rodents running around while eating but I would say it’s a hygiene issue and makes me question the cleanliness of the kitchen and the safety of the food. The only concession we were offered was to not pay for the remaining nights that we would not be staying for. Really disappointing. On hindsight some things we would add about the whole experience: - Not a 5 star in terms of food, service or cleanliness - Staff really hit and miss - some very friendly some really rude and unhelpful - Rooms didn’t feel clean - Food was average - nothing felt fresh including breakfast - Quite stingey with water - water not replaced within our room (had to ask for it) We are now staying at a different hotel and haven’t seen one rat, so don’t think this is “just an island thing” as the manager stated. The service and food are also worlds apart which has really solidified that our review of 20 degres sud as completely justified - not a 5 star experience whatsoever.