Hotel du Lac, Cotonou

Advantages: Beautifully filmed, poetic, magnificently acted masterpiece of cinema rarely matched today
Disadvantages: Nothing... genuinely nothing

...I first saw Hotel du Nord as part of a double bill with a film by Jean Renoir (I forget which - though I think the brilliant Le Crime De Monsieur Lange) and I was frankly going to see the Renoir film and thought, hmmm, I'll just have to sit through Hotel du Nord and grin and bear it. Something about the film just really didn't appeal. Then right from the opening shot that tracks down from the bridge over the canal Saint Martin and along the side of the canal to where the two lovers, played by Annabella and Jean-Pierre Aumont, settle against one another on a bench, despairing and apparently doomed I simply didn't look back. I couldn't. Since that Sunday afternoon I have always had something of a soft spot for Hotel du Nord. It is firmly placed in the traditional of French cinema of the thirties. Like his contemporaries, Renoir... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: location, clean, english friendly
Disadvantages: small ish rooms

...Stayed here in August 2008 and I have to say it was one of the most pleasant experiences of a great trip to a great city. Set in a perfect location, 5 mins for the Eiffel Tower and great connections to all over the city. Wonderful shops and restaurants right on the doorstep. The staff are friendly and do not mind speaking English. We had a problem with our room and they sorted it straight away. It was clean, modern, quiet and comfortable and it has made me want to return soon. As with all Parisian hotels they are not massive the rooms but everything you could want is provided and if not just ask... they seemed willing to help us with anything. Breakfast was a bit expensive so we went to one of the nearby cafes. much cheaper and could sit on the street and watch the city do its thing....... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: good book for character study
Disadvantages: doesn't help in cheering you up much

...I read Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner some years ago. Alex Mayer provides a brief summary of what actually happpens in the novel and he is also correct in mentioning that it is a fairly thin book. However, don't be surprised if you get small prints. Anyway, what struck me as I was reading the novel was it's sterility and lack of life. Perhaps, it was due to the fact that I was only 14 when i read the novel. Upon further research, I found that Anita Brookner does tend to take a more feminist stance towards certain issues especially those pertaining to relationships and it shows in her style of writing and in the strength of her character. The main character, Edith Hope, seemingly frail and in need of this holiday to nurse a broken heart, as well as, to write a novel is in fact quite resilient and will not sucuumb to being a pure... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful