Radisson Blu Hôtel Nantes ★★★★

Nantes is an amalgamation of two cities: a historic centre, characterised by uneven stone walls and elaborate architecture, and a futuristic city made up of modern vestiges and glass-fronted edifices. It’s almost as if the two juxtaposing cities have been layered over each other to create Nantes, a city with a foot both in the past and the present.

One moment I was faced with a huge, spired church infused with intricate Gothic detail, the next, I was staring at my own reflection in the glass of a new-build. This contrast of old and new continued throughout Nantes and into the Radisson Blu Hotel, my base for exploring the city.

From the outside, the hotel is as you would imagine any old courthouse would look. Its huge, imposing columns and finely detailed statues would have once been the centrepiece of the city; but where those in the past would have been greeted with a dull, grey interior typical of a courthouse, I was welcomed into a huge lobby area, complete with the original checkerboard floor and plush furniture popping with colour. The columns still soared proudly up to the ceiling, weaving in an element of the past to the stylish, contemporary design.

My room was immaculately decorated, too, with deep, chocolate-coloured furnishings and crisp, white bedding. And laying down on the soft, comfy bed, I felt a million miles away from the tense atmosphere of a courthouse. It was the small, thoughtful details that stood out for me at the Radisson Blu, however, like the large reproductions of famous artworks that adorned the walls, and my stylish, naturally lit bathroom.

A luxurious hotel that perfectly encapsulates a city retaining a tight hold on its rich and fascinating past, but constantly looks forward to the future…