Collège Hôtel ★★★★

Even though this hotel is called ‘Collège', the mood is one of gentle truanting. Decorated in a retro school theme, the humorous Lyon retreat includes a restaurant that looks like a classroom, only with a wine list on the black board and no-one to tell you off for eating at your desk. You can also stay up late and have a lie in without being accused of ‘skiving’, which is enough to make even the most naughty pupils want to go back to school! Our bags were packed (or rather, our satchels).

Nestled in Old Lyon (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Collège Hotel sits on Saint-Paul square, among the paved streets typical of the City of Lights. You can easily discover the neighbourhood’s famous alleyways, try local specialities, and walk along the city’s rivers. It’s the perfect spot for a lesson in local culture! As for geography, the hotel’s bedrooms look out over the city, leaving you to pick out the sights. And let’s not forget history: the hotel is housed in a beautiful Art Deco building, dating from the thirties.

The hotel has blended modern design and school style with flair, creating a nostalgic and cheeky feel. There is a 1914 pommel horse in the reception, old maps on the walls and sepia class photographs in the lift. We half expected to be greeted by an old teacher or bump into a former classmate. The good humour of the place is contagious, and we went to our bedroom in good spirits, only to find more surprises on our floor. Moral instruction is written on the walls and we noticed a bright fifties fridge full of soft drinks. Our bedroom had everything we needed: air conditioning, flat-screen television, free WiFi, a comfortable bed and a balcony with a city view. It was decorated in the same vintage yet modern style as the rest of the hotel: white walls, pencil cases in the bathroom, concrete blocks for bedside tables and lockers for our clothes.

Four o’clock means tea time and, before heading out, we stopped at the hotel bar for a typical Lyon bite to eat. Here, you eat on school desks, surrounded by geography maps and black boards. Only there is no teacher, no exercises, the atmosphere is relaxed and the food is much better than school dinners! Breakfast is served in the study room, and you can also order light meals on the second floor terrace.

After a wonderful evening spent taking advantage of all there is to see in the city, we headed back towards the hotel for some impromptu maths homework. Typical of the City of Lights, the hotel’s windows are beautifully lit up at night in bright colours. We counted 130. Then, it was time for bed, but for once we wanted to stay at school a little longer!