XX
M. HOTELS.
fashionable watering-places, where the influx of visitors is great. In
other places the inns generally retain their primitive provincial
characteristics, which might prove rather an attraction than other-
wise were it not for the shameful defectiveness of the sanitary ar¬
rangements. The beds, however, are generally clean, and the cuisine
tolerable. It is therefore advisable to fréquent none but the leading
hôtels in places off the beaten track of tourists, and to avoid being
misled by the appellation of 'Grand-Hôtel', which is often applied to
the most ordinary inns. Soap is seldom or never provided.
The charges of provincial hôtels are usually somewhat lower than
at Paris, but at many of the largest modem establishments the tariff
is drawn up on quite a Parisian scale. Lights are not generally
charged for, and attendance is often included in the price of the
bedroom. It is prudent, though not absolutely necessary, to enquire
the charges in advance. The following are the average charges:
room 1V2-3 fr. ; breakfast or 'premier déjeuner', consisting of 'café'
aulait, with bread and butter, l-iy4 fr. ; luncheon or'deuxième
déjeuner', taken about 11 a.m., 2-3 fr. ; dinner, usually about 6 p.m.,
2'/4-4 fr. Wine, béer, or cider (the ordinary beverage of Normandy
and Brittany) is generally included in the charge for dinner, except
in a few towns in the north-west. Béer is not often met with at
table d'hôte except in the second-class hôtels of such towns as Bou¬
logne and Le Havre. The second déjeuner will probably be regarded
as superfluous by most English and American travellers, especially
as it occupies a considérable time during the best part of the day.
A slight luncheon at a café", which may be had at any hour, will be
found far more convenient and expeditious. Attendance on the
table d'hôte is not compulsory, but the charge for rooms is raised if
meals are not taken in the house, and the visitor will scarcely obtain
so good a dinner in a restaurant for the same price. In many hôtels
visitors are received 'en pension' at a charge of 6-7 fr. per day and
upwards (premier déjeuner extra). The usual fee for attendance at
hôtels is i fr. per day, if no charge is made in the Mil; if service
is charged, 50 c. a day in addition is generally expected.
When the traveller remains for a week or more at a hôtel, it is
advisable to pay, or at least call for the account, every two or three
days, in order that eTroneous insertions may be at once detected.
Verbal reckonings are objectionable, except in some of the more
remote and primitive districts where bills are never written. A
waiter's mental arithmetic is faulty, and the faults are seldom in
favour of the traveller. A habit too often prevails of presenting the
bill at the last moment, when mistakes or wilful impositions cannot
easily be detected or rectified. Those who intend starting early in
the morning should therefore ask for their bills on the previous
evening.
English travellers often impose considérable trouble by ordering
things almost unknown in French usage ; and if ignorance of the
Permalink: http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/m7hgk
