Hotel de la Gare has been facing the railway station in Briancon for years. If you're arriving here, it's convenient. I think it's the cheapest or second cheapest hotel in Briancon. This is a one star hotel.

Briancon could be defined as partly a higher priced than average two star haven and partly a quite highly priced three star city. (The small city has not a single four or five star hotel in late Spring 2009.) Then again, it's part of a ski resort, easily one of the ten largest ski resorts in all of Europe, an excellent ski resort, and has been touted within the "20 biggest" largest ski resorts in the world (but that incldes quite a lot of ski resorts as each rank has a number of ski resorts of the same approximate size).

While prices are higher here than in many charming Italian places nearby, such as Sauze D'Oulx and Montgenevre (nice, small resorts, easy to get to and return to from Briancon the same day by car or bus) prices are noticeably lower than most resorts in the Northern French Alps. And the larger Northern resorts nearly all smaller (Serre Chevalier is very similar in size to The 3 Valleys). If you get squeamish or ill with altitude when going skiing, Serre Chevalier shouldn't be much of a problem, it is a low resort, yet one of the most snow sure resorts in Europe. Briancon and the mountain resort of Serre Chevalier are popular places to visit in the warm months too.

My budget was lower than expected, having paid £75 excess luggage fee departing at the airport and estimating to save for more returning. I arrived in Briancon, after a week staying in Le Monetier Les Bains, on the Serre Chevalier bus with loads of luggage and skis, boots and poles. (I'd got a little mixed up with the baggage allowances of airlines in my rushed packing - this one was 5 kilos less than another 2 airlines I've been on recently, and strict. I was going camping at Le Cote D'Azur after Serre Chevalier.)

I really thought I had no choice in arriving in Briancon but to go across the road into the Hotel de la Gare, and that took me two hard runs with luggage, and people were going in there off the bus that early evening, and I didn't want to miss a room.

I stayed 3 nights. The room was 35 Euros p.n., with no ensuite shower room or loo. The hall loo and shower were fine, and I was impressed with the cleanliness in my stay. There was a good sink in the room. Unfortunately, this being a one star hotel, it means that hoteliers may not think that a bedside or table lamp needs to be included. There was softer installed lighting to the ceiling lights but not near the bed or the desk. The room seemed to have been recently modernised. I quite liked it, it was basic, and there was nothing, I thought, that would worry anyone. Except that the wall decor had been subject to a poor decision I.M.H.O. The walls had had the kind of rustic natural look that is a kind of tiny pebble-dash finish, which can be cute. And I think that would be fine if it were painted a light colour, like light blue, green, mauve or white, and with a painting or two the room would look really pleasant, I imagine. But they had painted it dark, dark reddish, and the effect was that it seemed a little like a cave prison! That was just what my taste suggested with the decor at some points when I stayed.

I must make it clear, I have never, ever slept on a more comfortable matress. I've slept for a couple of years or so on memory foam at home, and I travel around a fair bit, but this matress was just splendid. I thought it had to be the best memory foam available before checking, but it was a new loooking, solid, sprung mattress in fact, quite like very good memory foam, but slightly firmer. I'm not one who really comments on the mattress quality in hotels. This was really terrific however, and I've never experienced anything nearly as good.

The bar-restaurant is fine - a traditional, basic auberge place, which I found pleasant - nice plants, a piano at one side, nice tables, a good bar, the people and the oven cooking the home made bread and pizzas are visible in a part and that helps make a very simple place with a pleasant ambience which most would like I think. I asked for a glass of wine. Patrons seem to be politely, pleasantly enjoying themselves here. It was only 1 Euro and 50 cents for about 220 mls of house wine (naturally, this is cheaper than average for Briancon). It had a lovely, thinnish ruby taste I would be very pleased to have 3 or so glasses of, more if drinking out for an evening. I would make sure come to this bar when passing through Briancon in future, it's so handy, it's simple, unpretentious, relaxing, and from memory of years ago, I found the food quite nice. (And I love the tiny bar of Hotel de Paris not far away also). The bar - pizza restaurant seems well liked.

I was stuck without enough Euros on Easter Monday as I didn't make the Post Office to change sterling by Saturday morning at Easter weekend. But the hotel very very pleasant indeed and told me at once, with no fuss, that I could stay an extra night, only paying the next morning with Euros when I was checking out.

The hotel didn't have any Cartes D'Hote left (guest cards). The cards are necessary for travelling freely on the Serre Chevalier bus, between Briancon and Monetier. The hotel gave me a sheet on which they asked this be accepted in lieu of a Carte D'Hote, as they had run out, and they put the official Hotel De La Gare stamp on it. I think the lady I spoke to indicated they would get some soon. The bus driver told me that that was good and acceptable ('valable') for that day, but unfortunately, a hostile older bus driver whom I have had bad experiences with in years before, though she let me on the return bus in Monetier, was going nuts about how it wasn't 'valable'. Though she tried to keep it when I left the bus (without paying, as she didn't ask me to pay). I had to pull my hotel communication from this woman ("It's not yours, it's mine" I had to repeat).

Naturally I would not have gone to Monetier from Briancon (nearly 30 miles) by relying on the hotels's guest card substitute that day if the first bus driver had not already assured me that this was 'valable' for that day from Briancon Prorel to Monetier and back again. And the first bus driver kindly told me which was the easiest stop in Monetier for me for returning. But the returning, later bus driver stopped the bus a number of times to walk down to loudly say things and gesticulate, seemingly just for public benefit, as she wasn't making any sense. I knew my hotel guest card substitute was 'valable', the bus company had assured me of that earlier. The second bus driver kept saying 'guest card only'.

I include this information in case it would happen to you. Hotels and any official guest residence in Serre Chevalier must give every guest a Carte D'Hote for the duration of their stay, each place is obliged to. It can happen that a place may run out quite suddenly. I want to advise people that if this happens to you, you should make sure to get a stamped sheet like I received, which specifies you are a paying guest, your name, and your dates. And then you should bring it to the Briancon (or other Serre Ch. tourist office) and have them either exchange it for a guest card (or get the tourist office stamp on your sheet if they direct). Otherwise, you don't know if you won't be allowed to ride suddenly depending on what a bus driver decides, though your tourist tax pays for nearly any bus you want during your stay. The hotel ran out, hotels are run by humans, and they did nothing wrong, it is not their fault. They did what they should have in the situation.

I recommend the hotel. I recommend the simple bar -pizzeria restaurant too (they also serve salads and maybe some starters and bread dishes).

Please note I give this hotel 4 stars because of the cleanliness, the convenience, the matress, the good sized room which was fine to stay in, efficient and pleasant service, the simple, inviting bar - pizzeria, the cheap, nice wine (a convivial extra making a budget stay pleasant) and their pleasantness to me when staying, especially when I couldn't get my British pounds changed at a long holiday weekend. However, I am aware many people would think this room in itself would be no more than an average 3 star Trip Advisor place as a one star hotel at 35 Euros p.n. for one person. Then again, the mattress was the best I have ever slept on.

There is a small cinema and small alternative concert venue (mostly indie rock music) behind Hotel De La Gare. The bar of Hotel De Paris, very close by, is small and very inviting, a nice place. The restaurant of Hotel De Paris is well recommended. Two highly recommended simple, very rewarding restaurants are the French Pizzeria restauarant Le Francois 1er (on the way to Grand Boucle shopping centre, not far to walk from Prorel lift station), Le Louisiane restaurant, with a small bar also, (opposite and 20 yards from Prorel lift station). The first serves High Alps wine (hard to find). Le Louisiane (a pleasant, American deep south hardly themed place) did serve lovely High Alps wine in pitchers last year but it wasn't on the menu this year, though the excellent, good priced 2000 or 2001 Vin de Pays Du Gard more than made up on a visit this year there .

Also recommended is the pleasant cafeteria of Casino at Grand Boucle shopping centre (indoor and outdoor seating, lovely views). The prices at the Casino cafeteria are amazingly cheap. Large, lovely quite fresh buffet style meals of many courses can be had for low prices including full bottles of wine. For example a 75 cl bottle of nice Bordeaux for less than 5 Euros. Deserts and starters are lovely, very good choice, the cheese board shouldn't be passed up, and the ice cream counter has a great selection. The main course is a buffet, note. And vegetarians, as I am, may have no choice but a selection of baked vegetables (which I thought was lovely ). This is where to come after sweating a lot during the day to really eat and drink a lot and really enjoy it (yet not pay much for it).

Regarding the buses in Briancon, it's not possible to board the bus from the train station to anywhere unless you are going further than Briancon Prorel lift station, and paying for the whole journey. It's not possible to pay for the short part, train station to Prorel lift, separately, you'd have to pay the whole charge. This is important for Hotel De La Gare guests, as with many other visitors, as they have to walk from the hotel opposite the station to the Prorel lift station and back each time, unless going further into or coming from further in Serre Chevalier and paying for the whole ride (while it's free with a guest card with the Briancon Prorel lift as the first or last stop). It's a bizarre bus company terms of licensing rule. Basically you walk to and back from Prorel (15 minutes or so), there's no bus unless you're staying on after Prorel, and if you take the first part of the journey you have to pay for the whole journey, guest card not accepted if your journey includes the short drive from Briancon station to Prorel. It's funny to see the small crowds of French daytrippers coming to Serre Chevalier to ski by getting the train to Briancon walking with their skis and boots. Until you have to also!

Hotel De La Gare is about 10 minutes walk away from a good leisure centre which has swimming pools, ice rink, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, water slide, and is in the middle of a built in park area (Parc 1326). Visits for the full facilities (but the ice rink is a separate cost) are around 10 Euros a time for hours. It stays open to 9 some nights, making it ideal after skiing and before a good meal or drinks, great location for wellness / spa facilities at an affordable rate if staying at Hotel De La Gare or Hotel De Paris (or anywhere in the central, low section of Briancon city.)