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Hotel Mercure Lyon Centre Chateau Perrache

December 10, 2021

TD chose Chateau Perrache because of it’s central location. It’s literally in the center of Lyon as you can see in this cool map that we had in our headboard.

We arrived at around 9pm from our place in Switzerland which is about 15mins outside of Geneva. We first parked in their temporary parking to unload our luggage & pay for our 3 days of parking. It’s cheaper to pre-pay in the hotel than pay for parking on-site. The hotel gave us a card to get in and out of Q-Park Gare Perrache.

Then we drove over to the Q-Park Gare Perrache secure parking area to leave our car and then walked back to the hotel to check-in.

check-in
The way to breakfast buffet
Stand-alone book shelves – love!

I love the high ceilings and Art Nouveau details of the reception area

PRIVILEGE ROOM

Finally going to our room after a long day!

The Privilege room is perfect for our family of 3 & DiploDog. The entryway has a large closet & enough space for our luggage. It also has a door to the toilet.

We chose this hotel for its historical details that you cannot find in newer hotels, but being in an older building means there will be quirks like in our Altbau in Berlin. So we are used to this. Toilet with no sink, no problem!

Here DiploBaby is coming from the toilet on the left doorway and about to run to the shower room with sink on the right doorway. We requested for an extra bed for him, which is in the middle.

The main bed was so nice and HUGE and the beddings were very comfortable.

Across was the non-functioning but gorgeous fireplace, TV with desk & Nespresso, a minibar with small refrigerator & kettle.

There are huge windows that really highlight how high the ceilings are. It really made me miss our place in Berlin which because it’s an Altbau (more than 100 years old) had really high ceilings & massive windows too. I’m so glad we booked this hotel.

They gave each of us bathrobes & slippers.

I liked how firm and fluffy the pillows were. In most hotels pillows just go flat when you lie on them.

COFFEE & MINIBAR

Because we were in a privilege room the mini bar was free. I think we actually asked if the soft drinks can be changed to sparkling water since we try to avoid empty calories.

Since it’s pandemic times still I wonder if that’s why the coffee cups are disposable.

For those who prefer instant, these Segafredo coffees are still pretty good. I like the white electric kettle.

The cool thing is the coffee cups had covers so it keeps the cup clean & less chance of mess when drinking from it.

WELCOME

They also had a little welcome activity for our little one which he loved, some candy & a little welcome to the Festival of Lights.

BATHROOM

The bathroom is spacious & bright which I liked very much.

This is what they provided in the bathroom.

Massive windows cannot be opened but they had a little draft. We didn’t mind because the towel holder/heating in the bathroom was good. The rainshower was very nice and the minimalist shower still had a place for our own toiletries.

What I did to prevent us from getting cold was place a handtowel on the bottom of the window. Problem solvrf! Easy peasy! I liked that there were hooks for our clothes and/or bathrobes.

The extra bed was leaning a little bit towards the back. I was thinking of sleeping on it but the slight angle was giving me the feeling of falling. Thankfully DiploBaby didn’t mind at all so he got this bed.

They provide a blowdryer but it’s important to note that it cannot be used in the bathroom because of a voltage situation. It can be used inside the room. I brought my own and used it in the desk underneath the TV.

GOOD MORNING!

Chateau Perrache is even better in the daylight.

I loved so many of the design details in the room, especially the white ones like these white and wood speakers. The view from the window is pretty but has a highway underneath. The soundproofing of the double glass windows was pretty good.

For size reference, you can see how tall the windows are. They were balcony doors before.

DOG-FRIENDLY

Whenever we stay in hotels, there is a small extra charge for dogs. They did not provide a dog bed but we always come with a little blanket that we fold up & makes DiploDog feel snug.

Outside the hotel, there is a place to walk our little cute furball.

CHATEAU PERRACHE HISTORY

The Hôtel Mercure Lyon Centre Château Perrache, originally Hôtel Terminus, then Pullman Perrache, then Château Perrache, is a hotel of the AccorHotels group built in 1906. It is located on cours de Verdun in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon. The hotel was used as the headquarters for the Gestapo in Lyon during the Second World War. It is the eponym of the Marcel Ophüls film Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie about the Gestapo in Lyon.

– WIKIPEDIA

It’s quite incredible how they have kept the architectural details of the building. So beautiful.

Behind the hotel is the Gare or train station and this parking for car rental companies like Avis and Sixt.

Parking for car rental companies
facade
The gare or train station
Outdoor parking is hard to come by

RATES

I think we got very good value for our money on peak season (Festival of Lights weekend). Sometimes when we want to maximize our time in a place we do pay for late check out so we can go around and then use our own bathroom before driving home.

UP NEXT: Review of the food in the CHATEAU PERRACHE BAR & BREAKFAST BUFFET

SEE THE REST OF MY LYON RECOS HERE

Hotel Mercure Lyon Centre Chateau Perrache

Esplanade De La Gare, 12 Cr de Verdun Rambaud, 69002 Lyon, France
+33472771500
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Welcome

Hello! I’m Ayessa, trailing spouse to a diplomat, mama to DiploBaby and DiploDog and founder of Declutter MNL. I love talking about how to achieve a minimaluxe lifestyle one step at a time.

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DISCLOSURE

I am an Amazon affiliate, but all opinions are my own. The content of all my blog and social media posts are products and experiences that I truly enjoy and I only work with brands that fit my life and style.

GOOD TO KNOW GUIDE

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @UNDIPLOMATICWIFE

TOOL FREE BIDET INSTALL One of the things we miss TOOL FREE BIDET INSTALL

One of the things we miss about living in the Philippines & Indonesia is having a bidet in our bathrooms.

Here we have a MUJI TABO & TOTO PORTABLE BIDETS (dm for link if you want), but nothing beats the water pressure & convenience of a handheld bidet that’s connected to your plumbing IMO.

When I was in @jumbo.schweiz recently I saw a bidet that can be installed with the sink.

It only works if your sink is near your toilet so sadly it won’t work on our master’s bathroom.

I wasn’t sure our faucet was the correct size but I took a risk for CHF20.

Today I finally had the time to install it. I was # #mariomama again LOL!

The only time you might need a tool (pliers) is if you can’t loosen the AERATOR to remove it from your faucet.

HOW TO INSTALL HOLDER WITHOUT DRILLING

As a renter, I want to avoid making holes in the walls whenever I can. Even if I weren’t a renter I don’t recommend putting holes on tiles coz they might crack.

So I used the strongest @tesa_de  double sided tape on the bidet holder. You can see how I did it step by step on the video. Be sure to use Teflon scissors so they don’t get damaged by the adhesive. Clear monster tape will also work well for this.

*** Amazon affiliate links on my bio under BIDET HACKS ****

WHY CANT YOU INSTALL IT IN YOUR TOILET

The toilets here are all built in. There are no exposed tubes to connect bidets to like in Asia. 

That’s why this hack is a God send! No plumbing experience or tools needed! YAY!

WHERE TO BUY

https://undiplomaticwife.com/how-to-install-a-bidet-in-a-european-toilet/

Feel free to dm me if you have any questions!

#DiploHome #diplohomegeneva #diy #bidet #bidetlife #expatlife #expatliving #genevaexpats #genevaexpat #genevaexpatwomen #expatinswitzerland
HUMIDIFIER HACK Did you know that each home shoul HUMIDIFIER HACK

Did you know that each home should have humidifiers whether it’s in winter or summer?

Yes! It should be in
- closets
- caves
- storage lockers
- basements
- attics
- bathrooms
- any other area that doesn’t have through air or air conditioner 

To prevent molds from damaging your property!

Here’s the hack: Don’t throw the container because you can buy refills. 

DM me on where to buy wherever you are!

#diplohome #homehacks
WHEN’S THE BEST TIME TO GO TO SANTA CLAUS VILLAG WHEN’S THE BEST TIME TO GO TO SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE?

The concern going to Rovaniemi is that it’s too cold 🥶 I’ve heard of people going in winter & didn’t enjoy it coz they felt like frozen popsicles. You have 2 options:

1. Go in SPRING like us so prices are lower, no long lines/crowds & no need for super thick snow suits, but low chance of seeing Aurora Borealis & some places might be closed/melted. 

3. A friend who lived in Scandinavia told us for Aurora Borealis, the best time is SEPTEMBER coz it’s not too cold yet. Though some resorts might only be opening in OCTOBER like @glass_resort.

FOR US:

❄️ End of first week of April: We didn’t really know  that we picked the perfect time. We were there for only 3 days & 2 nights because that was all our budget would allow. The lows were -3/5 C but the week before it was literally -18C YIKES! 🥶

❄️ At lows of -3/5 and 0-3 highs it’s manageable layering our @uniqloeurope Ultra Light Down Jackets. We didn’t end up using our waterproof snow jackets.

 ❄️ bring waterproof shoes/boots so you don’t get sick if melted snow gets in. 

❄️ If you will touch snow/have snowball fights, waterproof gloves are a must

❄️ Ask hotel if sleds are free to borrow

❄️ Bring SPF coz snow reflects sun

❄️ As you can see in the reel on our first day it was winter wonderland. The day after things started melting. On our last day things were starting to puddle. After I imagine rivers!

❄️ there was this gigantic snowman & I was too tired to take a pic. It disappeared the next day to my disappointment.

❄️ The SNOWMAN WORLD was already closed when we arrived. It would have been so cool to see the ice resto/bar, slides & disco!

❄️ We found out that the day we were leaving was also the last full day of our hotel. So though Santa Claus Office is open 365 days a year, check with the hotels to see which ones are open.

☀️ Summer activities are different. For example the huskies pull sleds with wheels.

🌈 BONUS TIP: If you pick a resort inside @santaclausvillage_rovaniemi, 3 days is enough. Because of the perfect location of @glass_resort we were able to make SO many wonderful memories in such a short time.

#udwinsantaclausvillage
PARTIES & PLUMBING #diplolife + OUR FIRST TIME TO PARTIES & PLUMBING #diplolife

+ OUR FIRST TIME TO HOST AMBASSADORS IN OUR SWISS #DIPLOHOME
(Except for my FIL of course)

This has to have been the most hectic weekend in recent memory here. Each day @diplobaby had a kid’s party to attend. (Thankfully here you leave the child for 2-2.5hrs & parents can do errands while waiting)

TD & I also had commitments for both days. We were hosting a lunch, attending a lunch/ playdate with #diplofriends & meeting up with a fellow Pinoy @remfelrem who has just arrived in Switzerland. 

Last Saturday, TD and I were hosting a lunch for his boss & also a little farewell for the boss of the other mission. And as you guys know we were really stressed with a clogged kitchen sink drain. Not the most convenient or sweet smelling when you are having people over.

So thankfully with the help of a friend I got tips on how to dismantle the pipes to clean them. Guess what? It was still clogged in the pipes inside the wall!

Cleaning the pipes under the sink might NOT HAVE RESOLVED the problem, but at least our home did not smell! Also I learned to do something new! Win-win! 

TD told @diplobaby that I’m #MarioMama (from Mario Bros) 😂🪠

And I am quite relieved that TD & I managed to pull off a lunch in our little home with not just one, but TWO Ambassadors. Having one’s boss is always somewhat nerve-racking right??? I’m so happy we finally did it! 

We had pork adobo with mango, tomato & cilantro salad. And our fave spaghetti bolognese. I bought small cakes from our favorite boulangerie in the little French town next door. 

P.S. 
For those of you were asking if we finally had to call a professional for our kitchen sink. In a way yes we did. After all our best efforts, we finally had to ask for help. We feel so lucky to have such a lovely landlord who came and had the knowledge to remove the clog from the pipes that were built into the wall. We are ever so grateful to him for coming on his weekend.

This is #diplolife guys… PARTIES AND PLUMBING! LOL!!!

#UDWinGeneva #undiplomaticwife #diplofamily #thediplomat #thediplomaticwife
SANTA CLAUS MAIN POST OFFICE So one really meanin SANTA CLAUS MAIN POST OFFICE

So one really meaningful part of our trip was @santaclausmainpostoffice which is right outside of @santaclausoffice.

🎄 @diplobaby wrote a postcard for Santa

🎄 He also wrote some postcards to his friends

🎄 I wrote a postcard to @diplobaby to remember our many firsts in this trip.

For the last 2 we were lucky that our hotel @glass_resort  had many FREE POSTCARDS  and STAMPS and we didn’t have to go to the post office. They conveniently sent it for us.

His close friends were happy to receive them and I also loved getting our own post. So cool!

Please don’t forget to LIKE this post to see more family adventures & travel tips!

If Finland is on your bucket list then definitely SAVE THIS!

#udwinfinland #udwinsantaclausvillage #diplobaby #diilofamily
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