46, Rue Thiers, 21200 Beaune

Hôtel des Tonneliers

Name: Hôtel des Tonneliers
Address: 46, Rue Thiers, Beaune, 21200, FR
Price range: 109 EUR
Rating: 3.9

Hotel 3-star in Beaune

Presentation

The Hôtel des Tonneliers is located in Beaune, within the enclosure of the 15th-century ramparts, at the end of a cobbled street just a stone’s throw from the Hospices. Wine bars and shops in the town center begin just around the corner.

You push open a rather discreet carriage gate, and the courtyard appears, covered by a metal glass roof in the style of Gustave Eiffel. The light changes depending on the time of day, filtered through the beams.

Under that same glass roof, between eight and ten-thirty in the morning, breakfast is served. A menu to compose yourself, with a buffet beside it. Bread comes out of the oven early, the jams come from the house kitchen, a hard-boiled egg sits next to the ham. You sit wherever you like; the room imposes nothing.

Still on the ground floor, the bar La Salle des Ventes keeps the name of its former function. Elisée Epailly, grandfather of the current owners, organized the famous auctions of the Hospices de Beaune wines there. Today, Burgundy wines are served by the glass, along with a cheese board or sliced sausage on request, indoors in winter under the vaulted ceilings, or outside in summer in the courtyard.

As you go up to the upper floors, the old staircase and its wrought-iron gallery set the tone. There is no elevator in this building, which requires a little extra effort to carry the luggage up, but leaves intact the wooden floor that creaks underfoot. Each room bears the name of a Burgundy vineyard. The standard categories, between 15 and 19 m², remain compact, like an old house where every square meter has its own story rather than a hotel standard to meet. The superior and family categories offer more space; some keep a period fireplace that now serves only a decorative purpose, and all have air conditioning, a minibar, and a private bathroom.

The house itself has had several lives before becoming this hotel. First the home of a family of coopers, then Elisée Epailly’s auction house, then a three-star hotel run by Claude and Elyane Epailly, it now belongs to Bruno and Emmanuelle, who opened the Tonneliers next to the Hôtel des Remparts, the family’s other property in the neighborhood.

On the ground floor, reception remains open day and night, ready to rent a bicycle, store a valuable item in its safe, or point out the nearest public parking lot, since there is no private parking on site. The staff switches languages depending on the person in front of them, without anyone needing to ask.

A tip for the morning: reserve your breakfast table the night before if you want to be at the Hospices before the groups arrive, around nine o’clock.

Summary of a few positive reviews read on the Web

Hotel right in Beaune’s historic center, just a stone’s throw from the Hospices. Everything can be visited on foot, no need for the car during the stay.
Large old-style room, warm, with good bedding. The parquet floor creaks a little, but that is part of the building’s charm.
Friendly and helpful staff from the beginning to the end of the stay, with good advice for restaurants around the hotel.
Breakfast served in the covered patio, an original setting. Not huge in quantity, but enough, with fresh bread and homemade jams.
At night, the hotel is very quiet. A good option for sleeping peacefully after a day of sightseeing in the vineyards.
No private parking, but a public parking lot not far away on foot. The location right in the center more than makes up for this detail.