HOSTELLERIE LE MARÉCHAL

Characterful olde-worlde charmer in the heart of Alsace

SOME PLACES LOOK ALMOST TOO GOOD to be true, and Hostellerie Le Maréchal – looking like a make-believe gingerbread house on the water’s edge  – is one. You half expect to see Hansel and Gretel checking in at the front door.

This storybook half-timbered 16th century house sits in the heart of historic Colmar – arguably the loveliest town in Alsace – tucked beside a canal in the much-photographed Petite Venise (Little Venice) quarter. The location couldn’t be better.

Inside Le Maréchal, step into a period residence heaped in charm. Gables, dark beams and medieval quirks are the backdrop. Giant candelabra, old ticking clocks and generous jugs of flowers sit against prettily stencilled walls strewn with plates and pictures.

Lavish rooms (some reached by winding staircases) are all beamed ceilings and pretty hues. Huge four-poster and canopied beds – some set off by pleasing contemporary fabrics – are matched by chests and armoires from the reigns of Louis XV and XVI. All  blend seamlessly with up-to-the-minute comforts.

Canalside terrace

Crooked walls and ceilings come as standard, colours are country-French, and compact bathrooms are anything but old – many boast whirlpool baths, power shower and saunas.

Romance beckons on warm evenings at Le Maréchal’s candlelit terrace tables beside  the canal. The mood inside the hotel’s more formal L’Echevin restaurant is deliciously enticing too. Tuck into ballottine of Alsatian squab with duck liver and truffles or other local signature dishes. 

Colmar’s water-encircled old town is a gem. Take a bateau ride along the canals of Little Venice for views of the town’s original 11th century ramparts. Hot-foot around Colmar’s ancient closely-packed streets to take in its museums and timbered facades, or drive out to vine-clad countryside – you’re in the midst of Alsatian wine country.


Hostellerie Le Maréchal was reviewed for Room for Romance by Mike North

Click on any picture to enlarge it and move through the gallery.

Dining in
Candlelit dining at the water's edge in Le Maréchal's A L'Echevin restaurant is a treat, and you can dine out on the terrace itself or in the two warmly lit, beamed dining rooms. There's classical music in the background, and house specialities include fresh lobster, fish and breast of duck roasted with lemon and thyme. The chef's six-course gastronomic menu is worth going hungry  for, and includes half a lobster, roasted seabass with mussels and pan-fried loin of veal flavoured with ginger and cardamon. Extra-special desserts include pear carpaccio with gingerbread icecream and meringue.

Breakfast
Buffet breakfast (charged at EUR 14) is served until 10am.

Room service
Morning and evenings only




See & Do
Colmar is one of the prettiest towns in Alsace, with its cobbled streets and half-timbered houses. The canal quarter known as Petite Venise is a delight, and it's not hard to imagine 16th century wine merchants shipping casks of wine along these old waterways. There's also a toy museum stuffed with antique toys and trains, and an automobile museum with some 450 rare motor cars on display.

Colmar also sits conveniently at the heart of the Alsace Route du Vin – easily within reach of medieval towns such as Eguisheim, where two grands crus are produced.

Diary Dates
November-December
Come to see Colmar’s fairytale Christmas market: mulled wine, gingerbread and Christmassy gifts in a picturebox setting. There’s also an ice rink to burn off some of those indulgent yuletide treats.

GETTING THERE

Location
Place des Six Montagnes Noires, 68000 Colmar

Parking
Garage parking is available for a small fee

Trains
Colmar station - 2km

Taxis
EUR 10 from the station

Airport
Strasbourg –  70 km

ESSENTIAL INFO

Rates guide
EUR 105-275

Open/closed
Open all year

Check-in
2pm

Check-out
Midday

Minimum night stay?
No

Children
Welcome

Pets
Welcome for a small fee

Air conditioning
Yes – all rooms

Wedding license?
No