Where to stay in St-Pierre-la-mer near Narbonne with a dog

This April, I took a trip with my dog to Narbonne beach in France. This was a spontaneous decision so we booked an apartment in St-Pierre-la-mer at the last minute.

It turned out to be a decent choice as it was conveniently located and came at an ok price. I can recommend staying here with your dog for a night or two with a few caveats. For a full breakdown of my experience, read the review below.

DOG FRIENDLINESS

My dog was allowed to join me, but the owner of the property asked a few questions beforehand. They wanted to know what breed of dog I had, so I sent them a picture and explained that I have a box with me that she sleeps in.

They agreed to let her stay, but asked that I take absolute care that there would not be any dog hair. Luckily, my dog does not shed, but if your dog does you may not be able to stay here or you may need to budget in extra time for cleaning before you check out.

THE LOCATION

The apartment is located very close to Narbonne beach, with maybe a 5 minute walk on the most direct path. The harbour is also close by and you can see the sea from the balcony. Super nice. There are a few restaurants as well as a small super market and a gas station within a 15 minute radius on foot. For us, this was a good location as we just wanted to go to the beach and get some food in the evening.

Please be advised that the apartment is on the third floor and there is no lift. From the parking lot, you need to take a number of stairs up to the apartment complex and then still take the stairs up to the third floor as well. If stairs are an issue or you have a lot of luggage, I might suggest that you look for a different place to stay.

THE APARTMENT

The apartment was very spacious. There is one bedroom where you can close a door, as well as another sleeping area in a loft over the living room. I cannot speak for the upstairs bed, but the mattress in the main bedroom seemed cheap and like it had seen better days, if I’m honest. Since we only stayed one night it was not a problem though.

The living room itself was quite large, with a couch, a table and four chairs as well as a fridge and a TV. The bathroom was decent and comfortable to use.

There is also a small kitchen area with a stove, a microwave and a coffee machine. Unfortunately there was no dishwasher and no washing machine, but for us this was no problem for a short stay. If I was looking for a holiday apartment for a longer stay, this would not work for me.

In addition, there is a balcony with a sea view as well as a table and some stools to sit outside. Very nice!

I should point out that the apartment was not dirty but not sparkling clean either. The concept seems to be that the guests clean up after themselves before departure or they can choose to pay extra for cleaning. This approach may lead to varying results of cleanliness, but overall it was fine. Just don’t expect a “hotel perfect” standard and be prepared to clean the place before checking our or paying more.

If you stay less than 7 days, you are also expected to bring your own sheets and towels, but thankfully the host was happy to provide these for me for an extra fee as I had none with me.

THE SERVICE

To me, the communication here was really good ahead of the stay. The host was very responsive even with the short notice of our request to stay, and I was provided a very helpful arrival guide that explained everything.

However aside from that there was no service to speak of. I never met anyone in person and after I had arrived, I did not hear from the host again even though I sent another message upon leaving. As mentioned, I would rate the cleanliness as medium, so I think it’s fair to say that on balance the overall the service was medium too.

THE VALUE

At this apartment, I paid 52 EUR for one night, including parking and dog but excluding sheets and towels. For the quality of the stay, I think this is only ok value as the area is not exactly busy at this time of year and you are expected to clean as well as bring towels and sheets or pay extra.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Overall, I found the apartment to be ok for a night, but if I was to stay longer I would look for a different place. Based on my conversations with the host, not all dogs may be welcome here and there are a lot of stairs to overcome plus you are expected to clean or pay extra. In summary, I give it a 3/5.