With my husband, we had planned to spend a weekend in Limoges and the following question arose: where to sleep? After some research on the Internet, I realized that there were basically two types of accommodation available to us: either aging and therefore not very attractive hotels, or the eternal chain hotels without soul.
Then I came across an offer that first attracted me by its name, different from the others: Gogaille. Gogaille is a Bordeaux-based start-up created in 2019 that dusts off everything and proposes in several points of a same provincial city center a restaurant and hotel offer, in the air of time. Their motto is to get back to basics: sleeping well and eating well, hence the name "faire gogaille" which means sharing a festive, joyful moment in popular language. Each Gogaille experience is local and unique, depending on the region where it is located.
This new concept will also exist in Tours from March 1, 2023. In 2023, it will be extended to Poitiers and Orléans, in 2024, to Le Mans and La Rochelle and, in 2025, to Caen and Angers.
Charmed by this singular and warm offer, we decided to stay there during our stay in Limoges and here is my return of experience!
SUMMARY
In Limoges, the Gogaille experience is spread over 3 points in the city center (allowing you to discover the heart of the city and to get in touch with the locals, in a good mood!) :
Les Loges Gogaille - Préfecture (4 Rue de la Préfecture)
The Restaurant Les Échoppes Gogaille (8 Rue Adrien Dubouché)
The Bakery Gogaille (1 Place d’Aine)
Well, I have to admit that the experience doesn't start very well because Gogaille proposes a hotel concept without reception staff. So, once you book your room on the Internet, you have to check in online to verify your identity, but, first problem, it doesn't work. Fortunately, when you make your reservation, Gogaille provides a phone number to reach customer service 24 hours a day in case of a problem and, within a few minutes, the problem was solved, the check-in was done.
Then, second problem when we arrive in front of the door of the Loges Gogaille. Indeed, we have to scan a QR code to be able to access the Loges but, once again, it doesn't work. Fortunately, after a phone call to the customer service, the problem is again immediately solved and no more problems of this kind occurred afterwards. By the way, if you can't open the door of the Gogaille Loges yourself, I invite you to connect from outside to the Gogaille wifi before scanning the QR code and everything should then work! I reassure you, this is my only negative point because the rest of the adventure leads me to strongly recommend you to try the Gogaille experience!
This dematerialized approach allows you total autonomy and flexibility as to your arrival and departure times, which you can plan earlier or later than the scheduled times (arrival at 4 p.m. and departure at 12 a.m.), by paying only a few extra euros when booking.
Les Loges Gogaille are located in the center of Limoges, 15 minutes walk from the train station and opposite the Prefecture, in a beautiful old building renovated with great taste and charm. It is also easy to park in the area. We stayed in a room at the very top of this building, on the second floor, and had the joy of passing in front of a magnificent 19th century stained glass window every time.
Gogaille offers many accommodation formats (rooms and apartments of different sizes and categories), in order to always adapt to the needs of the guests as much as possible. In order to access your room (which you receive the number in advance), you also need to scan a QR code next to your room door (again, being connected to Gogaille wifi, everything runs like clockwork).
We stayed in the smallest of the proposed rooms (double room) and, nevertheless, we did not feel cramped, either in the room or in the bathroom. The decoration was modern, with soft and soothing colors. The bedding was French and of excellent quality, as were the bed and bath linens, with soft towels. The soundproofing was perfect. In fact, when I woke up in the middle of the night, I even wondered where we were, because the silence was so absolute! And, if you can't sleep, Gogaille has planned for you a little reading in the room ;-) Finally, an idea that I found amusing is a QR code positioned on the toilet paper holder... I'll let you discover the link behind this QR code, something to keep you busy in a good mood on the throne! But, why didn't anyone think of this before? Last point: the wifi works perfectly well, hallelujah!
As far as the services offered are concerned, you have permanent access to what Gogaille calls the "ravitaillement". This is a large common space with a dining area, a comfortable lounge area and a terrace area, with a kitchen. This allows you to keep your food in the fridge, eat on the spot, take filtered water, make yourself a hot drink, read a book or a magazine, play... In short, this is the space that really makes you feel at home.
Breakfast, Limousin meat and potato pâté and apple flognarde...
Thus, in the morning, between 7 am and 11 am, you can come to the "ravitaillement" to have breakfast, with wholemeal bread and pastries from their own Bakery Gogaille, a delight... And also butter, jams, fruit juice and any other hot drink. It's the opportunity to meet other travelers! We also took advantage of this space at lunchtime: indeed, after having gone to the Halles centrales de Limoges to get some specialities from Limoges, what a joy to have been able to come back and taste our victuals in this dedicated space!
Finally, there are also other great services offered. Until midnight on the day of your departure, even if you no longer have access to your room, you still have access to this "ravitaillement" area, as well as to lockers and safes to store your belongings until you leave. A laundry area is also available with iron, toiletries, strollers, cots, etc... In short, Gogaille has thought of everything!
One evening, we decided to try the Gogaille Restaurant, Les Echoppes, located 5 minutes walk from Les Loges (I advise you to book in advance). It's funny to know that this building used to be the old prison! The facade is very beautiful, in a retro spirit of green water color, which clearly makes you want to enter. The room is big and in a decoration with a brocante spirit. There is also a bar and a grocery / catering space on the spot. The service is attentive and fast. Thematic events are sometimes organized there, such as blind test, soccer game projection, champagne evening for example!
As for the menu, you can already find it online, which allows you to start thinking in advance. Moreover, once on the spot, another card proposes some temporary dishes. The offer is reduced, guaranteeing home-made and quality, comforting and seasonal, with local products. As the restaurant proposes matured meats, we can only recommend you to taste it, especially in Limousin country! Note also that the bun for the burger is home made, as well as the fries. I say that, I say nothing! As far as desserts are concerned, because of the lack of space in our stomachs, we didn't try them, but there was a giant profiterole or a big chocolate mousse to share, which looked quite appealing! The Gogaille personalized tableware, made in Limoges, is nice.
Last point to underline: by scanning the QR code on the table, you can not only discover the menu, but also pay online, which is very practical when you eat in group. Indeed, you can directly select what you have taken from the list, pay, and then move on to the next one! By the way, when you stay at the Loges Gogaille, you get a 10% discount on your bill at Les Echoppes Restaurant (excluding drinks).
In order to have tested the whole offer proposed by Gogaille, we also went to the Bakery, located, once again, at 5 minutes walk from Les Loges, in a nice store in front of the Law Courts of Limoges. Indeed, when we discovered that the baker, Dylan, was the best young baker of France and after having been able to test at breakfast his bread, his croissant and his chocolate bread with a perfect flaky texture, we wanted to go to see more closely all that it was possible to devour at the Bakery. We appreciated so much the wholemeal bread proposed in the morning that we left with it, and also some victuals for the road: sandwiches, cookie, apple turnover, a delight every time... The flours are organic and local, the leaven is natural and the butter used is the one from Echiré. You absolutely must visit it !
Finally, you may be wondering: what to discover in Limoges? Because there is certainly the unavoidable theme of Limoges porcelain, but it is far from being the only element to explore. I therefore refer you first to this suggested itinerary provided by Gogaille on a large map in the lobby of Les Loges, before explaining everything in the article dedicated to this subject. See you soon in Limoges!
=> I hope that this article has helped you in the preparation of your stay and, if ever you have questions or comments, do not hesitate, I will return with pleasure!
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