Unlock authentic France with a stay in a converted prison

Hôtel La Prison, Béziers, France. | Hôtel La Prison, Bézier

High above the River Orb, the cathedral of Béziers dominates this plain beside the French Mediterranean. Next to the cathedral is the town jail. After the prisoners moved out in 2009, the architects worked their magic for its transformation into a hotel.

And there is no disguising I’m in jail: there are iron bars, stencilled signs, rough walls, inmates’ graffiti and cells to sleep in. But there’s also an awful lot of art in Hôtel La Prison. Larger-than-life grey statues of table top footballers stand guard in the main hall, while some cells have been given over to artists.

Hôtel La Prison, Béziers is filled with art. | Fiona Laing

In June, Pierre Bendine-Boucar took two days to transform Cell 206 with a pink almost-tartan design. In another cell, delicate brushwork disguises something too crude for paying guests with a tranquil blue grey design. In a doorway, a colourful parrot hides on the lintel.

I encounter a bespoke recital by a “prisoner” violinist on trial accompanied by a piano playing judge. The audience had to decide what his sentence should be – silence or perpetual playing. After Michael Seigle’s evidence from Rachmaninov, Schumann and Ravel set against John Cage’s 4’33” of silence, we could not deny his fellow prisoners his exceptional musical talent.

However, once the novelty of the jail-house chic wears off, there is a sophisticated hotel in operation; rooms are well thought out and staff friendly and helpful.

Views over the River Orb from Hôtel La Prison, Béziers. | Tourist Board, Béziers.

Budget or boutique

This hotel is reasonably-priced – particularly for the cells – but it feels very special, with each element carefully considered.

Room service

La Prison has a variety of bedroom styles and since it opened in 2023 has attracted a range of guests from families to business folk. There are tales of friends spending the weekend dressed in stripey suits with activities laid on including a wine tasting in the private cellar in the former exercise yard.

A bedroom in one of the former cells at Hôtel La Prison, Béziers. | Hôtel La Prison

The cells are simple but “improved” to incorporate en-suite showers and larger windows. Family rooms offer more space for a lock-in with the children, while in my spacious room it’s easy to forget its back story, with a coffee machine and TV on hand for when I tire of the panorama from my window.

Wining and dining

Breakfast is not overly extensive: cold meat, cooked eggs, yoghurt, pastries, fruit but everything is of the highest quality. And in reality who needs more than flaky freshly baked croissants and café au lait?

The Bistro is a popular spot with its panoramic views and its terrace is something of an evening sun trap. . There are pretty pink flowers against the buttress of the cathedral and on the horizon the hills are changing colour in the setting sun.

Sardines are served up in Le Bistro at Hôtel La Prison, Béziers. | Fiona Laing

The food is thoughtful and stylish. Sardines sit on a bed of chive-infused potatoes and grapefruit, garnished with tiny yellow flowers; the grilled chicken partners with earthy shiitake mushrooms and a sauce américaine. Cherry clafoutis and vanilla ice cream round off the set menu feast.

Worth getting out of bed for?

Just being in a French town makes me want to get outside and discover what makes it tick. This usually involves cafes and people watching. But in a short break, I think there are three things which will unlock Béziers and release the character of this ancient French city.

The interior of Béziers Cathedral. | Fiona Laing

Start at the gates of the hotel, with the Cathedral of St Nazaire and St Celse. Like many churches, the austerity of the facade doesn’t prepare you for the solemn beauty inside. It reflects the importance of Béziers on the historic routes between Italy and Spain – with today’s Gothic structure on the site of a cathedral destroyed in the 13th century and before that a Roman temple.

The 19 trompe-l’oeil frescoes are a great way to absorb some of the town’s history. I come across one which celebrates Béziers-born sculptor Jean-Antoine Injalbert. You’ll find plenty of his statues around the town – and he is creator of the bust of Marianne, the familiar symbol of the French Republic. Another mural celebrates Jean Moulin, a hero of the French Resistance, while another the rugby club.

A mural by local sculptor Jean-Antoine Injalbert on a building in Béziers. | Karine Gregoire, Tourist Board, Béziers.

My other pick is the Hôtel Fayet – the city’s art gallery. A bit like Scotland’s William Burrell, Gustave Fayet was a wealthy entrepreneur, art collector and artist and this was his city home. With 2025 the hundredth anniversary of his death, the gallery is celebrating Fayet. His interest in Japan makes for a fascinating exhibition this summer, but there’s plenty in the permanent collection and the building itself to make it an inspiring stop.

Little extras

A narrow rooftop pool is perfect for a few lengths after a day sightseeing. Or, if you have the energy, the fitness room is furnished with non-electric machines which fit the eco-ethos of the hotel’s sustainability credentials.

The rooftop pool at Hôtel La Prison, Béziers. | Fiona Laing

Guest book comment

A direct flight from Edinburgh makes an escape to this French gem an easy break.

Factfile

Hôtel La Prison, Place des Albigeois, Béziers www.beziers-hotel-la-prison.com

Office de Tourisme Béziers Méditerranée www.beziers-mediterranee.com

Ryanair flies twice a week June to September from Edinburgh to Béziers.

www.ryanair.com