The Mama Shelter in Lyon was good but we felt it was trying just a little too hard to ever so hip and down with the boys. The suite we had was barely bigger than a regular Novotel room but it had Spiderman and Darth Vader masks in it which justified the extra cost. The bar/restaurant was very noisy, with a DJ to help us appreciate our Asian fusion dishes, and hundreds of kid's rubber rings in case we fell into our drinks. The car park is difficult to find when the directions given by reception seemed to confuse go left, then left again with go right then right again. I wis we hadn't found it because some idiot designed it have a low invisible wall at the end of the ramp which took our rear wing off. I kid you not. And when we complained the receptionist said yes, it is a problem, many people do that and shrugged her gallic shoulders as a final pronouncement on the matter.It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience staying here. We'll never stay with Mama again.

The place was near the University of Lyon. The posh side of Lyon appeared to be across the river which was a short walk away. The hotel was really affordable, clean and fun. The rooms were not huge but just right. The restaurant was really cute though the food was a let down. Perhaps we had higher expectations. The staff was really friendly and nice and it made for a great place to stop over with parking.