9 impasse Saint-Loup, Île Barbe, Rhône
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Most of Lyon's grand addresses are about being in the thick of things, whether in the courtyards of the old town or up on Fourvière with the city at their feet. Les Suites de l'Île Barbe offers the opposite, and it has history on its side. Ten minutes upriver, on an island in the Saône, a handful of suites and rooms in the remains of an old abbey provide the one thing Lyon itself has always come here for: a way out.
The island's name is thought to come from insula barbara, the wild island. Monks arrived in late antiquity to be alone and founded one of the oldest abbeys in Gaul. Later, the Lyonnais crossed the water to pray, and also to drink and dance, and until the end of the nineteenth century the island remained the fashionable place for an outing. Most of the abbey is long gone, its stones recycled into the islanders' houses, but the habit of escaping here never quite died.
Today the southern tip is a public park, and the northern half sits behind a gate, a private village of old stone houses under tall trees. The suites lie inside it, in the surviving walls of the abbey church, kept by a family who have lived here since 1891. Bénédicte, the owner, looks after guests herself, from the first email to the goodbye, and a stay is closer to borrowing a wing of a family house than to checking into a hotel.
The other thing a city hotel rarely offers is space. The interior designer Jorge Grasso has kept the old volumes and filled them with light, and the Loft, directly above the chapter house where the monks met, runs to a hundred and fifty square metres, with room for six. The family suite has a kitchen of its own and the garden suite opens straight onto the grass. For two, the river rooms look across the Saône through the trees.
Outside lies the park, three thousand square metres of century-old trees reaching down to the river, patrolled by peacocks and watched over by falcons. Breakfast can be carried out under the trees, and kayak outings can be arranged from the private landing. Lyon waits ten minutes away, to be visited and then left behind. By evening, the loudest neighbour is usually a peacock with something to say.
Like any getaway, it needs some organising. There is no spa and no restaurant, so dinner means going out, either a few minutes upriver to the Bocuse auberge at Collonges or back into Lyon, and a car helps. The alternative is to bring the dinner in: the house can arrange a private chef in the suite. It works best for families and friends sharing the larger suites, and for anyone who already knows Lyon and would rather keep it at arm's length.
Officially, Île Barbe has been part of Lyon since 1963. After a night or two behind its gate, that is surprisingly hard to believe.
Under the Loft
The Loft lies directly above the old chapter room where the monks of Île Barbe met; a crypt also survives in the remains of the abbey church.
The Loft lies directly above the old chapter room where the monks met. Of its 150 m², 100 belong to one living room under a high ceiling, with tall arched windows, sofas, a long table and an open kitchen along one wall. Two bedrooms and two bathrooms sleep six; a mezzanine with armchairs looks down over the room.
The Family Suite fills 90 m² with two bedrooms, a sitting area and a fully equipped kitchen, for up to four. Its bedrooms sit under the pointed stone vaults of the old abbey church, each arch filled with a large painted wallpaper. The booking engine lists it with a river view and a balcony. There is one bathroom for the suite.
At 40 m², the Garden-level Suite is the smallest of the three suites on the website, planned for a couple with or without a child: a 200 cm bed, a fold-away single and a kitchenette. Its French windows open straight onto the 3,000 m² park, so breakfast or a picnic basket can be carried out onto the grass.
The park covers 3,000 m² of century-old trees between the abbey walls and the Saône, home to tits, falcons, peacocks and squirrels. Guests have the run of it, and breakfast can be served outside. From the private landing, boat trips and kayak outings set off along the river, arranged with partners; a driver can bring kayakers back from Lyon.
At a glance
Where
9 impasse Saint-Loup, Île Barbe, 69009 Lyon; a private island setting in the middle of the Saône, about 10 to 15 minutes from the centre of Lyon by car (the site gives both); 15 minutes from Part-Dieu or Perrache stations, 30 minutes from Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport; parking on the property
Why this one
The Loft runs to 150 m².
3,000 m² down to the Saône.
Bénédicte, from booking to departure.
The Edit Notes
The three suites on the website are built for different parties. The Loft takes six in two bedrooms, with two bathrooms, three toilets and a 100 m² living room around one large table. The Family Suite takes four in two bedrooms but has a single bathroom, which matters for two couples. The Garden-level Suite is for a couple, with a fold-away single for a child. Direct booking covers staying only; a family gathering or party needs a separate quote.
There is no restaurant, so each evening has to be decided. Pistou, five minutes' walk away, will prepare dishes to take back to the suite; Les Voûtes faces the island across the water, with a terrace over the Saône in good weather; Paul Bocuse is about five minutes by car. A partner private chef can cook and serve in the suite. Bénédicte books tables and chefs, so the simplest course is to settle dinners with her by email beforehand.
The house gives about fifteen minutes by car to the city centre and half an hour to Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport, and there is parking on the property. For guests without a car, transfers from the airport or the stations can be arranged on request when booking. One outing works the other way round: kayak down the Saône from the private landing, leave the luggage to follow, and come back from Lyon with a private driver.
The park runs down to the Saône, and the house conditions state that guests use it on their own responsibility and must keep children under permanent supervision. The Garden-level Suite opens straight onto it, which helps with small children and calls for a closer eye. Pets are accepted but may not be left alone in the suite. All suites are non-smoking, and a card pre-authorisation is taken as a deposit on arrival.
The price question
The money buys room and quiet: a suite of 40 to 150 m² in the walls of an abbey church, a park on the Saône, and an owner who arranges the stay. It does not buy a hotel's machinery. There is no restaurant, bar or spa, services come from outside partners on request, and evenings mean going out or bringing a chef in. For a group of six, the Loft replaces two or three hotel rooms.
It works best for a family or two couples taking the Loft or the Family Suite for two or three nights, with a car or a booked transfer, who already know Lyon and want to visit it by day. A couple wanting a hotel bar, dinner downstairs and a spa will find them on Fourvière or in the Presqu'île.
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The Extra Edit
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