We stayed two nights at this hotel in April 2012 and found it to be pretty much everything we wanted for such a stay : warm, comfortable and clean, within walking distance of things we enjoyed seeing and wonderful eating too.
The bedroom and ensuite bathroom were by Australian and New Zealand customs small, but we knew this would be the case in advance having used TA's other reviews and looked at the website. There was a dear little balcony behind the shutters overlooking a treesy 'place' and the decor was equally charming.
We speak enough French to get by and hotel staff were helpful and spoke enough English to help us with the necessary booking in and out procedures and we were happy.
Two things, however decided us not to rate this hotel 'excellent' though. The first was that smoking is plainly ok within the hotel somewhere or perhaps at least near the aircon system: we could smell fresh cigarette smoke frequently coming into our room and even throughout the night . We strongly dislike this and actually are always dismayed to see how many people still smoke everywhere in France. We have become used this area of success in NZ health promotion and like being able to breathe fresh clean air -everywhere. We also don;t think this is a very good safety factor in an old building where access in and out is not that fantastically easy.
Secondly, we did not like having to leave our room key in a basket on the public stairs for the maid in the morning and nor did we like being so discourteously asked to leave it when we left the hotel -every time. We consider this insecure. We are used to being able to lock up our possessions in our room when we leave it and take the key, although we don't leave passports and anything similar behind of course.
While we appreciate that is an old and beautifully historic hotel and the doors are old with large old keyholes (and indeed the key we were given was enormous and attached to a large heavy 'thingammy' -presumably so it would not be taken) -we think perhaps a second key could indeed be cut for the maid! At the least please don't ask guests to leave their key in front of other members of the public at the front desk or hang it on the numbered hook so that it is plain to anyone keen to know that the room is unoccupied just now. In fact, we also like to be asked before our room is serviced each day as mostly we would choose for it not to be. We don't think its necessary. (Nothing like coming back to the pillows you want to put your cheek on with the dirty old cover or cushions which have been put on the floor while the bed is made resting right back on them either -ugh) And who wants their toiletries rearranged and personal bits and pieces dusted anyway for such a short stay. If we need a clean towel we will request one -mostly there are heaps in the bathroom to suffice for a one or two night stay.
Not to end on a moaning note though: Hotel du Palais has great reviews on this site and it is worthy of them. A lovely French experience.