The City Suites is located on the northern end of the Rue du Sergent Michel Berthet which is a fairly busy road just west of the city center. Disappointingly the suites did not offer any parking but we found free all day parking along the street a couple of blocks away at Rue Jouffroy d'Abbans. You have to battle with the locals for a spot. There's about 4 loading bays in front of the hotel but these seem perenially occupied.

Once there, you'll need to buzz the reception(located in the 1st floor) to get through the front door. The reception is closed at night, but this wont be a problem if you're thinking of arriving after dark. We drove into Lyon at 2am and pressed on the 'Noir' button on the intercom. A person answered and directed us to collect the key in a safe located near the entrance.

By French standards, our apartment was very spacious and facing west (away from the main road) it was also quiet. The living area doubled as a second room when the sofa bed was folded out. The bedroom was clean but the bedding and mattress were fairly average in terms of comfort. The main letdown was the kitchen which was only modestly equipped - there was a bar fridge, microwave and electric cook top but cooking utensils and kitchenware were very sparse. For instance there wasn't any kitchen knives or chopping board. I suppose this won't be an issue if you're thinking of dining out. There is no built in laundry and the in-hotel dry cleaning service is very expensive. The bathroom and toilet are in separate areas. Both are clean and in good condition. An added luxury are the heated towel rails. The rooms are cleaned daily with linen replaced. They even cleared our dishes - i suppose this would be expected since dish washing liquid/tablecloths were nowhere to be found.

Internet access needs to be requested with the reception who will provide you with a modem and cable to use in your room. You will need your own laptop. There is no wifi. I was charged 10euros for overnight use of this.

The hotel has a continental breakfast option but with a supermarket (Monoprix) located almost next door which opens to 10pm, there is little need to go there.

Just further along from the supermarket is the entrance to the Valmy subway (metro) station. From here its only 2 tube stations away to Vieux Lyon (to check out the traboules) and a further tram ride to historical sights at Fourviere. One more stop gets you to Bellecour if you're in need of a spot of high street shopping.

If you're looking for some space in Lyon in a convenient location just slightly out of the hub and at a reasonable price, this is the place.