Parc Astérix is one of the fastest-growing theme parks in Europe, with a 7% increase year-on-year to 2.3 million visitors in 2019. This impressive growth, fuelled by an extended 30th anniversary season, pushed them up four places from 14th to 10th most-visited theme park in Europe.

In 2020 the park has opened Les Quais de Lutèce, their most ambitious hotel yet and the first 4-star hotel at Parc Astérix. A visually arresting masterpiece that transports guests to the Roman city of Lutèce, the predecessor of Paris.

When we arrived at Les Quais de Lutèce the modest exterior gave very little indication of the splendour that awaited us inside...

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We were warmly greeted in reception and after an efficient check-in we ventured out into the heart of the hotel. Les Quais de Lutèce has 150 rooms in a patchwork of colourful buildings, set around a central canal. The staging by French architect Thierry Retif transports guests into a fantastical version of this historical setting. It looks like a movie set and it's the most impressively themed area of a hotel we've ever seen.

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The attention to detail in this remarkable hotel is astonishing, with everything from fishing boats and baskets to a recreated forge. We took our time exploring every nook of this beautifully decorated area, which looks wonderful by day and even more magical at night.

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We were given a 'park view' room on the top floor, the advantage of this being the wonderful backdrop of the park's wooden roller coaster Tonnerre de Zeus, but with the disadvantage of being located immediately above the hotel's service area with recycling bins and a staff break area, somewhat detracting from the illusion of staying in a Roman city!

The room was comfortable and functional, with high quality furnishings and equipped with a television, Wi-Fi, telephone, wardrobe and air conditioning. The decor is a little plain in comparison to the the extravagantly themed centrepiece of the hotel, but it's very pleasant. Each room includes a super comfy double bed for the adults as well as bunk beds for the kids in a separate area - they don't get their own television though. The bathroom was modern and spacious, featuring a walk-in shower and separate toilet.

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Both dinner and breakfast were served in the 300-seat restaurant Les Berges de Seine, which offered an excellent buffet service. The quality of the food served here is far greater than anything you'll find in the park, with options like pan-fried monkfish and roast duck. It was all absolutely delicious! A starter, main course and dessert is €36 for adults and €17 for children under 12 years old.

There's also a cosy bar, Le Lutécien, with an outdoor seating area by the canal. The cocktails are highly recommended, but given the setting a tankard of beer is probably a more appropriate choice.

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Following a perfect night's sleep (no sound issues at all) we took full advantage of the huge breakfast buffet, ready for a day at the park.

Hotel guests enjoy 30 minutes of early entry to the park, with all the rides in the Ancient Greece area available including the brilliantly themed Discobélix Disk'O Coaster.

Other attractions in this area include Pégase Express, a fun launched roller coaster with forward and backward sections, and Tonnerre de Zeus, a criminally underrated wooden roller coaster.

Having early entry is a great perk of staying onsite, which allows you to experience these rides with minimal queues. There is a direct path from the hotels to the park and a dedicated entrance.

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Parc Astérix is based around the hugely popular character Astérix created by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny. It celebrates many historic cultures including the Gauls, the Romans, the ancient Greeks and the Egyptians - seen through the adventures of Astérix in the comic books.

We were provided with the standard Pass Rapidus (€30 per person) which provides almost immediate access to the 8 most popular attractions in the park. With the longest queues reaching 40 minutes, this was a great time saver, but not essential unless you want to experience everything at the park in one day as we did. All of the rides without the Pass Rapidus access had very short queues.

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The best thrill rides are the brilliant OzIris inverted roller coaster in the spectacular Egyptian area, Tonnerre de Zeus wooden roller coaster, Goudurix looping roller coaster and La Trace du Hourra bobsled ride. All of these rides are excellent - with long layouts and nicely themed surroundings.

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It was a hot day, but fortunately Parc Astérix has a lot of water rides to cool down on. We enjoyed the Menhir Express log flume, Grand Splatch water chute with a 13 metre high final drop, Romus & Rapidus river rapids and L'Oxygénarium water rafts. Some of these rides would benefit from additional theming.

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The indoor attractions include Attention Menhir! (a 4D cinema that opened in 2019), Le Défi de César ('rotating room' ride) and the charming walkthrough L'Aventure Astérix. 

An immersive dark ride is sorely missing from the lineup and would greatly enhance the range of rides and attractions on offer. Given the many Astérix stories, it was surprise that these haven't been put to use.

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In the middle of the park, the Village Gaulois is where you will find the 'homes' of the famous characters from the comics, animated scenes and animals. The neighbouring Forêt d'Idéfix is a lovely area with a selection of modern children's rides.

As no visit to Parc Astérix would be complete without meeting Astérix and Obélix we couldn't resist the photo opportunity, although a framed print will set you back €18.

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We finished off the day with the Aérolaf floating bar, enjoying our drinks whilst rotating 35 metres above the park. You only pay for your drinks, which are served just before you take your seats and are securely strapped in. The views of the park and surrounding forest are superb.

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Our visit to Parc Astérix took place following the relaxation of restrictions associated with COVID-19, which has enabled the park to reopen and for international travel to be possible. The park had put in place various measures for the safety of guests including the requirement for face coverings to be worn on all attractions and recommended throughout the park. There was also widespread provision of hand sanitiser gel.

There wasn't any enforcement of social distancing, and we felt that some of the operational procedures were not in the best interests of guests. For example, to ensure that every seat on the roller coasters was filled, on a couple of occasions we were separated and asked to sit next to strangers, something that's generally unfavourable and especially baffling to us given the current circumstances.

Being just 30 km from Paris, a visit to Parc Astérix can easily be combined with a day out in the French capital city. We took advantage of this opportunity to take in the top sights along the River Seine, including the Eiffel Tower and Louvre, as well as a trip down the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe.

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Our accommodation, meals and tickets were provided by Parc Astérix for the purposes of this review. A 1-night / 1-day stay including breakfast, park tickets and parking starts at €90.75 per person. Book here.