Hotel de Zalm

I had a thoroughly enjoyable stay at De Zalm. The team is small, but everyone was friendly and accommodating. The decor is dated, though in a charming way that gives the hotel personality. Downstairs, the cafe gets busy and has a lovely view of the town hall. My room was cleaned very well, and the breakfast lady was attentive.

The room they first gave us smelled of urine, and our terrace was in a construction zone with tools and an ashtray, clearly being used as their lounge. Then they moved us to a smaller room but charged the same price, with no money back. It was noisy from the construction and the view was obstructed. The room needed maintenance too, and the bathroom door handle fell apart. Breakfast was down the street and poor. The bad reviews are justified. This place should be closed. The hotel is in terrible shape for what they charge, and the way they handled things felt dishonest. Avoid!

There was no one at reception or answering the phone when we needed help. The heating was faulty, with loud banging from all the radiators on my floor until midnight. The entrance was also blocked by garbage containers. When we reported it afterward, they brushed us off without an apology and pointed to the 24/7 reception.

A pretty basic hotel. It was hot, and there were no windows, just a door onto a shared balcony, so I struggled all night between the heat and security. The hotel restaurant was being renovated, so breakfast was at a sister hotel. I skipped it.