Les Acteurs

The people here were amazing, so sweet and thoughtful. The beds were fine, and the breakfast was the best in town. You can hear some street noise, but the area still felt quiet, even with the city center so close.

We ended up moving to the nearby IBIS Hotel, which was great. The first thing that put us off was the area. When we arrived around 7 pm, I didn’t feel comfortable with my girlfriend being out alone in the dark, and even together we didn’t feel safe. The hotel smelled bad throughout, and our room on the top floor smelled even worse. It was so hot that we started sweating as soon as we got in. There was a fan, but it sounded broken and was so loud we turned it off after two minutes. The door to the hallway was paper thin, and it seemed like anyone who knew a little about breaking in could open it easily. The door to the “balcony” wouldn’t stay shut unless locked. Getting onto the balcony meant stepping up about 20 cm, and its tiles moved underfoot. The door couldn’t open all the way because of some random chairs, and the walls were visibly rotting from the outside. Worst of all, the balcony was connected to one that didn’t belong to the hotel, with nothing separating them. We worried someone could climb onto ours at night. Neither the area nor the room felt safe, and the place wasn’t worth the money.

We had a twin room, and I wouldn’t call this place a hotel. The toilet and shower were crammed into a 2-by-1 cube with no separate ventilation and a sliding door that didn’t close properly. It was so cramped you could barely move without hitting your head or something. The bed was narrow and uncomfortable, too. At 80 euros a night, it definitely wasn’t worth the price.

The family who run this hotel are around 24/7, and the front door stays locked, which made the place feel very secure. You ring the bell to get in. The daughter puts her heart into the service and is always smiling. In Dutch, we say, “ze doet het werk met liefde.” Everyone in Wallonia speaks French, especially in this region. It’s right in the center of Liège, so we could easily walk to restaurants, shops, and sights in this crowded city. There’s a closed garage for your car if you reserve a spot in advance, for €10 a night. Breakfast is €10, and it was easy to have each morning. They also give you a pancake as an extra. My room was okay, and they let me keep my road bike in it as long as I promised to keep the room clean. The man joked that I could sleep with my bike. He was funny! The double bed felt good, though the bathroom was small. It’s a small, cozy, lovely, warm hotel, and it gave me the feeling of being in Paris. There’s an elevator, too. On my last day, I went into the center to buy the famous waffles. When I finally left for Amsterdam, I gave them to her and the others. I was impressed.