Holiday Suites Nieuwpoort

We were charged extra to have our rooms together, even though we'd booked both at the same time. When we wouldn't pay another 25€, they threatened to put us in separate buildings, far apart. On top of that, parking costs extra, the service was unfriendly in person and even worse on the phone, and the place is far from the beach. Our room had no shower gel, towels, salt or coffee filters. It felt like Ryanair, only much more expensive. This was our first and last time. I'd give zero stars if I could, but the lowest option is one.

We were five in the family and stayed for four days. The room was spacious and very clean, and the kids liked the playground. The pool was good too, though a little small.

We returned from dinner with friends at 11.20 pm and couldn't get in. The lounge access code, which was needed for the building and our room, had been disabled. We ended up waiting in the car outside and paying for parking until a man arrived at 1.20 am. We'd already called twice to complain and gone to the IBIS hotel on the same grounds. The children were devastated, and we were upset. Management said they'd do something, but even after we had to explain what happened five times, nothing came of it. We were left with a bill for a room we barely used, plus overnight parking. There's no emergency phone number from 10pm to 8 am, so be aware you need to be back in your room early or stay with friends. The management was awful. In the US, they would be sued.

The apartment was a good size, and the location was nice. A few small things went wrong when we arrived, but they got sorted out within about an hour.