Garden Beach Hotel

The sea view room upgrade made for a really nice five-night stay. There was a light breeze and the sound of soothing waves. The hotel showed some wear, but was generally in good condition.

The beach itself was lovely, and the location worked perfectly for shopping, restaurants, and the train station. The rest was largely disappointing. Beach service was deplorable, the food there was mediocre, and the rooms were dated and not very clean. The building looked more like an abandoned boardwalk hotel in Atlantic City than somewhere on the French Riviera.

The beach manager kept harassing me whenever I was near the beach without paying 25 euros for one of his beds. I’d paid over 250 euros a night for my room, but was made to feel like a skinflint for even trying to walk on the beach. The same manager harassed my foreign mother and father-in-law when they were trying to enjoy the beach view. It ruined the holiday for me, and the customer service needs looking at. I wouldn’t return. My sea-view room was nice, but very expensive, and the hotel interior needs refurbishment. Breakfast was included and good, except they charged extra for a fried egg. The hotel pushes hard to charge for extras, which spoils the customer experience.

We paid extra for a sea-view room, expecting a balcony and an unobstructed view, but got a room without a balcony. The hotel said it was the only open room, even though we booked well ahead. Some rooms have balconies and some don't, despite the photos showing balcony rooms and the features not mentioning them. Hiding the difference in the room description without pricing the rooms accordingly feels a bit like false advertising. They said a large group had arrived and seemed to give them all the good rooms. I believe we got the worst room because we came from the USA. Parking was 32 euros a night, which is pretty bad. The room was supposed to be non-smoking, but smelled strongly of smoke.