detente rochelaise

We paid €130 for an apartment on May 30th, but that evening it wasn't available when we arrived. They put us in a terrible room instead and charged the same amount. Management won't return the difference. It seems they rented the apartment twice and made a huge profit. We'll contact the consumer protection agency.

The apartment for six felt cramped, with only two small bedrooms, one of them with a kitchenette. The hotel itself was passable and about 15 minutes from La Rochelle by car, but I won't stay with them again. There wasn't much transparency: on Booking.com it was listed as "La Petite Rocheloise," with no mention of the Balladin hotel chain. The displayed price wasn't the real price either, since mandatory cleaning fees had to be added along with the tourist tax.

We were only there for one night, thankfully. The place was very disappointing: our apartment was dirty, with dust and hair, so we had to clean it ourselves. The fridge was especially filthy and hadn't been cleaned. Booking.com showed €139, but we ended up paying €213.50. I absolutely wouldn't recommend it.

For €40 on Booking, it was a steal. The room was very comfortable and the soundproofing excellent, even though the location isn't great, beside a four-lane highway in an industrial area.