Le coin des Halles

Cahors has a hotel with a great location here, but my stay was a mess from the start. I was told check-in was at 3:00, yet when I arrived shortly after, the place was locked and empty. A posted sign claimed reception was open from 7 a.m. until midnight, but nobody answered the buzzer. I called the number on the dot and was told to return at 4:00, an hour and ten minutes later. I walked around with a heavy suitcase and came back at 4:15. Four other people were waiting outside too. Someone finally came at about 4:25 to let us in. I was last in line. After I gave him my name, he asked me what my room cost. I found the paperwork and showed him. He said I had to pay then, but his card machine wouldn't work, so he said to pay tomorrow. When I eventually got to my room, it was tiny and stuffy. There was no air conditioning, just an ineffective desk fan, and the advertised internet hardly worked. The bed was small but usable, really just a mattress and box spring on the floor. The pillow was uncomfortable and made it hard to sleep. Avoid this place. I found that what the hotel tells you may not be true.

The location was good, and the staff were friendly. I also liked the bar area downstairs. But the room wasn't very clean: the toilet bowl hadn't been cleaned or flushed, and the room or landings in the blue room seemed not to have been vacuumed in a while. The bed pillow was uncomfortable.

We only stopped in at the brasserie for a meal, not to stay. The Caesar salad and roast lamb were delicious, and the Cuvee l'ancetre 2016 wine was exceptional. The vineyard owner was dining with his family and came over when he noticed us drinking his wine. It's a relaxed place that seems popular with locals, with a cool interior, clean loos, and a bowl of water for our two dogs. Other customers had dogs too.

Our room was right by the lift, and whenever someone walked near it, we could hear it as if they were right next to us. The Wi-Fi didn't work either. On Saturday, they had a party at the hotel, and sleeping before 3 a.m. was impossible. We tried going to bed at midnight, but couldn't. I can't understand how a hotel can do that. Disgusting. A really bad experience.