Hôtel Regina**

A buzzer goes off every 15 seconds, day and night, like a phone busy signal. The refrigerated truck is another problem: it wakes me at 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday, runs for about half an hour on average, and makes the place shake. It disrupts traffic and people honk. Other delivery trucks use the designated loading zone, so this feels like deliberate disrespect. They complain when there’s a little noise on a public holiday, but seem not to care when the disturbance comes from them. I’m close to taking legal action.

We’ve been coming to Dax for spa treatment for six years, and despite the distance we’ll be back next year. The healthcare team always gives excellent care, and the welcome at the Grand Hotel is very professional.

The bathroom was tiny, like a cruise ship cabin, with very little storage. For three weeks I had to be careful not to drop my toothbrush in the toilet. It took four days, so three nights, before a technician came to switch off the bedroom radiator, which was making the room 25 degrees Celsius. The choice was a view of the extremely noisy street or the parking lot, with cars and a truly awful view dominated by a huge cylinder. The infrastructure is maintained, but it’s minimalist and outdated. The white building in the photo must be an old one. The advertising is misleading.

The treatments were pleasant and good. The hotel and spa building, though, are very outdated and need renovation. Our balcony wasn’t clean when we arrived, and the TVs were tiny. The room was noisy, overlooking both the parking lot and the football pitch, even though the location itself was nice.