La Tour Aux Crabes

We stayed three weeks ago for my husband's 76th birthday and expected something special. The rooms were adequate, but nowhere near worth what we paid. They were warm, and the air conditioning didn't work, which was a real letdown in June. I asked to speak with the manager, Sandrine, but she never made herself available. For the price, this is a big no. I've been coming to Dieppe for 27 years and stayed in many hotels, and this was easily the worst. There are plenty of better places to stay.

The staff were pleasant, and the receptionist spent all night trying to help my husband because we had a baby and the room was 27 degrees, which was dangerous. The air conditioning was broken, as the central system can show. Staff said the system was down and told us to speak to the owner. Sadrine was extremely rude, accused us of lying about the room being 27 degrees because it wasn't that hot outside, and didn't apologise. We weren't offered compensation. We understand equipment can break, but we weren't told, and the way she handled it was unprofessional and showed no care for guest satisfaction. Other guests were complaining too, and the owner accused them all of lying. The trip was ruined. The sauna was also out of use, which, judging by other reviews, seems to happen constantly. Don't stay here.

The room was at 27.5 degrees when we arrived, and the air conditioning was centrally controlled. Reception cooled it down when I asked, but the AC switched off overnight and the room heated up again, so we had a sweaty night. That's why this gets four stars from me. Breakfast didn't affect my rating either. It was very basic, though there was enough variety for us. We were the only guests having breakfast, which might explain the small amount of food, and only one person was covering the breakfast station, which makes me think it may have been served just for us. I thought this hotel deserved four stars despite the surprisingly negative reviews. The rooms had gorgeous design furniture, the bathroom was lovely, and the place was so clean it looked newly built. The staff were kind and flexible about check-in. It's a great location too, about 15 minutes on foot from the ferry harbour, 10 from the station, and just two minutes from Dieppe beach. I'm not sure what people expect from a four-star hotel, though some seem to expect perfection without often staying in one. Overall, a very nice hotel and place to stay.

Our room was fresh and spotless, the hotel setting was superb, and breakfast was generous and fantastic. It's a new hotel, so there were a few issues, but they didn't affect the quality of our stay. The TV had some channels that didn't work, apparently a signal problem that still needs fixing. There was no bathroom mirror, but after we told the manager, one was installed that afternoon. At checkout we were asked to pay, even though we'd paid at check-in. The receptionist thought we'd only put a card against the booking. I showed the app confirming the charge, but she still asked for the card machine receipt. I happened to have it in my wallet, and that cleared things up. She apologised and said we shouldn't have been asked to pay again at check-in. Reception staff should all be clear on the proper check-in and checkout process to avoid annoying guests. Even with that, we'd recommend the hotel for its panoramic views, location, clean rooms, spa swimming pool, and lovely breakfast. We had a lovely stay in Dieppe.