La Terrasse

I spent five nights at La Terasse while visiting Douai for the "Trophée des Villes" pétanque tournament at the boulodrome in Sin-le-Noble. The hotel is right in the town centre, yet my stay was peaceful and quiet. I had everything I needed, and breakfast was good. The staff were friendly and very helpful, and I slept like a baby in the attic room.

Dinner was amazing, and I especially liked the hairdryer, even though I never used it. The room was big and nicely equipped, with a coffee machine, good shower products, a full-length mirror and a nice bed. There was no conditioner. The rest of the stay was a mess. There were bits of toilet paper all over the bathroom and hair in the sink. It was too late to bother reception, so I flushed it away myself and went to bed. Breakfast was meant to start at 7 am. I came downstairs at 7:05 hoping to get coffee and food before a long day, but nobody was at reception, in the kitchen or at the bar, and there was no food. A woman arrived at 7:12. I asked for coffee, and she brought a pot but no cup. Food only started appearing around 7:20. I took some peanut butter and found a sharp piece of glass in it. Luckily, I didn’t cut my mouth. Through all of this there wasn’t an excuse, or even a simple sorry. When we were leaving, reception was empty again. The bill still wasn’t ready, even though I’d asked for it the night before. The receptionist was angry and unpleasant when I asked her to put the bill under one name for my work expenses. We paid for 2 breakfasts that we couldn’t eat because we were short on time and because of the glass in the peanut butter. Probably the worst and most expensive coffee I’ve had so far, at 13,50€ x 2. I travel every week, but I won’t be coming back to this hotel.

The decor and music weren’t for me, but the food and wine were really good.

This family business is run by a lovely, welcoming group of people. The location is great, and the service was impeccable.