Aux Waterzooï

We only stayed one night, and the clean, comfortable room worked well for us. There was plenty of street parking nearby and the location was great. Breakfast seemed far too expensive for what you get, so we walked about ten minutes to a lovely place serving eggs, coffee, and fresh juice for just €9. My other gripe was getting around 20 emails about the booking, through booking.com, both before and after the stay.

The comfortable beds and kind women serving breakfast brought this up from two stars to three. The breakfast itself was very boring, though. Our room had a port view, which sounds lovely but meant facing a busy, noisy road. The room was small and the bathroom freezing. There was hardly any welcome, and my emails went unanswered. I’m surprised by the 4.4 score. The hotel makes itself out to be special, but it’s pretty basic.

The room was dirty and poorly maintained, and the staff did nothing after I pointed it out. The lack of accessible entry was another major problem. It seemed nobody had thought about disabled access, which made getting around very difficult for anyone with mobility issues. There was no air conditioning or fan in the room either. When I asked for a fan, staff said they didn’t offer that service. It was unbearably hot, like a sauna, and I couldn’t sleep properly. With the poor cleanliness, missing basic amenities, and inadequate access, my stay was very disappointing and not worth the money. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel.

The little things the owners have taken care of made a difference. The coffee was really nice, and the ladies in the restaurant were friendly, efficient, and helpful. Breakfast was a great buffet. The room was superb, clean, comfortable, and well presented, with a perfect en-suite. A few USB sockets would be a nice addition, as we’d left our adaptors in Flaine. Check-in at the main entrance was easy. We stayed one night to break up the trip from our place in Flaine to our home in Oxford, and it was a very pleasant surprise. Affordable and comfortable, this is the hotel I’d choose if I were in Dunkirk.