Novotel Lille Ouest Englos

This was my third stay, and the staff have been friendly every time. The food is good too. It’s quiet here, but still handy for the French motorway network and nearby restaurants.

The grounds are brilliant for kids, with a mini football pitch, badminton and table tennis, and we enjoyed the pool too. For families who need a place to let the children run off some energy, this works really well. We paid €94 through booking.com for a lovely room in the height of summer, so I thought it was good value. The hotel is a little tired in places, though what we saw was very clean. Freshly renovated, it could be a €200-a-night place. As my mum used to say, you get what you pay for. It’s an old hotel in a quiet area, about a 20-minute drive from the city. There’s a shopping centre 20 minutes away on foot, and the bar and restaurant are open. The menu looked good and reasonably priced. A great stop for us on the way home from the south. I checked in today, and the staff were very nice. Some reviews complain about small things like worn carpets. Come on, get a life. I hope this helps anyone who’s been put off by negative comments.

There’s plenty of parking and the property has all the amenities. It’s a good place, though quite remote.

I can’t put into words how awful this hotel was. We booked two rooms, and both were disgusting. The hallway and bedroom carpets were filthy. In one room there were still hairs in the shower and sink. I complained to global customer service, got a refund, and drove three hours away. That’s how bad it was. The reception area looks modern and nice, but that’s misleading. The receptionist said we were lucky the restaurant was open, since a group was there that night. There’s a Burger King nearby, but it was closed too, and there wasn’t much else around. Online photos make the hotel look fairly nice with their lighting and angles. In person it’s in a run-down industrial area, and the building needs extensive renovation. The wood facade is damaged and breaking, the paint is peeling all over, and the pool is dirty. The receptionist admitted he wouldn’t walk on the carpet without shoes. Enough said.