Hôtel La Fontaine by BALLADINS St Quentin Gauchy

The receptionist was very nice, but the hotel itself left us feeling unsafe and uncomfortable. We could hear every word from the neighboring room, especially from their bathroom, and there were some weird people around. The location wasn't great either. Our room for three was badly neglected. The TV, clock, and door handle were broken, and there wasn't a single plug by the single bed to charge anything. The ceiling looked as if it had been wet and then dried, and we worried it could fall while we slept. There were damp-looking marks on the wall beside that bed, which connects to the bathroom shower, though we were afraid to touch them and can't say if they were still wet. The view from the window was absolutely disgusting, like a prison cell or psychiatric ward. The bathroom was extremely small and disturbing. Its door had a punched hole and wouldn't shut properly, the toilet paper wasn't new, the bin hadn't been emptied, and the shower curtain had yellow spots and dark mold along the bottom.

It's only a few minutes from the motorway, with a huge gated parking area and a simple breakfast buffet. The bed was comfortable, the linen good, and the soundproofing effective. Sure, the place is small and a bit tired, but people criticizing it seem to miss what a budget hotel is meant to be.

The rooms are basic, but comfortable and clean, and the shower was great, with strong pressure and hot water that lasted. I only spotted a little wear in the bathroom's top corner, and that was really only if you were searching for flaws. The staff were fantastic, spoke good English, dressed very professionally, and did what they could to help. A great inexpensive hotel.

The room was ridiculously small, smelled of mold, and felt very tired, like it badly needed refurbishing. The guy at reception was very helpful, though. Since we had heavy luggage and there was no lift, he changed our room for us.