Hôtel Barrière Le Westminster Le Touquet

After our campervan trips around Europe, we come here each year to relax and reset before heading home. It feels like a home from home. Thank you all.

Update after my review: the hotel manager has been proactive about following up and discussing the feedback. I think they’re taking it seriously, which is a good sign for the future. I took my wife here for a three-night birthday treat in March 2025, and we booked a superior room. The attentive staff made a good first impression and the trip seemed promising. We wanted to relax, and the spa was a big reason for choosing the hotel. The room was a little small. The separate toilet had no sink or bin, which was inconvenient, and we didn’t like that the bed was two separate mattresses. The bathroom itself was lovely. Staff were generally helpful and polite, but seemed quite inexperienced, perhaps because it was a training period. Service overall wasn’t at the level I’d expect from a place like this. The minibar milk and crisps weren’t replenished. At breakfast, it took us a while to find out that large teapots were available, and even then they came with very little water, so I had to ask several times for refills. The tables were too small, one yoghurt was off, and the sausages weren’t suitable for breakfast. The egg boiler wasn’t working on day one. On day two, I set it to 90 as instructed, but when I came back it had been turned off. I had to stand guard over it to boil my eggs. There was no guidance on how long a soft-boiled egg would take. A manager offered to help but didn’t know either, so I stayed. Some labels were wrong too. Each issue was small, but together they suggested inexperience or a lack of attention to detail. At the bar, I spilled my cocktail on myself. The rather stressed young barman didn’t check if I was okay, just barked “move” so he could mop the carpet. I’d only had a sip, but nobody asked if I wanted a replacement, paid or complimentary. We were given two vouchers for a coupe of champagne in the room card, but they were for the casino. When we asked at the hotel bar, we were brusquely redirected. We went to the casino, and maybe I’m out of touch, but only two tables were operating and the rest was slot machines. It wasn’t a pleasant place and felt like faded glory. On our first day, we asked about horse riding or land yachting, but it took a day to get a response. By then it was too late to arrange anything. The spa was small, the chairs for resting were uncomfortable, and the pool was small too. There was just one shower, and it didn’t project water far enough to shower properly. No cold plunge. The biggest area was central and mostly empty, which made for an odd design. The hammam was uncomfortable, as with many modern designs, and there was nowhere to lie down. Its shower head was broken. These little issues added up and became irritating. The lift reminded me of the Sirius Cybernetics Corp happy vertical people transporters. I expect lift doors to open and close. Maybe I’m just easily irritated these days, but I’d hoped for a better overall experience.

The hotel seems like a decent idea, but a few things made our stay unpleasant. At breakfast, uncovered cheese, bread and fruit platters had flies crawling on them. I asked reception on the first day to cover the cheese, but nothing was done. (See photo.) The air conditioning was confusing. It switched off at night and the room was hot. I couldn’t get it to turn back on, no matter what I pressed. Maybe it was being turned off centrally, but I don’t know. Also, the bathrooms are huge with plenty of room, so the hotel could have installed a bidet. After all, the French invented them.

We booked this hotel during a trip to France, but had to return to the UK early and cancel. We gave more than a week’s notice. The hotel was within its rights to keep our prepayment, but it was disappointing that they didn’t feel able to offer any refund or other gesture.