Lourdes Guest House

Lourdes itself is a very special place, and I absolutely recommend visiting. I wish I could say the same about this "Guest House". On arrival, I looked into changing my flight to go home early, but it would have cost far too much. Last-minute travel was also too expensive, especially since I'd already paid for my return trip the following week and a week at the guest house. I still wanted to visit Lourdes as planned, so I reluctantly stayed. The property seemed very old and in need of renovation and modernising. Upstairs there was a lingering musty, damp smell, and the whole place seemed to need a professional deep clean. It was very dirty, unhygienic, and unpleasant. The rooms and bathrooms weren't clean, the bathrooms smelled strongly of urine, and the showers were disgusting and smelled bad too. Signs everywhere say "Clean after use," but that clearly wasn't working. During my week, I never saw the owner, staff, or cleaners. One guest left, and nobody seemed to clean even then, which made me suspect the rooms and bedding weren't cleaned between stays. The mattresses were visibly dirty. My first night was missed because of train cancellations, and I got no refund. On the second and third nights, I couldn't sleep because another guest played extremely loud music through the night and into the early hours. They were so inconsiderate that I could hear them coughing, which was disgusting. I told the owner about the noise, but nothing was done. There are signs saying "Quiet after 23.00," but that rule wasn't enforced. I know this is a cheap way to visit the wonderful site of Lourdes, and I can see the appeal. Still, I'd urge people to spend a little more for somewhere with basic hygiene standards. I'll also raise my complaints with the local French authorities.