Hotel Busby

The location made getting around easy: the Promenade and beach are about a 7-10 minute walk, and the train station takes roughly 10-15 minutes on foot. I had a really nice stay at Hotel Busby. The staff were friendly and very helpful, and the rooms were clean and spacious. There’s breakfast for purchase, though I didn’t try it. Other nice extras include a small gym, a cozy lounge with games and books, toys for little ones, and a back terrace that’s great for relaxing. My only small gripe was that the bed felt a bit firm and the pillows a little flat for my taste. I’d happily return for the welcoming atmosphere and location.

We had a great few days here with my partner. The team were welcoming when we arrived, and it was great that they spoke both English and French. Our room was really spacious with a lovely outdoor view, and the bed felt like heaven. Staff always greeted us as we came and went. We had to check out at 11:30am, well before our flight later that day, but could leave our bags in the luggage room and collect them when we were ready. The hotel is in a good spot too, about a 5-10 minute walk from the beach and not far from the airport, just a five-minute train ride away.

I didn’t enjoy this stay at all. The only positives for me were the front desk service and the location, close to restaurants, shopping and Nice Airport. The air conditioning worked well, and I had no complaints about it. The hotel is old and seems to be undergoing some renovation. The furniture, doors, windows and other things in the room are old. The pillows were too flat, and I had concerns about the flat sheet’s use and cleanliness. There’s no bathroom ventilation, so you have to leave the door open to air it out, which may be unpleasant for several reasons. The shower drain was partly clogged and water collected. Noise was a real issue. I could hear footsteps from the room above, doors slamming, and even quiet hallway chatter. With the windows shut, I still heard teens, young people or whoever it was outside hooting, hollering and screaming at 4AM every single day. I’m concerned there may be some kind of bug infestation. On the first night, I woke to ink-blot-like marks on the flat sheet and bedding. I didn’t see bed bugs, but something bit my hand, which became swollen, raised, pink and very itchy. My other guest was bitten four times on their arms and ankles. I kept finding those ink marks day after day, though the bites don’t exactly match bed bug bites. I’m worried it could be another sort of infestation. The TV was okay, but small and not smart, with only one English channel and the rest French. WiFi barely worked and lagged badly, especially for shows on our devices or WhatsApp calls. I gave up and used my data instead. I’m surprised it’s a 3-star hotel rather than 2-star; maybe French standards differ a lot from North American ones. I’d never stay here again. I came home covered in bug bites and without sleep.

The location is good and breakfast was fine, but our stay at Hotel Busby was deeply frustrating. Had we been given the right room from the start, things would have been much better. Instead, the lack of transparency, pests and unprofessional intrusions ruined the experience. The rest of the staff were okay, though far from kind, and no one checked whether we were all right or offered to make up for what happened. A cancellation problem just before the stay meant we booked the first night directly by email and the rest through Booking.com. It seems clear now that the hotel used that to downgrade us. Even though the room shown in the photos was available, they put three of us in a tiny, ancient room. Pipes made a constant loud noise, there was bird poop on the curtains, and we even saw a rat on the terrace, which raised serious hygiene concerns. Our privacy was also repeatedly ignored. At 11:00 PM on the first night, someone knocked loudly three times without saying who they were, then said “service” and came in, claiming there was a leak in reception. They told us to use all our towels to soak up the water. The next night, despite us being very careful, there was more loud, unexpected knocking late at night. The same staff member insisted on coming in while one of us was still getting dressed in the bathroom after showering. After checking the floor and finding it completely dry, he admitted the building’s pipes were the real issue and told us we simply couldn’t use the shower. When we asked what could be done, he first said he didn’t know. Five minutes later, he gave us a key to a room three times the size. The rest of our nights were much more comfortable there, but by then the damage was done.