Hôtel La Villa Nice Victor Hugo

The pillows were hard as stone, and breakfast was disappointing: no vegetables, limited choice, and a windowless cafeteria in the basement. I wouldn’t recommend it. My first room was a much bigger problem, though. An active construction site completely blocked the balcony and window. There was no view, hardly any daylight, and no privacy, with workers walking right past the window during the day. We couldn’t leave the curtains open, so the room felt dark, claustrophobic, and uncomfortable. None of this was mentioned before arrival, and I wouldn’t have booked that room if I’d known. I raised it at the front desk, and to their credit they moved us to another room. Both rooms were clean, and the second was larger, which I appreciated. Its view was blocked too, but that side of the building seemed finished, so workers no longer walked directly past the window. Still, having to keep the curtains closed all day because of construction right outside is unacceptable. This should be disclosed in advance, and rooms like this should be avoided. I’ve attached photos showing what guests are dealing with.

We booked a Junior Suite for our 50th anniversary after the hotel’s online description and location looked so inviting. On arrival, construction tarps and scaffolding covered at least a third of the building, completely blocking the views from guest room windows. We raised the issue with the new manager, but he was evasive and wanted to handle it by email instead of speaking to us. The receptionist was left to relay messages. We moved to a smaller room, but it was extremely dark, with only one window, and scaffolding outside that one too. We also had almost no internet for nearly the whole stay. Attempts to get the hotel to fix the problems went nowhere. We even suspect the scaffolding may be causing the issue, since our iPhones are fairly new. The hotel didn’t notify guests about the construction in advance, and it felt deceptive. Most employees were friendly, though one was not. Some of them also seemed to feel the hotel wasn’t being honest, since they had to deal with angry guests about the construction. One employee even thought what the hotel was doing might be illegal. We contacted Hotels.com to ask for a resolution, but so far they haven’t handled our request to our satisfaction. They seem to have relied on the hotel’s response instead of advocating for us, while continuing to market the property on their sites despite knowing about the problem. If you value your money, experience, and peace of mind, beware.

The rooms were lovely and clean, and I even had a balcony! The staff were incredibly friendly. It’s right on the tram line from the airport, making it a brilliant base for a Nice break. Great for a solo trip, or for staying with family and friends.

A very bad experience. I booked and paid for three nights in September, nine months ahead, at €130 per night. A month after I booked, the hotel raised the rate to €230 per night and demanded more money. That’s a clear breach of contract. I booked through booking.com, and even booking.com is supporting this way of doing business. It’s very disappointing and feels like an abuse of their power.