Hôtel de France

There was hair in the bed, bathroom, and bath, the sheets hadn’t been ironed, and the bath was stained. The carpets were sticky and covered in stains. My daughter used my shower because her room was even worse. At checkout, the staff member started making excuses and then spoke about the owners in the third person.

The good thing is the location, close to a mini supermarket, restaurants, bars, buses, trains, and car parks. The reception and eating areas have a nice, fairly modern French look. The young man who checked us in was very helpful and friendly, though he seemed flustered, maybe partly because of us. We were there for one night for Rugby League. I know the owners are fairly new and gradually making improvements after the previous ownership. I can’t speak for every room, and assume some have already been renovated. Ours was very dated, with only new curtains, a small fridge, and a much-needed fitted aircon unit. I’m not sure it had been vacuumed. The bed was comfortable, with a thick mattress protector, but I felt the mattress probably needed replacing. The bathroom tiles were dated too, and the corners were filthy, including cigarette ash, even though smoking isn’t allowed in rooms. There was no toilet paper until we asked. Breakfast was included, but it was purely continental: a small pot of yoghurt in whatever flavour they gave you, a large carafe of fresh orange juice, sliced white bread brought to the table, and one croissant each. The butter was a cheap, awful spread in a plastic tub, with a bowl of strawberry jam. There was a kettle, a small barista machine, and a two-slice toaster for making coffee and toast. I paid £95 for the night with breakfast, and that felt like too much for what we got.

Don’t stay here. We apparently booked the best room, but it was one of the worst hotels, with misleading advertising. The building is awful, the rooms stink, and the refurbishment was badly done. The sheets were dirty, there was no bar fridge, and there were no coffee machines.

The owners are lovely and did their best to help, even though they don’t speak English and I don’t speak much French. We managed to communicate the important things. Breakfast was nice, with three cereals, yoghurts, dried fruit, delicious fresh fruit, croissants, fresh bread and different jams, plus cold meats and cheeses. The location is excellent, with restaurants and shops nearby and all the attractions within walking distance. Bus stops are very close, and the train station is a 15-minute walk along a flat route. I’d stay again.