Aparthotel Mer & Golf City Perpignan Centre

We were there on tour with our dog and found the room a decent size. It was quiet, and the location worked well because we were near the theatre where we were performing. The place is dog friendly, and the staff were helpful by email after we had left. The breakfast could be better, as there wasn’t really any fresh food. Still, we had a good stay.

There were basic cleaning problems from the start. On day one I found hair in the shower and marks on the curtain. The room wasn’t cleaned every day, towels weren’t replaced, and sometimes the used ones were taken away without any fresh ones being left. The toilet paper was never topped up. One evening I smelled smoke in our room and went into the corridor, which was full of it. Two firefighters were knocking on doors and asking people to leave their rooms. There was no alarm on our third floor or on the other floors we passed, only a faint beep downstairs. Reception was closed, so nobody was there to explain what was happening or tell guests what to do. The firefighters said the source might be in the elevator shafts and that the alarm failure was very problematic. They came back several times because they couldn’t find where the smoke was coming from. Hours later, when the manager arrived, there were still no signs advising guests not to use the lifts and no safety information. The manager told us there hadn’t been a fire, then said the alarm only worked on the ground floor and insisted it was normal for alarms upstairs not to sound, even though the corridors had clearly filled with smoke. The hotel smelled strongly of smoke through the following day. Reception is staffed for only a few hours in the daytime. There’s nobody at night, and you need a code to enter the building.

We were meant to stay a week, but left after just one night. On check-in day, the electricity went out at 10 p.m. and didn’t come back until 8 the next morning, so all the fresh food we’d bought was ruined. The water pressure was very weak, and the TV switched itself off after 5-10 minutes. The staff were not helpful or accommodating. They told us to leave if we weren’t happy. For a big hotel in such a good location, it had far too many problems.

We left the next day after losing all the fresh food we’d bought just a few hours before arriving. The weak water pressure, unreliable electricity, and unhelpful staff were exactly the problems people had mentioned in reviews I should have read before booking. The manager offered no explanation, only said I could leave if I wasn’t happy, so I did. The one good thing is that he refunded the fees. It was a terrible stay with my daughter and dog. Please don’t go there.