B&B HOTEL Boulogne-Sur-Mer Saint-Martin

The room was clean, affordable, and had the basics, and the bed was comfortable. The self check-in was useful too. But as a woman travelling alone, I felt unsafe after three male guests upstairs shouted and whistled at me when I came out of my ground-floor room in the evening. I know their behaviour wasn’t the hotel’s responsibility, but it left me very uneasy. After that, the room didn’t feel secure. I checked that the door had locked when I left, but it opened right back up without the code. With the guests still making comments and whistling from the balcony, I was nervous trying to sleep and didn’t rest well. I wouldn’t recommend staying here to friends or family, especially another woman travelling solo.

The staff were pleasant and breakfast was okay, but the hotel itself was disappointing. The rooms are small and dated, the Wi-Fi is poor, and the beds were really uncomfortable, with just one small pillow each. Our first room smelled of stale urine, though a kind woman at reception moved us when we spoke to her.

A useful, no-frills stop for us when travelling to France, roughly half an hour from Calais and easy to reach from the A16. Reception staff were friendly, parking was free and felt safe, and there are restaurants nearby plus a hypermarket a short drive away. The location was quiet, and the shower had good pressure. The room was a bit cramped, with no bedside tables or kettle. It works especially well for three or four people, since the twin beds are upstairs on a mezzanine.

I’d been happy with my previous stays at other B&B hotels, so I was glad to book again. This property was a letdown: it’s very dated, felt insecure, and the bathroom was dirty. There wasn’t any staff around when I arrived. I’ve learned that the expected high standard doesn’t apply to every one of these hotels.