Clos Du Bailli

The room we were eventually moved into was the one we’d booked, and it was completely different: it had the balcony, TV, beautiful view, and amenities that should have been there from the start. Arlene was genuinely kind and professional, helped move our bags, and was the only staff member who showed empathy. She confirmed that manager Logan, who had also been the receptionist the day before, had chosen not to come in. At checkout, Arlene acknowledged that the charges hadn’t been clearly explained and even suggested we needn’t worry about paying for breakfast after all the trouble. We’d come for a birthday getaway and expected the room we reserved. Instead, after arriving, we found no balcony, no TV, and basics like shampoo, water, a bin, and even toilet paper were missing. The balcony was a key reason we chose the hotel. At reception there was no apology, just excuses and blame on Booking.com. I’ve worked in hospitality, and this didn’t seem like a system glitch to me, but poor room allocation and an attempt to brush it off. We were eventually offered a “suite”, really just a studio, for the night, with a promise we’d be moved to the right room the next day. We hadn’t unpacked, knowing we’d need to switch. Help with our luggage was reluctantly agreed to when I asked, but our request for breakfast because of the inconvenience was refused at first. Later they lowered the price to £6 each and eventually offered four breakfasts for the price of two. Even so, we were nearly charged the full £32, which they blamed on system issues and VAT. Breakfast itself was disappointing, just basic supermarket food and frozen pastries, nowhere near worth the original £16 per person. The staff were polite, but the food wasn’t good quality. We’d declined the continental breakfast at first because the offer seemed overpriced for what was described. There were problems right from check-in, which used a buzzer just to get in. We were told all on-site parking had been taken by other guests, although parking there hadn’t been offered to us when we booked. They told us to park on the street and said, “There are cameras everywhere,” which wasn’t reassuring. The room we had that first night was poorly stocked and short on basics. We thought it was over until Booking.com emailed to say we’d been marked as a “no-show” and charged in full again. I had to dispute it from abroad at my own expense. The hotel could have charged the remaining amount to the card they already held, but when I called, I got condescension and indifference. The manager seemed more interested in avoiding responsibility than fixing it. Booking.com eventually confirmed we had stayed and refunded us, but exchange rates and international fees still cost me money. It wasn’t a huge amount, but I shouldn’t have lost it at all. The whole thing came down to mismanagement, poor communication, and an unwillingness to make things right. Arlene was the one saving grace, and I sincerely thank her. We wouldn’t return or recommend this hotel.

After a 14-hour drive from the north of the UK, we got to the property at 8:15pm, ten minutes past check-in, and were told we couldn’t stay. We’d messaged and communicated with them beforehand. The man at reception said he’d tried calling several times, but we hadn’t received any calls. That left four of us stranded in the middle of town. It’s simply unacceptable. We had to find somewhere else and were lucky the Ibis had a room. I’ve never been so shocked by how an establishment is run. Please be warned.

The hotel was fine for our bike tour, but there were no toiletries in the room. What really annoyed me was the communication. I asked for a receipt nine times over two months, and every request was ignored. I booked through Booking.com, which was no help either. I won’t use either again.

The family suite worked really well for us, especially having a separate bedroom for the children. The accommodation was to a very high standard in a beautifully renovated building, and the service was fantastic, with an outstanding breakfast. The only downside was no A/C or fan during the heatwave. I’d expect that 90% of the time in this region it isn’t hot enough to need A/C.