Hotel La Citadelle

The location is nice, but the property needs serious maintenance and better management if it’s going to meet its advertised category. I believe some rooms may be nicer than others, but surely standards should be maintained throughout. I’ve shared my documentation with Atout France because the problems I found concern mandatory criteria for three-star hotels in France. My card provider did refund me, and I’m posting this so future guests know what to expect. I’d also be wary of the high ratings for this place, as some may be fraudulent. I was very disappointed that my room at Hotel La Citadelle fell short of basic three-star standards. The shower had no door and leaked onto the floor. The front desk said they knew this when placing me in the room, but couldn’t offer another. When I asked for extra towels, staff said laundry wasn’t until Tuesday. There was no desk, chair, decor or bedside lamp like the photos showed, just an overhead light. The one blanket for two guests was ugly, thin and damaged. And the advertised “garden view” was actually a parking lot, as several other reviewers have also said.

What a pretty hotel. From the bedroom balcony, I could watch the sea and the sunrise. Staff were really friendly and helpful, and the centre of ville franche is only a two minute walk down the steps.

We stayed in a quiet garden room, and it was clean with air conditioning that worked well. The beach and the promenade along the port are close by. Virginie and the owner were both very kind and managed to find us a room at the last minute. If we’re back in town, we’ll book here again.

I stayed here with my wife and our two-year-old, booking through Booking.com and paying around 215 EUR a night. The receptionist was welcoming and did her best to deal with the hotel’s shortcomings, but our stay was far below expectations. It was survivable, but this didn’t feel like a three-star hotel. We arrived in the evening to find our ground-floor room looked onto the parking lot, which the hotel description calls a “garden,” instead of the promised terrace. Getting in with the stroller was difficult because a car was parked so close to the house. The room didn’t match the photos, some listed facilities were missing, and the air conditioning kept dripping. The curtain didn’t cover the whole window, so it got bright early, and soundproofing was very weak with the road nearby. Worst of all, several rats lived in the bush by the entrance and got more active late in the evening. There was no 24/7 front desk, despite what Booking.com says, and breakfast was so limited that it was hard to find anything for our two-year-old, with no eggs or fruit. To the owners: I’d strongly advise you to stop giving false information about the hotel on Booking.com. The property is in an amazing location and you have a great employee, but the place feels badly managed. I’m sure you can do better, and I hope this feedback leads to some action.