Campanile Hotel Vlaardingen

The bed was really comfortable, and the service was warm and welcoming. The meals tasted good and were reasonably priced. Rooms are on the small side and only sort of clean. For what you pay, it's alright. The mosquitoes cost it a star.

We left straight away and got most of our money back. The hotel wasn't pleased with us, but I felt the room was dangerous and they had no choice but to refund us. The ground floor room we requested, because we couldn't manage the stairs to our original room, had serious electrical problems: no lights and just one socket. The bathroom was old and needed updating. The whole block looked very worn out, and the photos didn't show its current state. Our room felt cramped, with the bed pushed against a wall. There was no air conditioning, no lift, and the windows opened onto either the car park or the landing, so they weren't really usable.

Mould on the shower curtain and toilet made the bathroom feel so unpleasant that showering seemed worse than skipping it. There was only one set of towels for two people, and the breakfast dishes were grimy, with cobwebs around the bowls. We used our own water bottles instead of the dusty, cloudy glasses. Breakfast itself was below average. There was no air conditioning, fan, or ventilation, and the window opened straight onto the corridor. The rooms had no soundproofing either. Neighbors came back drunk at 3 a.m. and partied in a nearby room, loud enough for everyone along the hallway to hear. In a multi-storey building with no lift, nobody helped us with our bags at checkout. A young man had helped two women with their suitcases when they arrived, but at checkout the middle-aged woman at reception just said, “No,” then, “Yes I’m serious.” She didn't even say sorry or explain that help wasn't available. The cleanliness was terrible, and I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone wanting basic comfort or security. It's the worst three-star hotel I've stayed in during 30 years of travel. I've had better stays in backpacker hostels in less developed countries.

The staff were friendly, and the guys tried to make up for the impression the so-called hotel left. But the place felt more like a mediocre roadside motel, and it didn't live up to its name or price. The rooms smelled bad and had mold. Breakfast needed work too. For three days the fruit was already sour, which was too much.