Hostel Belle Meuniere

Thursday morning: The hotel is very charming from the outside. And it's location is conveniently right next to the train station for getting as far away from it as possible. Our first few minutes at the hotel were lovely as we were greeted by the manager who was pedantic about being given a first name rather than a surname. Sure, whatever. She allowed us to put our bags in the hold outside of the hotel as she waited impatiently for our group of 9 to get ourselves organised after a 20 minute walk in the heat of the day from the tram stop. After lunch by the beach: We arrived back to the hotel where we were made to pay and extra charge they call "City Tax" although this was not once mentioned on their site and it actually says "All taxes and charges are included in the price" so yeah, great. We got into our nice cool room number 4 which was pleasant on a hot day. One of my accompanying group members compared it to a uni accomodation but I wouldn't be so generous. Buddy no.1 walks into the bathroom to find no water tap in the basin and the flush on the toilet held together by a wine bottle cork and a wire. Creative! 30 minutes into our stay we noticed a tapping sound every 2-3 seconds from above and a wet patch on the false ceiling - similar to those ceilings in schools and offices - that was growing at a slow rate. We reported the matter to reception straight away who seemed unbothered but noted the incident. After eating dinner out somewhere the 4 of us staying in room 4 were eager to see the progress of our new water feature in our room but we're disappointed when we found the wet patch had grown to the size of the entirety of the ceiling tile closest to the wall. When we spoke to the night shift receptionist he was sympathetic enough to give my friend, who was directly below the leak, a key to room number 5 for the night incase any water was to come past the false ceiling and onto their bed... "Squeak squeak" said the bed. 4am: BANG! Suddenly we all were awoken to realise our room now had a ceiling tile missing and full waterfall straight onto matey-boys bed. Brilliant. "Go go go!" I yelled to him in my delirious state as he sprung to action grabbing the key to room 5 and skidaddled. The next morning: We made it known to the manager who was not apologetic in the slightest. She was in more of a rage about the situation than we were. Not offering any kind of compensation or apology, blaming the plumber "ohhh he came yesterday to fix the drains in the showers and he actually texted me that they were sorted," she pleaded in her french accent. She did get on with it and fix it that day so yeah, whatever. The shower was actually decent tbf, apart from you had to hold the shower head with one hand as there was no wall mount but hey - I'm being picky. It warmed up quickly and was easily adjustable via the cold and hot water valves. Thankfully nothing else exciting really happened in the hotel the next two nights and we spent as much time as we could away from it visiting Menton, Monaco and Ventimiglia. The final night I woke up with a couple bites on my finger and on my toe but I thought nothing of it until I saw the other reviews here about bed bug bites. "Damn I forgot to kiss my homies goodnight and wish the bedbugs don't bite". To top it off I left some fridge magnets that I had bought in the room when we checked out. When I returned at 6pm on the last day to query about checking the room for them the receptionist looked at me like okay go on then. They weren't there, they had been removed by the cleaner according to the receptionist so that's great. This was my fault but it was the nail in the coffin. In retrospect we should've looked at the reviews first and we take the blame for not doing our due diligence. The hotel may look "cute" from outside but, inside it is seriously neglected. To the manager - please take some pride in your hotel. Your guests are your business and it is your job to make them feel safe staying in your hotel and present like you live in a first world country. My goodness don't stay here.

Location was great, close to train station shops and beaches. Room however was contained with bed bugs and my friend got them. Room wasn’t cleaned well and neither was the linen, the towels stunk. Bathroom and shower weren’t very nice and quite old. Cleaning staff weren’t super welcoming but bag storage was helpful. Overall, wouldn’t stay again.

Hôtel Belle Meunière more like “hotel belle manure” Stay here if you like the charm of a traditional run-down French house. Some of the lovely assets included some friends at night time (suspicions of bed bug), a window that looked into the waiting room and decorations in the shower (mould). If you enjoy a cold shower then this is the place for you! The hot water took 10 mins to heat up. Flooding the floor when you turn up the shower was also a nice added bonus. They also have a special valet service where you are instructed to leave your room key in the reception area for anyone to grab due to supposed security measures. Another lovely addition included a service of coming in to turn off your air conditioner during the day so it is nice and warm in the room on your return. The safety was also unmatched with a window that did not lock on the ground floor and faced the entrance to the hotel. Nah but actually DO NOT STAY HERE we were put in an unsafe environment with a room where the only window opened onto the waiting area and did not lock. We brought up this issue to the manager and she was very reluctant to help us move rooms or fix the problem. It was made to sound as though there were no other rooms available which we later realised was not the case at all. We had to speak to 4 different people on numerous occasions before moving rooms. The only good thing about this place is the VERY close proximity to the train station (2 mins) and some of the friendly staff especially the man who worked at night. This hotel could be so lovely if simple but necessary renovations were made as the old building is definitely pretty with a nice outdoor seating area but in desperate need of some TLC. We shall not be returning to the humble abode of “Hotel” belle meunière.

Do not stay here. Avoid if you can. Staff are rude and downright mean. We left a night early. Bad hygiene - we were invalidated for our concerns about unclean bedding (suspected bed bug bites on tummies and arms under blankets). Poor security with keys required to be left in common corridor where any other guests could take them (why can't we just take our key with us?). The shared bathroom was dirty, and a note on the toilet door said "please hold the door when you close it to respect other guests" - blaming guests rather than fixing the slamming hinge. A running theme for the way staff invalidate and make guests feel like the problem (not to mention we were sworn at). I am sure the owner will invalidate this as she has all other reviews. On a positive note, the aircon was great and it was a lovely exterior. We are budget travellers with low expectations however small changes in cleanliness and professionalism would go a long way.

There's BED BUGS in the dormitory at Hôtel Belle Meunière. The Health Department will be after you, Marie-Pierre Arnaud, along with the taxing authorities. Avoid this hotel at all costs.