Firstly, I'd like to state that i booked direct. This was a result of the fuss made by the hotel while replying to other negative reviews on TripAdvisor. I foolishly thought this would make a difference - it didn't.
I booked the cheapest room class and requested a quiet room with one large bed - not two small beds pushed together. The hotel was able to deliver on the former, a room in the attic with tiny windows that did seem quiet - but not the latter. Apparently one large bed is too much to ask. Do any of you want to sleep less comfortably on vacation than you do at home? Or perhaps your home has two beds pushed together in lieu of one big one? My answer is no to both but that's life at Hotel de Tuilerieen.
I had made this reservation weeks in advance, along with the request. If they had no rooms available that could fulfil the request, why didn't they get in touch? Greed perhaps?. Or just carelessness? Who knows?
Declining a sleep in the attic, I moved to a room that at least had some character - still two beds obviously but what choice did I have? My room was 232. At one point on the first night I accidentally turned right instead of left and tried to open 231. I only realised what I'd done when I had walked into a room that was obviously not my own. Turns out my room key opens more than one room!
The staff member at reception said he had never seen this before. But personally I was pretty worried. What other doors could my key open? And more importantly, what other keys could open my door? I have never stayed at a hotel where a guest room key opens many rooms before. This struck me as a pretty severe security risk.
Unfortunately, the polite young man at reception was unable to offer me any explanation. I requested a refund - I was prepared to move to a different hotel rather than stay in an inferior room with poor security. After multiple phone calls to the owner (who refused to speak to me) this was also denied. I was told the owner would speak to me the following day - I never heard from this person. I spent an uncomfortable two nights at the Hotel De Tuilerieen knowing I would never return and that this was the worst hotel experience I'd had in a long time.
And by the way, the shower in the room was unable to maintain water temperature or pressure and the lift was out on the first night forcing some elderly French guests with respiratory problems to climb the stairs. When it rains at Hotel De Tuilerieen, it seems to pour.
So there you go, gentle reader. Perhaps you're prepared to take your chances on this hotel - I know I won't. I'd rather stay in a hotel that has big beds, keys only open the door they're supposed to open and management isn't this cowardly. read more