Hôtel Chez Jacqueline

We chose this hotel primarily because of its close proximity to the Gare de Tours, it is only a short walk away and we didn't want to have to drag our luggage too far. From the reviews, it looked like a cute little boutique hotel, but the reality was far different from our expectations. Dynamic pricing on the website meant that we paid far more than we should have done for a room with a double bed. After booking a room, we were then informed that check-in time only started at 5pm. This was really inconvenient, but we decided we could live with it... we didn't really have much choice after making the booking. Imagine our surprise when we discovered the hotel was upstairs, above a restaurant and right next door to a bike rental shop, and one entered through a grubby doorway and via a small passage to a set of narrow spiral stairs to the first floor, where the reception was. Memories of old student dorms from the 80s and early 90s suddenly resurfaced, but no, student dorm receptions were probably in less cramped surroundings. There was a reception room opposite that also doubled up as their "breakfast" room, and staff disappeared behind a curtain to do the dishes - we were glad we didn't opt for breakfast at the hotel. When the receptionist eventually turned up, they were friendly enough, but gave us a room a further 2 floors up. She did obligingly carry one of our bags, but lugging heavy bags up *3* flights of narrow, uneven spiral stairs was not something we'd bargained for when we booked the hotel. The floor was uneven, the wonky stairs something MC Escher might have conjured up... The door of our room worryingly had a small block of wood nailed to it. The room was functional enough, a double bed, windows overlooking the street (and the centre across the road, the noise from it was enough to drive anyone mad) and cheap Venetian blinds that couldn't quite close or block out light effectively. The bathroom was tiny, and the toilet was situated right in front of a cupboard and you couldn't even prop the toilet lid open because it kept hitting the bottom of the cupboard. You had to hold up the lid by actually sitting on the toilet. Free wi-fi was advertised with the hotel, but there was NO WI-FI to speak of whatsoever. We gave up and had to use data and set up hotspots with our phones to check email, etc. When we asked at the reception below, they replied that "Wi-fi was a bit weak on the 3rd floor". So there you have it. False advertising, ridiculously high room rates (over 100 Euros per night when we booked) and terrible sleep because there was noise from the crowds at the music centre across the road, noise from the restaurant, noise generally from the street at various hours of the night/morning. Plus the blinds did a poor job of blocking out light. The only half-decent thing about this hotel is that the staff at reception are quite friendly... that is, during the times they are actually at reception.

Hôtel idéalement situé en centre ville de Tours, entre la cathédrale et la gare, à deux pas du marché de Noël. Le stationnement est gratuit la nuit dans la rue et il est aisé d’y trouver une place. A défaut, il existe un parking payant en face de l’établissement. L’environnement est très calme et sans aucun bruit la nuit. La chambre et la salle de bains sont spacieuses, propres et récemment restaurées. Le lit est large et très confortable. L’accueil est assuré par Paul, très sympathique, dévoué pour sa clientèle et de bons conseils pour la visite de la ville et la restauration. Le prix de la nuitée est très correct. Le petit déjeuner en option est copieux et à volonté. En résumé, je vous conseille vivement cet hôtel charmant et facile d’accès par le nord de la ville.