Hôtel Restaurant Les Arcades — Restaurant in Limoux

Where do I start? I knew we had a problem the minute I walked into the "reception" of this hotel (it doesn't really have a reception). The smell of old chip fat hits you as soon as you go in and the dark dingy entrance is less than welcoming. Reception is essentially the bar in the downstairs bar area. We were given our room key, shown that it also opens the outer door if we came back late and then left to haul our cases up a spiral staircase that's seen better days to the second floor. Be warned, the staircase vinyl is positively dangerous with bits dropping off and if you have any accessibility issues forget this hotel (best advised to forget it whatever your requirements to be honest!). We arrived at the room via a dark landing where the light switch was at the opposite end so we had to resort to using the torch on our phone. The room was extremely basic with very tired, dated decor, two twin beds pushed together, no duvet, just a sheet and an top cover (luckily I found a blanket in the wardrobe otherwise I would have been frozen all night). The beds were very low and extremely uncomfortable and the "pillows", if you can call them that were just this sausage shaped thing that was attached to the sheets. The beds looked and felt like camp beds. Our view was the wall of the church next door. There were various holes in the wall as well. Just the sort of room you want to spend as little time in as possible! ||||The bathroom was basic but OK although not the cleanest I've been in. It had a hairdryer and a large ish shower. It was just tired and needed replacing. There was no storage space other than around the sink and the only mirror in the entire room was in here so it was a pain when trying to do make up/dry hair when the other person was in the shower. Towels, like all French hotels were small, not very soft and they only gave you one bath towel each which is a pain for people with long hair. There was a hair dryer in the bathroom as well. ||||There was a TV in the bedroom but no English channels so we tried to learn more French! The WiFi was OK in the room but didn't work in the bar downstairs which was a real pain given we didn't want to spend any time in our room and felt we needed to drown our sorrows in the bar! ||||We wisely refused breakfast as we later saw where this was served (on the first floor). We looked in the room when we arrived late afternoon and saw the mornings breakfast items were still out - a stale bit of bread and half a pot of coffee still sitting there. We also found the dining room - a small room on the first floor - again, I wouldn't risk it! ||||The good things - great location and a free car park nearby. That's all. The rest of it was pretty horrible and I couldn't wait to leave in the morning. Yes, it's cheap but it's grotty and not good value. Find...

Where do I start? I knew we had a problem the minute I walked into the "reception" of this hotel (it doesn't really have a reception). The smell of old chip fat hits you as soon as you go in and the dark dingy entrance is less than welcoming. Reception is essentially the bar in the downstairs bar area. We were given our room key, shown that it also opens the outer door if we came back late and then left to haul our cases up a spiral staircase that's seen better days to the second floor. Be warned, the staircase vinyl is positively dangerous with bits dropping off and if you have any accessibility issues forget this hotel (best advised to forget it whatever your requirements to be honest!). We arrived at the room via a dark landing where the light switch was at the opposite end so we had to resort to using the torch on our phone. The room was extremely basic with very tired, dated decor, two twin beds pushed together, no duvet, just a sheet and an top cover (luckily I found a blanket in the wardrobe otherwise I would have been frozen all night). The beds were very low and extremely uncomfortable and the "pillows", if you can call them that were just this sausage shaped thing that was attached to the sheets. The beds looked and felt like camp beds. Our view was the wall of the church next door. There were various holes in the wall as well. Just the sort of room you want to spend as little time in as possible! ||||The bathroom was basic but OK although not the cleanest I've been in. It had a hairdryer and a large ish shower. It was just tired and needed replacing. There was no storage space other than around the sink and the only mirror in the entire room was in here so it was a pain when trying to do make up/dry hair when the other person was in the shower. Towels, like all French hotels were small, not very soft and they only gave you one bath towel each which is a pain for people with long hair. There was a hair dryer in the bathroom as well. ||||There was a TV in the bedroom but no English channels so we tried to learn more French! The WiFi was OK in the room but didn't work in the bar downstairs which was a real pain given we didn't want to spend any time in our room and felt we needed to drown our sorrows in the bar! ||||We wisely refused breakfast as we later saw where this was served (on the first floor). We looked in the room when we arrived late afternoon and saw the mornings breakfast items were still out - a stale bit of bread and half a pot of coffee still sitting there. We also found the dining room - a small room on the first floor - again, I wouldn't risk it! ||||The good things - great location and a free car park nearby. That's all. The rest of it was pretty horrible and I couldn't wait to leave in the morning. Yes, it's cheap but it's grotty and not good value. Find...

We used this hotel with some hesitation after reading reviews but it could not be more convenient for the main square with its bars and restaurants. The entrance is unimpressive and there was nothing to indicate a reception area. . There seemed to be a lingering smell of fried food which lasted throughout our stay. We made our way through into the adjoining bar/cafe - and PMU betting shop - and introduced ourselves. With very little welcome we were given a key and left to our own devices. When asked about parking, we were told it was "on the street", though with no information as to how you are supposed to register your vehicle every hour at the machines nearby. Apparently a garage is available for 7 euros a day but only with prior reservation. Just how much notice was needed when there seemed to be no other guests in the hotel?||The spiral staircase is indeed a bit of a climb but crampons are not necessary. The corridors leading to the rooms are dull and with dated décor but nothing compared to our 1970's throw-back room. It was on the small side with only a small gap between the foot of the bed and the wall. The room décor looked recent but an uninspiring colour scheme - unlike the bathroom which was a brown tile-fest, beige suite and small shower cubicle. Yes it was clean, as were the good sized towels; unlike the bedding, which consisted of a tired cover, ripped duvet (too grand a word) and stained bolster - I didn't think anywhere still had these things anymore. A small wardrobe and junk shop desk and chair completed the fittings.||Based on this, we declined breakfast, especially as there are numerous attractive cafes nearby.||With single glazed windows, there was considerable condensation on a morning, but the view was only the church wall two metres away. We were house hunting and really needed a central location for only two nights so the hotel had to suffice. Despite is attractiveness, Limoux does not have a huge choice of central hotels.||After eating out we returned to the hotel at the late time of 9.45pm to find the bar closed and the front door locked. Fortunately the room key unlocked the door, but it would have been nice to have been informed of this.||When we checked out, madam was equally chatty as she was on arrival, seemingly unconcerned as to whether we were satisfied, had a pleasant stay etc. etc.||We have stayed in dozens of French hotels over many years, knowing that they can be quirky, old fashioned but nevertheless charming. This was just poky and tired, hardly worth a 2 star Logis classification. A pity because the location, just steps from the bustling main square, is ideal for a short break in this very...