Review of Hotel Empire 3*

This hotel was recommended to us by staff at a nearby filling station and it certainly did not disappoint. The large, twin, ensuite bedroom was spotlessly clean with every amenity you could want. A nice touch was the voucher entitling each guest to a free drink of their choice in the splendid first-floor bar. The barman, Luke as I recall, was extremely friendly and informative about his native city. We only had one night here, but he told us what to see around the city centre and within walking distance. A nicer chap you couldn't meet and a great credit to the hotel, as were all the staff who assisted us. The breakfast was fantastic value and set us up for our trip back to Calais. It was served in the same large room as the bar which, overnight, had miraculously transformed into a restaurant! The only niggles concerned noise and parking. I always travel with a few disposable earplugs in my sponge bag to mitigate excessive and unavoidable noise in busy, city centre hotels. Unfortunately this hotel has some very noisy neighbours, viz airport, bus and railway stations. The problem is worse in summer when bedroom windows have to remain open, especially as there was no air-conditioning. However the beds were wonderfully comfortable and my lady-friend and I both had a good night's sleep, despite the noise. Parking could be a big problem here in the city centre, but we were fortunate enough to find a space in the adjacent street where one can park free from 1800 until 0800 the next morning. We also gained an extra couple of hours by 'feeding the meter' although not sure whether that was legal! It did, however, allow us a lie-in and an opportunity to do full justice to the excellent breakfast! I would, however, advise against leaving anything tempting or of any value in the car overnight, as the streets in the immediate vicinity looked somewhat bohemian. We were relieved to find our car intact the following morning. Overall a great experience which we would love to repeat to explore more fully the delights of this lovely old city. Our thanks to all the hotel staff who made our short stay so memorable and enjoyable. P. S. At boarding school we all used to listen avidly, (and strictly illegally! ), to Radio Luxembourg under the blankets on a crystal set receiver! Does anyone else recall the advert for Horace Bachelor of Keynsham and his much-vaunted 'Infra-draw method'? And the wonderful song 'At the end of the day' sung by the late Steve Conway each night when the station closed down?