Hotel Carillon

Spent a few days in Haarlem recently and stayed at the Carillon hotel at the Grote Market. The location of the hotel is very good, as the market square is attractive and historically interesting. And it’s where most people in the area gather to socialise, so there are plenty of places to eat, drink and shop. However, the hotel itself is disappointing. There is no proper reception. To book in you have to call into the restaurant which adjoins it, where one of the bar staff will deal with the paper work and then hand you a bill for the tourist tax! While I realise that the hotel is not responsible for this charge and that it’s down to the local authority, I still resent giving in to blatant extortion. Our room was at the top of two flights of stairs, the steepest I have ever encountered. And although it was clean it was also a bit run down. The electrics were very `Heath Robinson’ and there were no facilities apart from a television that didn’t work. The beds were uncomfortable and walls thin enough to hear those in the next room stomping and crashing around till the early hours. The en-suit had clearly been designed by a lunatic. It was incredibly small. You couldn’t open the shower door fully as the wash basin was in the way and you would have to be a contortionist to use the toilet. Would we stay at the Carillon again? No.