Hotel Novotel di Lille

Initially thought this would be a typical budget hotel , however it exceeded expectations. Our rooms were immaculately clean and the bed was comfortable . The shower was great and toiletries were provided. We opted for the breakfast and were glad we had - a good variety of hot/cold options alongside warm bread and pastries. an efficient coffee machine helped !.The staff were super helpful and friendly I had charging problems with my phone and one of the staff loaned me her iPhone charger which was well over and above what she needed to do. The hotel is conveniently located to station , old town and it was great value when bought as part of Eurostar package

The location was very convenient for train travelling. I arrived next door at Lille Europe and continued the next day to Lille Flandres station. Walked to both. The hotel is also working a very nice walk to city centre. Very safe and lively walk. The Westfield shopping mall is nearby so shopping is made easy. Large mini suite. My son travelled with me so we had the small bed made out, but still had plenty of room. Only thing are that the bathroom and toilet room seem prefabricated and are kind of wonky (though very functional. My son felt they felt as if we were in a train bathroom. All and all, very nice. *we did not eat at the cafeteria (it is not a restaurant, really).

We stayed here in order to go to a game at the Rugby World Cup, while this was on they tripled the charge for an overnight stay but this is true of hotels in all cities hosting an event so it was expected. The hotel is in a good location just a short walk from the old town and many bars & restaurants. There's also a supermarket around the corner for beer/wine (there's a fridge in the room) or snacks. It's also not too far from the Eurostar station which you can walk to or take the metro. The format of the bedrooms seemed to vary depending on the location, ours was on the 4th floor and had a separate shower in addition to the bath but it had no room to store flat clothes, there was only hanging space. Rooms on the 2nd floor only had a bath with a shower outlet but plenty storage room for clothes. Regardless our room was clean, quiet, well decorated and had a comfortable bed - nothing at all to complain about. It also had a safe, a large flat screen TV and good wi-fi reception. The staff on reception and in the bar were friendly and helpful. The bar was very busy while we were there but they managed to cope very well with the number of orders for both drinks and food. Drinks were on the expensive side but this is true of most hotels. Breakfast was a bit disappointing in terms of variety and quality (especially the hot items) but the bread was fresh and there was some fruit on offer. There is a courtyard area where you can sit outside in addition to the bar/breakfast areas and we found this a convenient place to sit on the last day while we were waiting for transport to go home. As it is close to Flanders we took the opportunity to book a private WW1 battlefield tour which we enjoyed. If we decide to return to do a similar tour we will certainly stay at this hotel.