Rouen - Welcome to Laura Balnéo

😊: For a person who knows Rouen, the location is fantastic. A short walk from the City Hall and St Ouen, and just a bit farther from St. Maclou quarter. No more than a short stroll from the museum of fine arts, and also a walkable distance from the trains. A person who is not familiar with Rouen will struggle initially to find their whereabouts. The area may not look very nice to a casual visitor, but the neighbourhood is safe and quiet. There is a liceum across the road and may get a bit noisy after 0900, but you did not come all the way to Rouen to sleep until late. The apartment is fairly equipped, and the management provides some cute "welcome boxes" with toiletries and kitchen aids. The bed is very comfortable and the pillows are amazing. The rectangular style used elsewhere, not the awkward squared style so popular in France. The tiny living area is nice and comfy. Internet works smoothly. Overall, a great sleeping experience.. 😢: There are a few things that can be easily improved. First of all, I found it outrageous when the property wanted to charge me 10€ for a one hour advance in my check-in time. I am aware that this is becoming a common practice in some hotels, but to do this in a self catered accommodation that was available from much early in the morning is, in my opinion, abusive. The towels provided have clearly seen better times. One of them ripped off when I was drying my back. But two were provided, so I had nothing to worry about. The worst came when, during my first shower, I noticed that some water was accumulating in the shower plate. I stopped the water from running and gave it a couple of minutes to drain. All seemed good. My second shower, however, completely flooded the shower plate. I ran to the kitchenette to look for something to unblock the pipes. Nothing. Not even a small pump. The soapy water would remain there for at least two days. And then another day when I tried to clean up a bit. No problem, I thought, "luckily there is also a jacuzzi, where I can wash". Well, yes and no. My next shower, in the tub, ended up with a soaked floor. My fault? Maybe I was not careful enough to avoid water going on the floor while washing. Not really. After I painstakingly dried the floor, I noticed that the water was filtering from the side of the bathtub, so, the toilet would remain wet throughout the day, with small puddles of water around the tub... for my whole stay. Then I thought, maybe they needed the 10 euros to fix the drainage..