www.bed-and-breakfast-in-paris.com Alcove and Agapes - Paris, France

We stayed at one of the Alcove & Agapes B&B just over a month ago. We were there for a week. We stayed at property numbers 124 & 125 with Claudine. It looked lovely on the website and we read numerous glowing reviews which raved about the TV, free WiFi, etc.

Our stay was not pleasant at all, to say the very least.

1. It was far too overpriced for what we were paying. We paid $243 US per night. Perhaps if the cost had been half of that, it may, just may, have been worth it.

2. We never felt welcome. In fact, we were in a hurry to leave there in the mornings and not return until very late at night, even though we have 2 children. It was quite obvious that Claudine did not like us to be there. That's the problem it seems with Parisian B&Bs. There really is no privacy. This has not been our experience with B&Bs in the UK or in the US.

3. The breakfasts were extremely minimal and she was very, very cheap. Each person was allowed 2 very small pieces of bread and it would not fill any of us up – not even the kids. The juice (only one type offered) was foul. The breakfasts were not at all as shown in the pictures and described on the website. They were very sub-standard. The site says that we were to receive flaky croissants that she would warm for us each morning. There was none of that.

4. The shower was awkward and very old. Seriously needs an upgrade. The room with the toilet was quite bad also.

5. Our kids’ bed was very hard and uncomfortable. Both of them had backaches every morning. Our bed was nothing to rave about either.

6. The website says that laundry is free for all stays that are longer than 4 nights. When I approached Claudine about it, she went absolutely hysterical and started screaming away about how hard it is to do laundry, and how in France, people don’t wash their clothes very often, etc. Our load was small for a family of four. She said that she would have to charge me 10 Euros. I paid her, while reminding her that the site says that laundry should be free. She said that rule no longer applies. She continued screaming and started throwing our laundry everywhere – underwear ended up in the kitchen sink, socks on the kitchen floor. You get the picture. It was actually quite comical, but maybe now others will understand that staying at B&Bs in France, or at least, in Paris, may not be the best idea.

7. We were never really able to use the TV, since Claudine was always there watching it first. WiFi was only available in the TV room where she would always sit. WiFI was not available in our bedroom.

8. I honestly don’t believe that this lady in particular is cut for this job. She’s elderly and is unwilling to change. She walks around at night and starts turning off lights while we are using them. She’s of the post-WW2 generation of cheapness, yet the rates are certainly not cheap. We definitely did not get what we paid for. This establishment is stuck in the 70s, but charges 21st or possibly 22nd-century prices. I would never recommend this company. Their customer service is good at first, until they receive payment. After that, they really do not care.

www.bed-and-breakfast-in-paris.com "Alcove and Agapes" is an Agency representing a large number of B&Bs in Paris. It appears to be a 1-woman-show, run by Fran oise Foret. I counsel prospective Clients to avoid this Agency.

- the Agency margins are huge. I was able to confirm this from one of the B&Bs. Dealing direct with a B&B is very advantageous.

- the B&B details in the site are not up to date. I put this down to the fact the Agency has grown and cannot maintain its data

- I have identified over- and under-statements within the website listings. One could argue this can happen with any site, however I found the gaps to be quite significant

- I was a Client of the Agency and was retained to provide a private review of a B&B I had booked. For that I was offered a fee by way of a % discount against my booking. A Visa refund was offered but was never forthcoming; a cheque on arrival was offered but wasn't provided; a cheque to be posted was offered yet never arrived.

- I undertook the review of the B&B but withheld the review. I t was evident there were substantial problems between the B&B and the Agency. In my assessment the problems were of the Agency's making.

In summation, I can no longer trust this Agency to hold to its word. I would strongly recommend prospective Clients avoid this Agency.