Bell Hotel - Zandvoort, Netherlands 

Booked this hotel for five nights in all good faith but on arrival was immediately dismayed at the sight of the bar/eating area which was very dowdy. Ok, we thought, this may be a local feature. Upon proceeding up the stairway we could not help noticing the wallpaper which appeared to have been decorated at least 50 years previously; also the paintwork on the stair rails was worn through to the wood at various places. We were shown our room and was immediately struck by the very, very strong smell of tobacco smoke ~ despite having requested a non-smoking room. In less than 10 minutes my throat was burning and we then decided to seek advice from the local Tourist Information office. The result was an immediate move to another hotel. Same price per night, but boy, what a contrast! The TIC did say that although the Bell advertised in the local guide, it hadn't been a member of the tourist association for two years. The bed linen at the hotel was spotlessly clean, but frankly that was the only good thing we could say about it. Overall stay at this hotel: 1 hour. Fifty-nine minutes too long in my opinion! Incidentally, it was more than two hours and two drinks later before my throat was clear of the effects of the smokey room.