Hotel Balladins Besancon Confort - Besancon, France 

We are well used to staying in bargain hotels, but this is not one I would recommend. It was hard to find, and the area didn't look particularly safe, set among residential tower blocks, rather than a commercial area which is more usual for these bargain hotel chains. There was an extra charge to park in the secure car park, which we paid. it was the only hotel in France out of 12 that we stayed in this summer that charged extra for secure parking. The room was the same standard as most of these type of hotels. The only good thing about it was a proper bathroom (not a fibre-glass inset) with a proper shower cubicle. The bed was ok, but the pillows were tiny and only 1 each. There is nowhere to eat in the area. When we went for breakfast at about 8am, the room was closed up. We spoke to one lady who had been waiting an hour and had been unable to find any one to ask about it. She ended up leaving without breakfast. We went to our room to pack and do the same, but found breakfast being served when we came back down, but no explanation or apology. We were glad this was just a one night stop over. The total bill for one night, parking and breakfast was 57.50 Euros, so not even as cheap as some. Breakfast at 6.50 euros was one of the most expensive we encountered.