OMG....was Frommer's ever wrong on saying this was a best bet in Caen!!!

We arrived in the evening and the hotel we had reservations at was full, so they made arrangements for us to stay one night at the Hotel des Quatrans which was less than a half block down the street. I looked it up in Frommer's and was pleased it was rated so well. My two sons, ages 17 and 13, stayed in the room next to mine as the rooms could only accommodate 2 maximum.

The desk clerks were friendly and they put up with our well-intentioned attempts at speaking French. The lobby was neat, inviting, and well furnished.

Frommer's said this hotel was built after the war and the rooms were recently refurbished.....I truely think they forgot to remodel the two rooms we had. The rooms were the size of a closet, with barely any walking room. I could touch the window from the center of my bed. Everything in both rooms were metal, and reminded me of very old hospital rooms. The bathroom was not cleaned very well.
The rooms were also very dark and damp and cold. (OK, now, so far we can handle these inconveniences.)

The worst problem, the problem that "broke the camel's back", and the one that made me write this review was that both rooms had a terrible, horrible odor. To me.....it smelled like old urine. A smell you would experience in a subway station. I don't think I slept at all that night. My sons didn't either. None of us felt safe that night.

We would have left, but there were no other rooms around until the next day. Believe me, we were up and out of there very early that next morning.

We then checked into the small, lovely, charming Central Hotel right down the block. This hotel we recommend most highly. In fact, the rooms here were cheaper than those at the Quatrans. They have very neat, clean rooms and you can choose rooms with or without a private bathroom. They are not fancy rooms, but they were rooms you could relax in and get some rest. Their morning breakfast was an added bonus. We stayed at this hotel a week and enjoyed the atmosphere very much. In fact we returned to this hotel on a return visit to the Normandy region and had another positive visit there. (Make sure you try some Calvados while in this area!)

We are fairly well travelled people and have stayed in many different types and ratings of accommodations. Unfortunately, the rooms at the Hotel des Quatrans were by far the worst rooms we have ever stayed in.

Check out the rooms at the Central Hotel in Caen. The value is excellent and I think you will be very happy there.

Bon Voyage!!!!!