Did not bear any resemblance to the photographs on the web site. Carpets and curtains extremely dirty. Kitchen area poorly equipped. Staff pleasant. Would not recommend although the tram stop just outside the building is very convenient.

I did a two week French course in Montpellier and, as the school had a link with this aparthotel, they offered me this as their most expensive option. I wanted to be independent and an air conditioned room with its own small kitchen and bathroom suited me.

I then read reviews about the tired appearance of the hotel rooms and the lack of cleanliness so I expressed my concern to the school. I was reassured that they supervised the accommodation and that they had never had any complaints.

My first impression on arrival was one of relief that the room seemed clean. However, I soon began to notice the dust, the grimy net curtains, a large stain on the carpet and a strange smell. At first, I thought this was cigarette smoke entering the room through the air conditioning, but on the third day when I opened a kitchen cupboard I hadn't used before, I realised it was coming from the rubbish bin. ( Until then, I had been using the bin in the bathroom.) When I looked inside, I found rubbish from the previous occupants, including a dirty baby's nappy! In addition, the bin was cracked and there was leakage into the cupboard.

I was disgusted and took the bin to reception. The manager was "unavailable" and I was told he spoke little English. I was given a replacement bottom half of a "new" bin (which didn't fit the top of the old one). No-one cleaned the cupboard so I bought some cleaning materials from a local supermarket and did it myself.

As my spoken French is not very good, I wrote a letter of complaint in French to the manager and I was eventually told by one of the receptionists that he was "sorry" and that he was offering me a free breakfast or jacuzzi as "compensation". I said that this was a derisory offer.

On Saturday at the end of seven days, I was supposed to receive new sheets and towels, but none appeared. When I asked for some at reception, I was told that Monday was "Clean Sheets Day" and that I would have to wait. There were no clean sheets available in the hotel, although the receptionist managed to find a couple of towels.

The reception staff were always very helpful and I felt bad that they were on the receiving end of my complaints. The manager made no attempt to meet me personally.

When I returned home I wrote a formal letter and was offered a 30% reduction on my next stay. As I am not a masochist the offer is meaningless!

If you decide to stay in this aparthotel, check the room carefully before you accept it. You never know what you may find!

The main residences of the Consuls de Mer are located in the modern part of Montpellier, approximately 7 min by tram (which stops right in front of the building when the line is not under construction) from the old city centre (Place de la Comédie). So in terms of location, it's just fine. Wifi connection is also provided but make sure you ask for the account name and code at the reception. The kitchenettes are pretty well-equipped (stove top, microwave, washing machine, mini-fridge, pots, pans utensils, etc.) but there are no cleaning products included so if you're going to stay here make sure you buy paper towel, detergent, sponges etc. (The reception offers a kit but I'm not sure how much it costs or if there is enough in each kit to last you a week). In terms of the other services and general appearance of the rooms/building - I would deem them mediocre given the price per night (studio - three bedroom - 89 - 209 euros. It is worth noting that this is a "self-catering" establishment, not a hotel; in other words there is no daily cleaning of the room or changing of sheets/towels and you have to dispose of the garbage yourself. However, sheets and towels should be changed by the cleaning staff every week. Unfortunately, during my 3 week stay, this was not done on a consistent basis and I had to alert the reception (which still did not make much of an impact - the sheets and towels were only changed once during my time there). As well, the card key (which showed signs of heavy use to begin with) stopped working after a few days and I had to replace it four times. The rooms themselves are not really soundproofed and the pipes make quite a bit noise when you or anybody else on the floors below or above uses the toilet, sink, or shower. The rooms are not the cleanest upon entering, especially in the bathroom and kitchenette areas. Furthermore, there are visible cracks and holes in the ceiling and on the floor which allows for easy passage of spiders and other creepy crawlies. The shower also has no curtain and is just a small space with a hand-held shower head which could result in a thorough soaking of the bathroom area if that thing slips out of your hand. There is also a pretty strong chemical smell that permeates throughout the hallway and in the room itself. So if you are really sensitive to odours it might be a good idea to stay away from this building. In terms of the reception staff, no real complaints -- just be aware that if you are coming in summer, there are many interns and a revolving staff during the day so get to know their names. The reception area is open 24/7 but in the late evening, you will need a code (given by reception upon your arrival) to get into the building. Also note that you will be charged approx. 1 euro per night in visitor taxes during your stay, and you will be asked for a 260 euro caution which will not be debited from your credit card unless you cause damage in the apartment. Just so you know, I stayed here because the language school I was studying at assigned this lodging so I was here at a very reduced rate. However, if it were up to me, I might have looked for something better.

We spent two nights at this hotel and of all 6 hotels we stayed in during our trip in France, this was our least favorite. It was shabby - stains on carpet, on furniture, on bedding. There was a big water heater in the toilet room, which was way down the hall from the bedroom.

The neighborhood was iffy. It was ok with my husband, but into the evening I would have been uncomfortable alone or just me and my daughter. There was construction in teh area and lots of students, who thought nothing of yelling in the streets at 3:00 am. Not the best location for a family who wanted a good, clean, quiet nights sleep to get on with the sight seeing the next day.

The tram did stop right outside which was nice, and there was a pool but it was packed with college kids.