Ok we knew when we booked this place that it wouldn't be the Ritz!
We went to Lille for 2 nights with our young children ( 7 and 5) for a short Xmas mini break to enjoy the Xmas market. The hotel was a v short walk from the Lille International station and the lady on the front desk was v pleasant. We got the key to our room on the 4th floor ( v impressed as we had asked for a higher room with a view and they had facilitated that) and then went to get in the lift - soon found out we were not all going to fit in it with our bags as it is possibly the smallest lift I've ever seen! Anyway, I'm not big on lifts so myself and my son walked up the winding stairs (hint: if you stay here and are on anything above floor 2, take your coat, hat and scarf off before ascending/descending the stairs - they're a killer!) Room was a nice size with 2 double beds and a small wall mounted tv. Lovely view of the square outside. Numerous cigarette burns in the bedspread were a constant source of amusement! Mind you I did sleep like a log - and I am the world's lightest sleeper Even though we looked out over the square, we were not bothered by any street noise ( in New York we stayed in a suite at the Waldorf last year and I couldn't sleep a wink!!) I think though that we did have the smallest bathroom in the world! - ' compact and bijou' I tried to pretend but why anyone would install a full size pedestal sink in a the space the size of a small cupboard is beyond me! Anyway, the shower worked great, but when using the loo,just mind your elbows on the sink one side and the toilet roll holder the other side! Ouch! Oh, and prepare for the smell of rotten eggs after the toilet has been flushed! Breakfast was pleasant and adequate - nothing special but filled a hole and was v convenient with the kids.
Ok so, location is the best thing going here - right near station and v easy walking distance to the markets, shops, restaurants etc. I know a lot of people have slagged the market off, but we enjoyed it - I know it's only small but we knew that before we went and we just really went for a quick break to get in the xmas spirit - and it certainly did it for us - wandering around sipping mulled wine in the snow was just fabulous There is also a little square for children with a huge ferris wheel which scared the hell out of me(so I didn't look down!) but was just beautiful and all the little mechanical animals and figures to look at etc were so wonderufl. We had lunch and dinner in some wonderful restaurants and the whole family really enjoyed ourselves. Lille was a lot bigger than we had envisaged with some great shops.
In a nutshell, I think the Hotel Continental is quite expensive for what you acutally get, however it was one of only two in Lille which would accomodate the 4 of us in 1 room ( and the other - the suites hotel-was fully booked) for location it is really fantastic and I would stay there again if I went to Lille ( not sure my husband would, but I definitely would - and i'm usually the snobby one!!)
- Continental Hotel Lille
