Perhaps the mistake was choosing the only Michelin Guide we had to hand, a 2001 version. But I suspect that the hotel receives a reasonable rating in more up to date guides too. We chose to stay in Hesdin as a base for visiting the battlefields at Crecy and Agincourt. we arrived in Hesdin at 3.45pm on a Saturday afternoon, when winter was showing its first teeth – bone numbing fog in the river valleys, glistening sun on the ridges. Arriving at the hotel, it was locked – a notice said the hotel would re-open at 4. So a stroll around the town was no hardship. A stunning 15-16th C townhall dominates the main square, but the place was hardly bustling. There was no tea shop to sustain us till dinner. Eventually the hotel opened at 5. We were shown up to our room via a tatty, and very cold, staircase. The room was predictably tiny, the radiator had not been turned on. We were the only guests in the place. It was not welcoming.
Thank goodness we had booked what turned out to be a very decent restaurant, but even there business was quiet. Breakfast on the Sunday was very average. Overall a depressing experience.
