on arrival at our 4 week previously booked hotel, we are told that the room which we had booked AND paid for in FULL, was NOT available.

This was a SMOKING dble room, something we had thought was a rarity since the 'ban'. We were told this was due to other guests extnding their stay.

U wld think that an already booked & paid for room would take priority over existing guests' request to stay on further? Clearly NOT.

On asking the front desk how they would resolve the matter we were told we wld be given one of their ''best rooms'' NON SMOKING, but nevertheless we were assured this was a ''lovely room''.

We accepted this as we clearly would not be getting our original booking. On walking into the room, we were faced with stained carpets, a tv which failed to work,(we had reported this), tea & coffee making facilities were availble, but only enough for one cup of either choice each.

The furniture was drab, looking like it had been provided by the local Oxfam. The view from the large window, was that of the backs of derelict buildings with broken windows & overspilling commercial size wheely bins in alley ways.

Bleak, to say the least. We very quickly had a shower & went back out. We had been in the room a good 45 minutes before leaving, and no, noone had came up to look at the TV fault as promised.

We returned later on in the eve 10.30pm & we resided to what would hopefully be a restful nights sleep after a busy day sightseeing.

At 1.30am the noise of human traffic in the hall ways sounding out the drunken slurs and noise of other residents filled the hours to come....

Slamming doors and chat could be heard from rooms all over the hotel. We realised just how thin the walls were, once the couple in the room next door, began their lovemaking session with every emotion clearly heard by us til the very end!!

We got up at 7.30am and set out to Starbucks