Novotel Avignon Centre

The rooms have all the amenities, and the bar is reasonably priced. It’s near Avignon Center train station and metro stops, though getting to the old city center, the Palace of the Popes, or some local restaurants means a bit of a walk.

The hotel has a huge lobby and dining rooms, and the rooms are a decent size. It’s about five minutes from the train station and across from the City Walls, with a 20-minute walk to Popes Palace. Breakfast was good, if repetitive, with plenty of fruit and cheese and fresh eggs to boil yourself. The bacon and sausage were barely cooked. Our room was meant to have a sofa and spare bed, but instead had a king bed with medium-soft foam and a comfy chair. Coffee was left on some days and had to be requested on others. The air conditioning struggled when it was close to 40 C, and the large tub was awkward to climb into. The pool was jam-packed. Adequate overall, but it seems better suited to families.

I wouldn’t recommend this place. As a Japanese guest, I felt the restaurant repeatedly ignored our table because we were from an Asian country. After being skipped throughout the meal, I went to the cashier to ask for a menu. I speak English and French fluently, but the treatment was still incredibly rude and uncivilized. Would French visitors want to be treated that way as tourists in Japan? It ruined the chance of having a peaceful holiday and left me hating this part of the travel experience.

Leaving felt like a relief, just as arriving had been one of the only two bright moments. The room was unbearably hot, the air conditioning didn’t work, and reception said the hotel had neither air conditioning nor heating. They offered a fan without an apology. Nothing about this issue had been mentioned when I booked or checked in. We slept with the window open despite being beside the railway, where trains passed every hour. Then construction started at the hotel on Monday morning, with unbearable noise. Even the reception area had nowhere to sit, just counters and no sofa. I’d liked the Novotel chain and thought of it as a reliable four-star hotel, which makes this a real shame. If you’re considering a stay here now, don’t.