Studio Les Hortensias

A warm, pleasant apartment. I enjoyed staying here.

My confirmed booking at Studio Hortensia was canceled at 11:48 PM, even though I'd told them in advance at 11:18 PM that heavy traffic meant we'd arrive between midnight and 1:00 AM. I was on the road with my daughter, and after that cancellation we couldn't find another hotel. We drove around until 4:00 AM and ended up sleeping in a carpool parking lot. It was distressing and dangerous, and the worst night of my life. This was the exchange with the owners. They said they couldn't accept arrivals after a certain time and told me to cancel. I explained that Booking.com wouldn't let me cancel because the booking was non-refundable, that we were delayed by traffic, and that we had a wedding in Avignon the next day. It was our only accommodation, booked from that day until Sunday. They said they'd agree to a refund if I requested one through Booking.com, and insisted that was the only option. My GPS showed we'd arrive at 12:41 AM. I told them we were two women traveling alone, that I was with my daughter, and that it was too late to find another place while I was already driving through heavy congestion. They repeated that I should request a refund. Thank you for making me feel better. 👍🏻 That's the conversation, and we had no time to find another hotel. Thanks again for the experience.

The owner let us leave our bags before check-in, which I appreciated. The bed was comfortable, there were plenty of kitchen utensils, and laundry products were provided. Still, I only felt so-so about the stay and wasn't very comfortable. I'm sorry, but I didn't have a terrible time either. The bathroom was hard to use: no hooks or rails for towels, nowhere to set things, and the tiny sink couldn't even hold toothbrushes. It also could've been cleaner, since I found someone else's hair on the shower curtain. There were lots of mosquitoes and an ant infestation, though we were only there two days. The sheets were pilled. It's a ground-floor apartment about a 20-minute walk from the center. I wouldn't recommend it for women traveling alone. The neighborhood felt potentially unsafe, with homeless people, unsavory characters, and heroin needles on the sidewalk, and being at ground level made me worry someone could be watching.

The only downside was the garbage bins sitting right outside the apartment door. Otherwise, it was clean, pleasant, and well kept, with Avignon's sights within walking distance.