Terres de France - Résidence de la Cabre d'Or

The place looks quaint and charming outside, but it was a hot mess inside. Communication with reception wasn't great, and this isn't somewhere I'd recommend for a working trip. The wifi eventually worked, but only near the pool. At first there was none, and 4G-5G was so unavailable that we had to walk along the main road to get a connection. I give them one star for eventually providing wifi. A perfect hideaway for a getaway with a cheating girlfriend, though. Nobody would ever know where you were. Inside, a sliding closet door came off in my hand, the terrace door window had a hole in it, and the toilet seat was wobbly and unstable. My colleague slept on the fold-out couch in the kitchen without the right bedding, and was cold for both nights.

The first night was all my family could manage. It was late when we arrived, so we couldn't change plans that evening, but we moved to an AirBNB the next day. We'd prepaid for three nights and knew we were outside the free cancellation window. We accepted paying for the night we stayed, but thought the staff might refund the other two given the condition of the place. Instead, when two of us told the receptionist we were leaving and explained why, she fetched the on-site manager. He raised his voice, scoffed at the concerns, wouldn't let us speak, and refused any refund. He said guests should accept broken-down squalor because they weren't a fancy place. There was no empathy or willingness to listen. He later walked around shirtless and glared at us while we waited for a cab. Terres de France offered a canned response and a 15% discount off a future stay, which felt insulting. Stay far away from this property and company. I worked full-time in hotel management for over a decade, so I know how hard cleanliness and upkeep can be, and how complaints in this area are handled. I'm usually willing to give the benefit of the doubt, but this stay failed on every front. Having to pay extra for linens was off-putting, though it was a published policy and forgivable. The wifi situation was harder to excuse in 2023: access wasn't readily available, we had to go to reception to use it, and cellular reception there was very poor. The worst part was walking into the unit for our three-night stay and finding spider webs in every corner, mold on a light fixture, and cigarette burns visible on a mattress cover. The couch was so filthy and stained that even a sleazy motel would have thrown it out. The patio shown as beautiful and inviting on the website was small and unkempt, covered in seeds or droppings of some sort, and clearly hadn't been swept in weeks. It had just one broken chair. My family and I found the accommodation unacceptable and unsuitable for a stay of that length. This was not only the worst part of our France trip, but the worst accommodation experience of my life.

The room wasn't clean, and sheets and towels cost extra. Maybe booking earlier would have helped. Still, the pool was nice, parking was free, the city center wasn't far, and the price was reasonable for high season. Fine for passing through and staying one night.

There were bugs everywhere and the place hadn't been cleaned. I had to get out as fast as I could. Everything was awful.