Les appartements du Koifhus

The best thing here is the spot, right in the middle of Colmar's old town. The owner replied to messages and questions, though I stuck to what other Booking.com reviews suggested and contacted them on WhatsApp in French. Inside, there’s a kitchenette with a fridge, induction cooker and basic utensils, plus a Philips Senseo machine. There’s also a microwave and toaster, but we didn’t try either. We were three people, two women and one man, for two nights. The main building door locked, but our room door didn’t. We carried our cameras, lenses and phones everywhere, and I wouldn’t have felt comfortable staying there alone. There was just one small fan, which barely helped on hot summer nights. Opening the windows meant hearing the old town’s noise well past midnight. The old building also let corridor sounds through, including people on the stairs and footsteps. Some listed facilities were only available if requested. We asked for an iron, but it wasn’t in the room. The owner arranged to bring it the next day, but we left early and returned late, so we never saw it. I didn’t see the listed washing machine either. It’s an okay place if being central is your main priority and you can put up with the tourist and hallway noise, the lack of a room lock, and any mobility challenges.

I liked the location, and the place itself was generally very comfortable.

Colmar is lovely, but this apartment was dirty and disgusting, and I wouldn’t recommend it. My boyfriend left his phone and key there when we stayed months ago. At first they said they’d mail them back, and I was happy to pay postage. Then we heard nothing for three months. When I followed up on WhatsApp, they told me I had to come collect them, as though I could just pop over to France for a key. The woman had been lovely before, but suddenly became completely unfriendly. These apartments aren’t worth a cent. They should just sell them...

The location deserves the two stars, not the facilities. Communication with the person in charge was poor: they hung up when I called, then I could only get short texts, and several later calls were rejected. Parking was listed in the app, but it wasn’t included, so I had to pay extra. The apartment door wouldn’t lock from outside because the key didn’t work, leaving it unlocked while we were out sightseeing. The bathroom door was broken too. It locked from outside and could block access to the bathroom. There was a broken bed leg, hairs on the sheets, and the apartment hadn’t been cleaned properly. Bathroom fixtures were exposed, and water leaked from the shower. I’d appreciate financial compensation for the inconvenience.