Vacancéole - Les Demeures Champenoises

We had a large one-bedroom apartment with the basics covered, including washing-up supplies and toilet paper, and the sofa converts into two separate single beds. It’s functional accommodation in an attractive building, with lovely vineyard views. There’s plenty of parking, pets are welcome, and shops and restaurants are a 5-10 minute walk away.

The room smelled horrible, the sheets were disgusting, and the floor was covered in stains. It took us an hour and a half to get the locker key because we hadn’t been sent the code. We tried calling, but it was Sunday and no one answered. When I contacted the property, they always replied in French. Surely they could use Google Translate. Booking.com also said they’d get back to me, but never did. They don’t seem interested in offering any compensation.

Strange place. If you stay more than four days, they don’t provide clean sheets or towels, and they don’t clean the room. You’re expected to do the cleaning yourself. Crazy.

The room had what we needed, and the location was fine, but opening the window in the evening brought in a strong cannabis smoke smell. Breakfast was a letdown too: bland scrambled eggs, bacon that smelled past its date, and sour ham. I wouldn't pay € 12 pp. for that again. They ask you to contact the hotel before arriving, but nobody picked up the phone, so I emailed and got codes to enter. We'll look elsewhere next time.