Le Nid Du Caveau

The cottage is beautiful and peaceful, and the restaurant is excellent. The lady of the house was welcoming and friendly. The gentleman could be a bit better, though 😉

The owner’s cold reception spoiled what had started as an exciting surprise from my friend, who booked this cottage for my trip to the Basel Art Festival. My friend had called to say we were coming, but I didn’t know when we’d be back from the festival. Basel is over half an hour from the festival grounds. I called the owner, and we agreed I’d call again 15 minutes before arriving. At 9:30 PM, nobody answered, so I left a message saying our GPS put us there at 10:15 PM. What followed was shocking. The owner said we were “lucky” he let us in, because he didn’t think we were breaking the rules. We were exhausted and apologized, then went back to our accommodation. Do guests really need an appointment just to get in? They could have told us where the keys were so we could let ourselves in and meet them the next morning. The cottage itself also needs work: the floor badly needs renovating, the bed and mattress need replacing, and the towels were mismatched and expensive. Soundproofing was poor too. The owner apparently could hear everything, which left us feeling we had no privacy. We had a short first night, then chose to leave even though we’d booked for two. The owner then demanded an apology. We contacted Booking customer service to report our experience and dissatisfaction, and asked for a refund for the unused night. We got no response. At €78 per night, a little effort would have helped, but there was none. We went to a hotel in Bartenheim instead and were completely satisfied. Service providers have a duty to act professionally and keep customers satisfied. We travel a lot and usually leave very good reviews, but this place doesn’t deserve even one star. Take my advice and stay away.

This was our second stay at the gîte, and it was a little disappointing. The bed, 190x140, worked well for us as tall people, but the 180x140 mattress was quite worn. The linens also need better cleaning: there was both dog hair and human hair on the towels. A shame.

A lovely, peaceful cottage right across from Ferrette Castle.