Holiday Inn Express Avignon

USA style comfort with Avignon's historical locati

We stayed for several days in August 2009. Normally I attempt to find good "local" hotels in our travels in Europe; however, after seeing a number of very critical reviews of even the highest ranked hotels in Avignon I decided to stay with Holiday Inn instead. (Most of these were on Tripadvisor.com, which had more coverage than VT.)

If traveling by car, the location was good - about 2 miles from the center of the old city, but in a "suburban" type setting without immediately neighboring restaurants, etc. within walking distance. Caution, then, if you do not have a car.

The property and service were precisely as expected from Holiday Inn - no surprises! Staff were all pleasant and helpful. The facility has free WiFi (although only accessible in the lobby area!). The rooms were of comparable size and furnishing to those I expect in the USA... and therefore quite larger than normal for France. The hotel breakfast is a good quality continental - Several cold meats, cheese, bread and rolls; juice and coffee. Their coffee service includes espresso/ cappucino/ etc. from a self service machine with good quality product.

For those USA folks who miss USA quality hotel experiences this is a great choice. As noted, we generally stay in local brand hotels... and did for the balance of this trip. As it turned out, the Holiday Inn Express was the best among the properties we used, generally 3 star facilities.

The only minor negative (and this was my misunderstanding, fortunately turning out to be an amusing mistake) was the map provided by the Holiday Inn website. The map provided the locations of several Holiday Inns in southern France, using a link to Mapquest. The linked map had a prominent green arrow. When printing my map I zoomed in on the green arrow and printed a map for reference finding the hotel.

After several confusing drives through central Avignon, circling the precise location of the green arrow but seeing no sign of the Holiday Inn, we sought help from another hotel on that street. They called and got us directions. Further investigation showed that the green arrow was Mapquest's indication of the center of Avignon, while a small red dot showed the location of the Holiday Inn! Fortunately as this was mid-day, it provided only an amusing anecdote rather than great frustration. And, as noted in any case the misinterpretation was mine.

Unique Quality: Moderately priced, US quality lodging in a classic French town.