Hôtel de l’Horlage, Avignon, France

Main entrance and breakfast sunroom

Avignon is full of independent hotels so we took a chance and picked one off one of the main squares, Hôtel de l’Horlage. Though we usually shy away from such central locations, equating them with tour groups and sub-par food, Avignon is so small that to be away from the scrum would mean stuck outside the ramparts and definitely on the wrong side of the tracks.

Balcony overlooking rooftops

Since we were staying for a few days and the weather was supposed to be sunny and warm, we made sure to book a room with a balcony.

The small but comfortable hotel room

The hotel is a converted 19th-century stone house, sprawling over three visible additions to accommodate its 66 rooms. There’s a library and a pleasant sunroom breakfast area.

Local products

Toiletries are made with local ingredients like olive oil, sage and orange.

Like many small hotels, this one does not have parking. It’s no problem, though, to pull up for unloading before driving a few blocks to a large, underground garage.