Esparron-de-Verdon Holidays from AU$542

Great location, great facilities, nice staff

We arrived to a room that wasn’t ready at our confirmed 4pm check-in. The bathroom dispensers were empty — we had to call down to have them filled. On arrival a charcuterie and cheese board was brought to us; no one mentioned it cost €66 until it appeared on the bill. The real problem was the heat. With the AC set to 18°C, my own thermometer read 28°C overnight and 26°C the next day. Two nights of barely sleeping. When I raised it with the manager the following morning, she was dismissive from the outset — no apology, no goodwill, just an insistence that nothing was wrong and that 18°C isn’t realistic in a Provençal summer. I never asked for 18. I asked for a room cooler than the air outside at night. The only thing offered in person was a €200 suite upgrade. Paying more for air conditioning I’d already booked wasn’t something I was willing to do. A free same-category room came later via Expedia; we’d already unpacked and stayed put. Equipment fails. The response to it is what separates a five-star property from a nice building. Avoid in summer unless heat doesn’t bother you.