My husband and I stayed at La Banasterie for 8 days in early June. I would return in a heartbeat. The hosts were exceptionally attentive without being intrusive. The breakfast (hot chocolate/hot tea, lovely yogurt, fresh fruit, butter croissants & jam) was perfect. Our room was terrific and spacious. The bed was really comfortable, the shower in the bedroom was delightful. The ambiance is lovely - antiques, velvet curtains, etc.

La Banasterie offers the perfect blend of quaint furnishings, charm, and comfort. If you are looking for a Holiday Inn experience - this will not be for you. If you are looking for a warm, rich, personal experience in comfortable surroundings, please book here.

My husband and I stayed on the third floor bedroom in the annex. The room was dark and not a particularly pleasant environment. Some of the furnishings were makeshift. For example, the "nightstands" are two folding chairs with portable lights clipped onto the backrest. One of the lights had a short in the wire and kept turning off. The cleaning was not good. We found several dirty articles of clothing from a previous visitor in the bottom of our closet. Our breakfast table was never washed. Also, the basket of breakfast foods was a good idea but our room was so unpleasant we ended up feeling like Cinderella banished to the attic for meals. We much prefered other bed & breakfasts on our trip that had a little more human contact and a lighter, more pleasant environment.

But safety was the biggest draw back. All the windows are either sealed closed or covered with bars so there is no escape if there is a fire that blocks the narrow, three-story spiral staircase to the front door. As is true in most French rooms, you need to use a key to lock and unlock your door and the front door to the building, and there are no visible smoke alarms or sprinkler systems. Everything is set up for disaster if your neighbor smokes in bed.

Note: if you have a rental car, don't try to drive it into Avignon's city center. Park immediately inside the city walls, near the Palais de Pape, for example.

In hindisight, I wish we had made Avignon a day trip instead a weekend event. Later, we went to Aix en Provence, which is ideally located for day trips to Cassis, Marseille, Avignon, the Luberon, the lilac fields and the Gorge de Verdon. There is a wonderful bed & breakfast in Aix called Pavillion de la Torse ([--]), run by an American woman and her French husband. It ihas large, spacious rooms, beautiful gardens, and hosts who offer the perfect balance of friendliness without being intrusive. The 6:30 cocktail hour each day where all the guests planned their next adventures or discussed the events of the day was something we enjoyed alot and will remember fondly for a long time.

This is one of the best places I have ever stayed, it was perfect. I stayed in the annex in the Mancerina apartment which is decorated in reds and yellows. There was lots of space, the living area was great for lounging around in, it had two sofa type things as well as a table and chairs. The tiled bathroom had a big deep bath, and the bedroom a queen sized bed. The owners couldn't have been more helpful, they recommended restaurants and gave us lots of information about the city. The breakfasts were exceptional, croissants, pain au chocolat, breads and flasks of amazing hot chocolate. The whole experience was fantastic.

This was our first trip to Avignon and Provence and we wanted to be pretty central given that we were only staying for two days, without a car. La Banasterie's website looked wonderful and as we were travelling with relatives we were able to make a late booking for two rooms. We were told that one of the rooms would only be available in the main house with our second night having to be spent in the annex.
Despite the obvious inconvenience of this arrangement we were prepared to move as the rooms looked so nice in the main house. However, on arrival, we were told that the guest in our room had decided to stay on an extra day. It seemed her booking was more important than ours so we spent two nights in the annex instead of one. To say we were disappointed was an understatement.
The annex bears little relation to the main house - its decor is dark, unispiring with furnishings that look like a money grabbing after thought. Breakfast was a rather miserable affair - one apple between the two us and stale croissants which did not paint a happy picture of the country that gave us such fine pastry delights.
In its favour is its location - close enough to the main sites and shopping but far enough away to get a good night's sleep.
Our relatives stayed in the main house and to be fair, had a lovely room and terrace which we shared before heading back to our dark dungeon. If you go here, insist on a room in the main house and if you arrive and find yourself heading for the annex instead, continue walking straight on to better, brighter lodgings.