We spent 3 wonderful days in this beautiful hotel for our 32nd weding anniversary.
ou bedroom and bathroom en suite were beautiful spotless and room service perfect
Food in the evening was outstanding
Staff very helpful
and we were lucky to have so many treasures to visit nearby.
what we liked the least is the occasional sound of the TGV and the breakfast.

My husband and I stayed at Le Prieure for 3 nights in May 2010. We took the TGV down from Paris to Avignon, and then picked up a rental car. Because of the bridges crossing the Rhone and the mulitple exits off the main drag to get to Old Avignon, it was a little confusing getting across the river to Villeneuve-les-Avignon, but once we did, wow, was it worth it.

The room we were given was downright enormous. I think it might be bigger than the main level of our townhouse in the States! It had a huge bathroom, large bedroom, and a small sitting room with a settee and small TV. Off the sitting room there was a little patio that opened to the common outdoor area (convenient to parking). It was nice to have a private entrance to the room that didn't require us to go through the lobby every time.

The decor of the room was more eclectic and modern than I would have expected in a converted 14th century priory, but who am I to judge? It was lovely and comfortable, and it was very hard to leave to head to Nice at the end of our stay. We had come from Paris, and our Paris hotel room (also lovely) would have fit inside this room 3 or 4 times over, at least. And for the same price or less!

Front desk staff were great and helpful, even after we almost accidentally broke something in our room. (Almost!) We dined at the hotel restaurant one night, and it was one of the most amazing meals of my life--and reasonably priced, considering we had an 8-course tasting menu with wine pairings. And after all that food and wine, my husband and I were so happy we only had to stumble across the hotel to our room.

The parking was nice, and it was easy to drive across the river to Avignon for sightseeing. We never had any trouble finding parking there. We were also able to get to the Pont du Gard easily, as well as a driving tour of the Cotes du Rhone villages. We were always happy to come back to Le Prieure at the end of the day, though--so relaxing!

The village of Villeneuve-les-Avignon is tiny and charming, but if you're used to Paris or even larger towns in France, you'll need to adjust your expectations. There are no cafes open at midnight if you stayed out late sightseeing, so plan accordingly. (The front desk staff are helpful with reservations.) If you do find yourself across the bridge in Avignon late, go ahead and stay there for dinner. In the morning, you can avail yourself of the hotel breakfast. There was no buffet the one day we did so, as there were only a couple of rooms with guests (a Monday morning), but the lady in the restaurant was glad to get us whatever we wanted.

We loved our stay at Le Prieure, one of the most interesting hotels we've ever had the pleasure of visiting. If we make it back to Provence (and I hope we do!), we'll be back!

Absolutely exquisite, friendly service joins the most authentic, beautiful Provencal site of a former priory in this wonderful property-- this is not only our favorite village of the many we have visited but also our favorite hotel of those we have experienced all over the world. Our room is supremely quiet -- number 53-- and comfortably appointed with superb mattress and pillows, and this is our best sleep yet in Europe... The restaurant has a coveted Michelin star and others close by also offer a casual but delicious dinner... We are so pleasantly surprised and delighted!

I would suggest looking at my photos. Our overall experience was beyond disappointing - not what should be expected from a Relais & Chateaux property. Service - people were nice but untrained. Also, painfully understaffed for the height of summer tourism.

Could not get a drink upon our arrival as the only single person serving clients was so crazed with orders from the pool that he could not even be bothered by the two new arrivals. I felt sorry for him and couldn't believe that the other 5 or so staff members who were mulling around post lunch were not called to assist. Not only did these staff members not assist this one server, but they also did not clean up after the lunch service (see photos), waiting instead for the dinner service staff to arrive - three hours or so later. I watched the whole scenario and can only say - lazy! And, we even saw the General Manager (we know because we met him later), pass directly by us without even a glance as we sat in a shambles of a garden obviously looking for some service. So, upon our arrival, we were greeted with a garden seating area in complete disarray and no service. We eventually left the property and drove into Avignon for our "welcome drink."

The windows in our junior suite were not cleaned (see pictures) and the decor was not attended to - see photo of dried flowers and 3 vases with the one vase empty. I wanted to leave immediately, but as it was mid-August and I was tired from traveling (which is why we booked a Relais & Chateaux), I knew it would be much more of a hassle, if not impossible, to find a new reservation.

I will pass on kudos to the restaurant which was absolutely lovely with a great staff and perfectly executed food. Beyond that, there are no compliments to be passed on. For all these other reviews that rave about this property, I can only comment that it should be expected that a property such as this should be consistent. That if I arrive in the height of the summer season, there should be no excuses for bad service and unkempt rooms.

The final blow was returning to our room at 11pm after dinner to find that the room had not been made up. I called the reception quite angry (finally I've had enough for what we are paying) and after a long hold was told that we had the "Do not disturb" sign was on our door. I went to the door and of course it was not there.

In the end, we did talk with the General Manager of the property. Both my husband and I felt strongly that we were due some kind of compensation. But we got was only lame excuses, with the GM even going into the problems with the french firing system and on and on and on. And on. I felt like I was in some kind of therapy session.

My last comment is a quote from my husband when we first arrived: "I want to go just pull that Relais & Chateaux sign off the wall!"