Le Nid des Explorateurs • Parking • Amboise centre

😢: Unfortunately, this was one of the most disappointing stays of our three-month trip through Europe. The problems started before we even arrived. Instead of being able to go directly to the accommodation, we first had to drive to a completely different street, around 10 minutes away, to collect the key from a secured key-storage area. This meant finding somewhere to park, walking to collect the key and then driving back to the accommodation. The key collection area itself was not particularly clean or welcoming, so our first impression was already poor. We arrived at the property quite late in the evening, at around 9:30–9:45 pm, and were honestly shocked by the condition of the building from the outside. It looked very old, dirty and neglected, and the surrounding area felt quite rough. To make matters worse, there appeared to be several properties displaying the same house number, making it extremely difficult to work out which one was actually ours. We then could not get the key to work and spent a very long time trying to find and access the correct property. Even a neighbour tried to help us and could not work out where we were supposed to go. We messaged the host/manager but did not receive useful assistance at the time. By around 10:30–10:45 pm, we were seriously considering whether we might have to sleep in the car. Eventually, almost by accident, we worked out which property it was and how to get inside. The apartment itself was clean and adequate, although it felt considerably smaller and less appealing than the photographs suggested. We also found the amount of rules and information displayed throughout the apartment quite overwhelming. The walls seemed to be covered with notices, instructions and rules about what guests should and should not do. Rather than making us feel welcome and relaxed, it gave the apartment a somewhat impersonal and restrictive atmosphere, which we found quite annoying..