“AVOID! Foul smell, hazardous stairs, overall lack of hygiene”

This old house in the heart of Honfleur is well-located and has a nice view on the neighbouring church. However, we were extremely disappointed, when we entered the actual guest rooms. The rooms are well photographed in the description (the host or the hosts' son is a sculptor, apparently) but in reality the interior has a rather worn-out appearance. The lack of hygiene is worse. The tiny, old bathroom seemed like it hadn't even been cleaned. There were stains and hairs in the sink and also stains in the toilet bowl. We were unsure if the bedclothes had even been changed. They appeared unwashed, and we were worried we might catch something. The staircase in this old building is not only steep and narrow, it stretches continuously over all four floors and has no landing. It's actually quite hazardous for children. The description should have mentioned that. Then there is the unpleasant smell: All of the rooms reek strongly of a foul and rancid smell (possibly humidity or even mould), that cannot be explained by the age of the building. We had booked five nights, yet we couldn't possibly have stayed a single night. We left the very same evening and had to find somewhere else, which meant a lot of extra cost for us. Not to mention the trouble we had to go through finding an accommodation for us and our two children... We reached out to the hosts several times for reimbursement but our messages were flat ignored, which I find particularly appalling! Turns out they didn't reply to booking.com, either. Avoid!