Home Sweet Zen, appartement près de la gare St Jean

Hotel Description

Look, I’ll be honest – when I first saw the address on Rue de l’Abattoir, I had to double-check my booking. The street name literally means “slaughterhouse,” which doesn’t exactly scream “zen retreat,” you know? But here’s the thing about Bordeaux that locals will tell you: some of the city’s best-kept secrets are tucked away on streets with questionable names, and Home Sweet Zen is definitely one of them.

The apartment sits just a few minutes’ walk from Gare Saint-Jean, which is actually perfect if you’re doing that whole train-hopping thing through France (and honestly, who isn’t these days?). What I loved is that you get the convenience without the chaos – no rolling suitcases clattering past your window at 6 AM or that weird train station smell drifting up. The neighborhood has this lived-in feel that’s way more authentic than staying near the touristy stuff around Place de la Bourse. There’s a little boulangerie around the corner where the baker actually remembers your order after two days, and honestly, that’s when you know you’ve found the right spot.

The apartment itself lives up to that “zen” promise in ways I wasn’t expecting. The owner clearly put thought into making it feel like home rather than just another rental property – you’ll find actual books on the shelves (in French, but still), decent coffee in the kitchen, and towels that don’t feel like sandpaper. The whole place has this calm, uncluttered vibe that makes you want to slow down a bit. I mean, after a day of wandering Bordeaux’s wine bars and getting properly lost in the old town, coming back here felt like exhaling. The Wi-Fi actually works (miracle!), and the bed is comfortable enough that I didn’t wake up feeling like I’d been wrestling with a brick wall all night.

One thing to note – this isn’t some flashy hotel with a concierge and room service, obviously. You’re basically living like a Bordeaux local for a few days, which means figuring out the quirky shower controls and maybe dealing with some street noise during the day. But that 8.8 rating isn’t just for show – people genuinely love this place because it gets the basics right while giving you space to breathe. Plus, being this close to the train station means day trips to Saint-Émilion or even up to Paris are ridiculously easy. Just grab your morning pastry, hop on the tram that runs right down Cours de la Marne, and you’re at the station in minutes.

Rooms

• Estimated price from: $179. Two-Bedroom Apartment with 2 × 1 large double bed for Max persons: 4

Reviews

• Superb – Mccabe from United Kingdom – 23 July 2023 (9/10)

  Lovely appartement, good value for money, centrally located.

• Excellent location, comfy beds and a wonderful host – Sarah from Ireland – 12 July 2023 (10/10)

  The location was fantastic and a superb host
  
  What could be improved: Nothing, it worked very well for our needs

• Cute and Quirky – Emily from United Kingdom – 11 July 2023 (9/10)

  We loved the apartment it was cute and quirky!
  It had everything we needed for our weekend visit to Bordeaux.
  
  What could be improved: Na

• We had a lovely stay in Bordeaux – Cheryl from Netherlands – 1 August 2023 (8/10)

  Cosy and comfortable apartment a nice walk from the city centre
  
  What could be improved: Low ceiling on the mezzanine floor and traffic noise from the surrounding streets

• Cute, private and quiet apartment close to the train – Teresa from United States – 15 May 2023 (9/10)

  nicely decorated. Close to the train. Quiet. Nice kitchen
  
  What could be improved: no shower soap

• Un bon rapport qualité/prix proche de la gare – Vincent from France – 22 June 2025 (8/10)

  Bien localisé, facile d'accès et simplicité de récupération des clés, échanges de messages aisée et rapide, literie confortable.
  
  What could be improved: Couteau de cuisine manquant (ou pas trouvé, impossible de couper correctement une pomme), drap de douche mais pas de serviette de toilette, une source de lumière dans la zone cuisine serait un plus.

• Exceptional – Jean-bernard from Switzerland – 22 January 2024 (10/10)

  Appartement calme et joliment décoré on se sent bien dedans
  
  What could be improved: Rien c'était top

• Superb – Aline from France – 23 August 2023 (9/10)

  Appartement cosy,proche du centre ville dans un quartier relativement calme.

• Superb – Stéphanie from Switzerland – 13 August 2023 (9/10)

  La proximité de la gare. La déco. Le confort des lits.
  
  What could be improved: Le bruit de la rue par des personnes bruyantes la nuit (rue très calme le jour).

• Apartament de 9.5 de nota. Molt bon apartament. – Sergi from Spain – 11 August 2023 (10/10)

  Molt bona comunicació amb la propietària i molt important, disposada a ajudar-te amb la possibilitat de deixar les maletes el dia de l'entrada i ha donar-te l'apartament abans d'hora si és possible. Apartament molt net, ampli i amb tot el necessari. Té 2 plantes, a la primera planta: menjador amb cuina, 1 habitació amb llit de matrimoni i el cuarto de bany amb banyera.
  Hi a la segona una zona amb tres butaques per seure una habitació amb un altre llit de matrimoni. Molt ben comunicat amb la parada de tram a 3 minuts (Tuzia) aquesta línea va molt bé per que uneix l'estacio de tren de St.Jean i passa per Quincones que està informació i turisme, el bus que va fins St. Emilio i el gran teatre (el Carrer Comercial) i ha 10 minuts caminant de la parada de tren St. Jean i per agafar el Flixbus. Hi ha un Carrefour a 8 minuts caminant. Té wifi.
  
  What could be improved: Per mi no ha set cap problema però no té televisió, té unes escales molt pronunciades per pujar al segon pis (això va per les persones amb dificultat de mobilitat o gent gran) però com he dit abans es pot fer vida a la primera planta ja que hi ha una habitació de matrimoni, la cuina-menjador i el cuarto de bany. Hi per mi el que falta arreclar una mica però és una suggerencia és el cuarto de bany, la banyera és una mica vella i no queda a l'alçada de l'apartament però és pot fer servir sense cap problema. Com dic és una suggerencia.
  En general un apartament de 9.5 de nota amb una petita millora de la banyera. Super recomanable.

SURROUNDINGS