Anyone??? I need some help here!!!! All the hotels on TA sound like rubbish so maybe a B and B out of town is the answer, but any ideas would still be good.

Thanks, Schnauzer

I can only recommend a B and B south of villefranche de rouergue at the village of Cordes sur Ciel.
I spent 5 nights at Aurifat and took in the sights North of Cordes-sur-Ciel up as far as St Cirq Lapopie.
Host are very welcoming (english), and bed was comfortable.
Good reviews on tripadvisor

When we did a trip through the area you are headed for we stayed in Rodez after leaving Sarlat. It's larger than Villefranche de Rouergue but not difficult to navigate. Though I had read several posts complaining that it was not much, we liked it a lot. We stayed at the Mercure hotel there which is in a lovely, well-cared for art nouveau building, though admittedly the rooms are soulless modern--but clean and comfortable. It was just down the street from the lovely cathedral with a spectacular organ. We found a delightful weekly market and were lucky enough to be in town when there was a festival of some sort with vats of aligot that wonderful potato concoction that is ubiquitous in Auvergne areas. The only drawback to the hotel was a very tiny garage so if you go don't book parking. There are plenty of lots nearby. I expect that Rodez also has more lodging overall than VdR. So check it out as a base. I can vouch for it having several restaurants within easy walking distance of the Mercure. I can also say that we found exploration in the area outside of Rodez easy.

Whatever you do, wherever you stay, be sure to make a pilgrimage to Chez Germaine in Aubrac to have aligote for lunch there. It's the mother lode.

If you decide on Rodez, I'll be happy to furnish more info.

Have a look at this place I found on booking.com, supposedly right in VdR. Good luck.

http://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/chambres-d-hotes-les-terrasses-de-la-maison-pago.en-gb.html?sid=005fd1663f3d922bb79649aa4dd0da53;dcid=1;checkin=2013-07-21;checkout=2013-07-22;srfid=fb67a8132dfd2a2788ab334bc6593e369d87882bX2

Have you tried this site: http://www.gites-de-france.com/location-vacances-Villefranche-de-Rouergue-Chambre-d-hotes-Chambres-D-hotes--Les-Terrasse-CH275,gites12_b2013.1.2751.H.html ?

I will certainly be looking forward to a trip report. We are headed to the Aveyron and Dordogne in September. While in the Aveyron, we will be staying in Belcastel at Hotel de Vieux Pont for 2 nights. The hotel is closed on Sundays and Mondays. There is a Michelin starred restaurant associated with the hotel. I do believe there is one other restaurant in town.

We will also be spending 3 nights near La Malene, at Chateau de la Caze.

Have you looked for a place to stay in Conques? I do remember there being several options there.

Have fun with the planning!

I love Villefranche-de-Rouergue! Good for you for scoping it out. I've only once spent a night there, though I've been there a half-dozen times, but I really liked where I stayed (and had to go hunt down the name of it!) -

http://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/les-fleurines.fr.html?aid=301664;label=villefranche-de-rouergue-2ubr4qEyPsHZdywfZqUsNQS8291326084%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap2%3Aac%3Aap1t1%3Aneg;sid=5c86cb31e448d7e94365d101ffc63b16;dcid=1;srfid=2189c511c1552f8fb3d129f2f37f7442e69e7360X2