1) Why would you prefer to eat at the hotels when there are hundreds (thousands) of other options?

2) What is your budget?

Thanks for your response Janisj...Its just that with kids we prefer to come back after a day of sightseeing etc. say, in the evening, shower and go down and eat a sort of predictable meal...instead of then having to worry about where to go for dinner.. But of course, since the kids are older now perhaps we can give up on that one ..esp if the Hotel and area are special

Budget..About Euro 300-450 per night including dinner..

<<Budget..About Euro 300-450 per night including dinner..>>

You can rent a castle in the Dordogne for that amount. There aren't any hotels I can think of that charge anywhere near that amount - maybe Le Centenaire in Le Eyzies, but that's a horrible base for the Dordogne even though it's geographically suitable.

Seriously, where in the Dordogne are you planning to base yourselves?

We based ourselves for 6 days in Sarlat, in the Dordogne. We stayed at Les Cordeliers, which I HIGHLY recommend. Lovely owners, great location (just outside the old city), good parking available, good breakfasts....

From Sarlat, we were able to day trip to many locations in the Dordogne.

Alice

I would never consider dining in hotels in Paris and London. Many of the modest/moderate ones don't even serve meals - except for breakfast. And in those cities I think in hotels with restaurants a double double room (for 4) or a suite - plus meals might well be above your budget.

Dordogne might be different - I have limited experience there.

What would your hotel budget - without meals - be in London and Paris? And can you use a double double room (2 double beds) that may not be very large?

No, it's not different in the Dordogne. I suppose there are business travelers who dine at their hotels (not a good choice much of anywhere, actually), but a big part of the Dordogne experience is the food, so with few exceptions (like L'Esplanade in Domme), where the hotel actually runs a decent restaurant, people choose a hotel and then go to the "trouble" to choose a nearby restaurant.

But with the OP's exorbitant budget, maybe dining in hotels is the clear choice - I don't know, as I don't spend that kind of money on either hotels or food. As I mentioned, I don't even think you CAN spend that kind of money in the Dordogne unless you rent a castle and hire help.

But one can easily spend that amount in London or Paris for a hotel room or suite for 4 people plus dinner in the type of restaurants you usually find in hotels (IMHO often much more expensive than the usual casuale neighborhood restaurants one would eat at with 2 kids).

St Ermins in London is very nice. It's breakfast buffet is very good. A hot breakfast, plus the cold buffet, was included in our rate for a one bdrm suite.

Dinner is served at the restaurant, and a patio above the front entrance also serves food.

It is near Westminster Abbey.

I don't have any specific suggestions for London or Paris for a hotel with a restaurant. Our family is too foodie-oriented to want to restrict ourselves to hotel restaurants!

One idea for the Dordogne, which I've seen mentioned here but have not stayed at myself, is La Belle Etoile, which is a hotel with a restaurant in a beautiful location in the town of La Roque Gageac. Also in the Dordogne, in Domme, is l'Esplanade, a hotel with a very good restaurant (which we've stayed at, though not with kids). While we did take our 11yo son here for a wonderful birthday dinner, I'm not sure you'd want to take your kids to their more formal meal every night of your stay (but the hotel and restaurant are both very nice, and between the cost of the restuarant and the price of two rooms, you'd probably go over your budget).

When we took the 11yo to the Dordogne, we stayed IN Sarlat, because we all liked to wander around town in the evenings before and after dinner. Two nights, we ate in town, within two blocks or so of our B&B. The other two nights, we drove to dinner. Our B&B, which was a very large room with space for four, was Les Chambres du Glacier, and the owners were delightful.

For other ideas, broaden your search, maybe. We have stayed, in other locations, at B & Bs that also serve dinner, at chateaux that serve dinner (two different places in the Loire Valley), and we've also stayed at a place that's more of a restaurant that has rooms (the delightful Auberge du Poids Public, in Saint-Felix-Lauragais, SW of the Dordogne). I'm not sure how much of these type of lodgings you'll find in big cities like London and Paris, though.

Both times we've visited London with the kids, and all the times we've visited Paris with kids, we've stayed in locations that have multiple restaurants within two blocks of the hotel. You might want to consider a location that offers restaurant choices close by, but not necessarily in, your hotel.

Thanks very much for your replies...very helpful...We haven't done big cities in Europe for a very long time..we've been going every year and staying in Alpine villages in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. All of the hotels/ small charming manor style places have had half board or full board arrangements which we found very good...It would also give us the choice to even let the hotel know what the children would like to to eat that evening etc..

However, like I said, since the children are older, we can certainly consider hotels/inns with only breakfast included...

And for London and Paris, I agree that we should look for a nice charming B&B type arrangement in a good location...

The budget without dinner can be upto Euro 250 -400 per night?

For the Dordogne, since it will be the only 'not big city' stay, I was looking for something very special and well located...any suggestions will be welcome

I came across a highly recommended B& B called L'Ombriere in Montfort...anyone stayed there before?

St Ermin's is very pleasant - but even with non-refundandable advance purchase the room alone is more than 350 pounds per night in June - with dinner obviously being significantly more.

Can't reco B&Bs - since we always stay at full-service hotels - and only eat dinner at inns or similar where dining is one of the major attractions. As you sometimes find in the countryside or France or other countries (some of the places we have stayed routinely have Parisians visit for the weekend just to dine at them and see sights in the areas).

L'Ombrière looks pretty. It's WAY below your price point, though. Would you eat there?

I'd recommend L'Esplanade in Domme if you're looking for high-end accommodations. L'Ombrière is a B&B, which doesn't seem to fit with the profile you've outlines. Or book a room at La Madeleine in Sarlat.

L'Ombrière looks pretty. It's WAY below your price point, though. Would you eat there?

I'd recommend L'Esplanade in Domme if you're looking for high-end accommodations. L'Ombrière is a B&B, which doesn't seem to fit with the profile you've outlines. Or book a room at La Madeleine in Sarlat.

If you want a 'Hotel de Luxe' in Sarlat, look at Le Clos La Boetie, not old and charming, but the only 5 star hotel in town, good location so that you can easily walk anywhere in town then come home to a swim, relax in the garden.
http://www.closlaboetie-sarlat.com/

Further out, near MOntfort, the Domaine de Rochebois is a 4 star golf club with luxury hotel/restaurant.http://www.rochebois.com/

L'Ombriere does look nice, but you are restricted to eating there, as there isnt much else around. And Montfort is a VERY tiny village. Great looking chateau (not open to the public), campsite, canoeing. Depends what you are really looking for.

Thanks for your very helpful replies...StCirq and others - pls note that our budget is upto the amount mentioned and does not have to be that amount!!...we will be delighted to stay at a cheaper place if it is special and charming!! I would have gone with L'Ombriere except they cannot do dinners during the summer months and do not have air conditioning...We are not looking for 5 star type hotels...my original post mentions special hotels not 5 star places...Some thing out in the countryside would be great..

Try londontown.com.

google chateaux in the areas you are interested in..sometime you can come upon a wonderful surprise.

In the Dordogne, you might want to look at Le Vieux Logis and the Château de la Treyne.