effe88

Bonjour! Hello helpful fodorites.

My husband and I are planning to spend 2 nights in Dijon and 2 nights in Lyon starting 12th September of this year. Do you have any recommendations of where to stay in these cities? We intend to travel into the cities by rail, and then either walk or taxi around.

In Dijon I would very much have liked to stay at the Abbaye-dela-bussiere for my birthday on the 12th, but have been told they are fully booked. Nevermind I think I'd still like to make reservations for dinner there. Has anyone tried it and know if it lives up to what I've read on the Internet? My second choice for accommodation at the moment is the Sofitel. Less personality, more convenient.

Can anyone recommend a place in or very near Lyon? I guess having missed out on abbeye, I am hoping for something with a bit of character in Lyon.

Thank you for your help.

PalenQ

Maybe you can find some dreamy castle like place out in the country such as in one of the neat small wine villages on the Route des Vins Bourgogne - Burgundy wine road such as Nuits Sts Georges, home of that legendary wine

there are types of places you are looking for and the town has train service frequently to Dijon - enjoy the city in the day and the tranquil small-town atmosphere at night, perhaps in a unique place surrounded by vineyards.

Not sure if such a place exists but believe it must.

Dijon is a nice but really not stupendous city IMO but i wouldn't spend two days there - one day is enough

Josh

http://www.courdesloges.com/cdlacceng.htm

grandmere

La Tour Rose in Lyon.

msm4

Just outside of Lyon, in Vienne, there's a lovely hotel and its fabulous restaurant called La Domaine de Clairefontaine - you'd definitely need a car, but check out the website and see what you think. We stayed one night and had dinner there in 2005 and when we got the bill at check-out we had to look several times - it was so cheap, relatively speaking, for what we had experienced we were sure they had miscalculated it...charming place with warm, lovely hosts.

Rumseydog

My wife and I spent two wonderful days at the Cour des Loges in Lyon last fall (www.courdesloges.com/cdlacceng.htm). We booked a room through Expedia for a small discount off the hotel's standard rates. The hotel is has lots of character, and is located in Vieux Lyon -- Lyon's very charming and interesting old town.

hanl

La Cour des Loges, La Tour Rose and La Villa Florentine are Lyon's three top-end hotels housed in historic buildings. (All three have smart, high-end restaurants to match - so if you can't afford to stay in one of them, you might at least be able to have lunch or dinner there!). All three are in the Vieux Lyon area, though Villa Florentine is a little less easy to access (uphill).

effe88

Hi all,
Thanks for the great feedback.

I did some searching and I found this: http://www.dormiralyon.com/ What do you guys think?

PalenQ - That's great advice. If I do stay in Dijon 2 nights I may take a train to Beaune for a day trip.

Grandmere & hanl - I just called La Tour Rose and Villa Florentine. Fully booked We'll see what La Cour des Loges says...

msm4 - I had at the website and it is very pretty. I'll look further into it. But got very confused at first because there is a chateau with exactly the same name near Avignon, Provence which might be perfect for the Provence leg of my trip!

hanl

That B&B looks rather lovely! I googled it and it seems as though it's more like a self-contained apartment than just a room. And it's on the same street as la Tour Rose... It certainly looks like somewhere worth investigating.

msm4

Yes, effe88, it was confusing for me, too. But the place you want is the one near Lyon (duh). Bonne chance/bon voyage!

PalenQ

And if staying in Dijon don't forget about our friend Coco's flat - a rather luxury B&B i gather right in downtown Dijon - gotten lots of rave reviews by Fodorites who have stayed there. I guess she even may meet folks at the train station and folks like the insider approach to info she gives.

www.myhomeindijon.com or similar

grandmere

Coco's My Home in Dijon is charming!

effe88

Thanks all! This is a final follow up to all your kind responses. I've booked three nights at that B&B. Although I won't be staying at a castle, I am much happier staying in Lyon and really experiencing it, now that I have found such charming accommodation. I did some research, and found out this B&B is located right INSIDE a historical building (the pink building La Tour Rose) that is much photographed.

Unfortunately cocodijon's place is already booked up on the nights I wanted!

Thank you again.