Apart from cosmopolitan Bordeaux, this region of southwest France can seem pretty sleepy outside the summer months. If traveling in the Médoc region book in advance, because there is a scarcity of hotels, so much so that your strategy might be to stay in Bordeaux city. There's more accommodation there (especially in winter when many rural places are closed). Too bad the city lacks charming hotels, although the high-roller set will adore the new Regent Grand Hotel Bordeaux. Wherever you stay, reserve ahead for the crowded summer months. Prices off-season (October-May) often drop as much as 20%. Keep in mind that the pricier hotels can arrange wine-country tours for you, as Gradyghost notes on Fodor's Talk Forum: "The concierge at the Hotel Burdigala in central Bordeaux arranged individual guided tours at First Growth vineyards like Lafite, Mouton-Rothchild, and Château Margaux. Needless to say, those were memorable experiences."
