Hi I was just wanting some suggestions on favorite hotels, places to visit in the Loire.

There will be 4 of us catching the TGV to the Loire Valley on 8th Dec and then returning to Paris midday on 11th Dec. We thought it best to hire a car at the train station once we arrive (organized in advance) to get around. even though i have lived in Paris for 9 months, i really do not know what to expect!

so my questions are

is the Loire Valley still a lovely place to see at this time of year?
tgv paris to....?
so many lovely little towns to explore and chateaux but i honestly think 2 chateaux will be fine for us and the rest of the time spent exploring, eating good food and drinking good wine.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions

I think Loire is a wondersful choice 12 months a yr, and you can do this trip a thousand different ways and enjoy each way. Just one suggestion from what you ask for;
TGV to Tours
Pick up a car
Drive to nearby Touraine and stay at Domaine de la Tortiniere. This Chateau style hotel is out of a movie somewhere. Guests from all over Europe spend the day sightseeing at nearby towns and castles and evenings savoring 5 star cuisine before retiring to socialize in the game room and library. Its really neat

Yours is one of the first inquiries I have read that does not outline an itinerary which is over planned and over scheduled. For the amount of time you have available, you could easily visit two or three châteaux to the east of Tours: Chambord, Cheverny, and Chenonceau for example and two châteaux to the west of Tours: Azay-le-Rideau and perhaps Villandry (though Villandry is really more about its gardens).

Whether or not you have a car makes planning much different. Without a car, you will want to stay in either Blois or Tours from where mini bus tours are available to many of the important local tourist destinations. If you stay in Tours, I prefer the hotels located between the train station and Place Plumereau or the old part of Tours. Hotels outside of this area are in an area lacking charm and interest.

If you do rent a car, I should pick one up in Paris and avoid the location surcharges and other fees as well as the expense of tickets. You could always just leave the car at ORY if you did not want to drive back into Paris. With a car you will have a wide choice of interesting hotels and restaurants.

With the amount of time you have proposed, you might find visiting the Caves de la Grande Brosse interesting. For a truly unique wine tasting experience, contact Phillipe Oudin and ask to visit his winery and cave. The cave was itself an important source of limestone used in the construction of many of the areas famous châteaux. I find particularly interesting his Cabernet Franc selections:

http://cavegrandebrosse.com/

Chenonceau, one of my favorites, will be decorated for Christmas from 6 December. Worth a little research to see what other special activities are scheduled in the area. Have a grand time.

Ooooo, Chenonceau is gorgeous and if it is decorsted at Christmas then go. We loved Chenonceau so much when we were there last year.