I have contacted Les Arcades in Aigues Mortes twice at this email address: www.les-arcades.fr. No answer. I have also heard of Hotel Restaurant Les Templiers. It is in Collioure (near Aigues Mortes?) and its web site is in French only. Any advice? We are a 3 generational family on the BIG family trip. (kids are 8&10) Thanks, you all have been so much help getting this put together. This one day is the last piece. .

we were at the Templiers hotel, but there is no restaurant and it is in Aigues Mortes a few doors down from the resto"Camargue"

Collioure is not near Aigues Mortes; it is farther east, so. of Perpignan, near the Spanish border.

There is a hotel called Les Templiers in Aigues Mortes (phone 04-66-53-66-56); there is also le Hotel des Templiers in Collioure--the Templars made quite an impace in this part of France (and grandmere is correct, Collioure is not all that close to Aigues Mortes). Phone is 04-68-98-31-10

Why don't you try calling Les Arcades? Phone is 04-66-53-81-13.
I believe they do close for some of the winter months, but are supposed to reopen in April.

Templiers is not a full service hotel where I stayed in Aigues Mortes but a lovely terrace for breakfast and so-o-o- many choices within the walls where to eat. Fun to stick around with all the mimes that your children will adore, and the camargue resto, I was entertained with a gypsy king wannabe

Suggest you just get on the phone and call the hotel in Aigues-Mortes (French hotels just don't like e-mail)-which is nowhere near Collioures (it's hundreds of miles away-check a map).

You may want to consider staying in Montpellier and doing Aigues Mortes as a day trip from there if you are having trouble finding a hotel in or closer to Aigues Mortes.

There are many more hotel choices in Montpellier. While I cannot remember how much time it took to drive from Montpellier to Aigues Mortes, it wasn't that much time--probably less than an hour. A day in Aigues Mortes is enough time to see the walled city area.

I did not do the boat through the marshes because the weather was not cooperative. That did look interesting, however.

Hi

just a few points :

Montpellier - Aigues Mortes is quick along the coast highway. Certainly under an hour, half an hour if its quiet.

Collioure - Aigues Mortes is quite a distance, but not "hundreds" of miles away StCirq ! Its about 100 miles. You can drive it in about 1.5 hrs along the A9.

There is a Camargue tourist site here : http://www.camargue.com.fr

Friends recommend Mas des Sables http://www.camargue.com.fr/masdessables/index.html , but its a few miles away from the walled town

More information about the area tlp.netfirms.com

Peter

You might try the Hotel St Louis, just inside the walls in Aigues Mortes. Comfortable rooms, not terribly expensive (2 stars?) and a great restaurant inside the hotel. Spent one Christmas there and would love to go back some day.

OK, I exaggerated, but it's 217 km, and I don't think you can make the drive in under 2.5 hours, especially given the recent crackdown on speed limits on the autoroutes and elsewhere and the fact that that stretch of the autoroute is invariably crowded.
The Hostellerie des Templiers in Collioure is a marvelously quirky place, filled with art treasures the owner collected from Picasso, Matisse, Dali, and others over the years (unfortunately, a number of them have been stolen by guests). The hotel restaurant specializes in seafood.
The Hôtel Casa Païral is another interesting hotel in Collioure, a kind of tropical Hollywood fantasy set in secluded gardens.

I appreciate all the input. I don't want to stay in Collioure. I had the wrong Les Templiers website. I really wanted recos for a hotel in Aigues Mortes. I shall call Les Arcades tonight after I figure out if they are up yet. StCirq, I really have had excellent & quick responses from almost all of the emails I have been sending preparing fro this trip.

about http://tlp.netfirms.com; I have been all over this website and cannot find anything about hotels. What am I missing?

I agree stay inside Aigues Mortes it is a charming little town with lots of history, the Hotel st louis is a good choice with great foood,

Hi janeq

You say "I have been all over this website and cannot find anything about hotels. What am I missing?"

I said "More information about the area tlp.netfirms.com"

However, within tlp.netfirms.com hotel info is available at :

http://tlp.netfirms.com/srch1.htm
http://tlp.netfirms.com/tourlinks.htm
http://tlp.netfirms.com/expat/link4.htm
http://tlp.netfirms.com/expat/link12.htm
http://tlp.netfirms.com/shop/floor7b.htm


Peter
http://tlp.netfirms.com

Hi StCirq

Yes there is some publicity about speed limits. But the traffic has not slowed down. The A9 is pretty quiet out of season.

But you can reckon 3 hrs Aigues Mortes to Barcelona with light traffic. Of course, the needle may flicker over the legal speed limit from time to time !

Peter
No points on his license (but probably incredibly lucky !)

The Les Templiers I stayed WAS in Aigues Mortes???Quiet no dinners served but a lovely courtyard for breakfast.

We have reservations for Hotel St. Louis. Thanks to all for your help.

Hi janeg, I am glad you have the hotel, now that you do, although this might be a silly question,
did you read about the history of this little town founded by Saint Louis as the departing port for his Crusade?
II believe ithat the more you know about its history the more you will
enjoy Aigues Mortes.