Amboise or Blois or..?
 

We want to spend a couple of days in the Loire Valley between trips to Beaune and Paris this fall. Any thoughts on the right town to stay in to make the most out of a short trip? Thanks.

Amboise and Blois are both good locations, because there are very central to all castles in the region. Amboise is a very small town, directly at the river, and will be first choice if you prefer a quieter, more romantic location. Blois is a medium-sized town with more traffic etc.

Hey traveller1959:

Thank you for the shout back. Any further thoughts if we are chosing one town over the other because of the availability of a good hotel and a couple of great restaurants? Man cannot live by chateauxs alone.

A couple of years ago, we stayed at this hotel:
http://www.tortiniere.com/
We had a lovely room in an annex, enjoyed excellent cuisine and a most romantic setting. Location is also very central to everything.

Hi, In my experience staying in Blois was centric and a good choice. The Chateau de Blois right in town is very nice to visit, should it be Summer they have an interesting sound and light night show.
the Chateau has its charm with the secret cabinet of Catalina de Medici
(true or false, but it is there) the Salamdres of Francois I in the famous stair case, the site were the Duke of Guise was murdered by the mignons of the Roi Francois II ( Iam not sure if this was the King involved) anyway he was a son of Catalina and Henri II.
Chambord which is an impresive chateaux is very near from Blois, and also Amboise. Whatever you choose to visit do not included TOO many chateaux. Pick up a few and leave the rest for the next trip.Good luck

I suppose it depends on your concept of a "good" hotel but there are a couple in Amboise which might interest you: Manoir Les Minimes (which we stayed in last year) and directly next door, Le Choiseul which also has a somewhat highly-favored restaurant. You might want to look at the reviews on TripAdvisor.

Blois is a much larger town than Amboise and has a well-known chateau of its own which I found more interesting than the one in Amboise. Amboise is more like a large "village" although it does sit on both sides of the Loire; Amboise is closer to Cheonceau (by car).

Overall a lot will depend on the ambience you like.