sghosh

I am interested in seaside resorts near Bordeaux. Any information at all would be appreciated, though my hope is to find someplace accessible by train where it is actually possible to swim. Touristy is OK if the tourists are mainly from the same region. <BR>I'd also enjoy hearing recommendations about Bordeaux itself, particularly a hotel--nothing fancy, but clean and pleasant. <BR>

Rex

How "near" do you mean by "near Bordeaux"? Even Bordeaux is a "port" city (so is Sacramento), it's because the Gironde is as much like a "bay" (think Chesapeake or San Francisco) as it is a river, by the time it gets to Bordeaux. Bordeaux is actually a considerable drive (an hour?) from the "seaside" per se. And while there are some seaside properties west of Bordeaux, I wouldn't bet money that you can reach any of then by train. One example is Hotel les Pins - - see www.hotel-des-pins.com for more info. <BR> <BR>A worthy consideration (but not that close to Bordeaux - - over an hour away) is the departement of Charente Maritime - - in the general vicinity of La Rochelle. The Majestic Hotel, at Chatelaillon Plage, for example, is probably a true "seaside resort" by most criteria. And it IS accessible from La Rochelle by train - - a 7 minute ride. <BR> <BR>You can get a pretty good sense of what properties are avilable in what little towns by looking at the ww.logis-de-france.fr website and searching "by regions" (click on "map" - - then follow down to as specific a region you want. I located info on both of the properties listed above there. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR> <BR>

sghosh

Thanks very much for the helpful information. As far as I can tell, there are only two of us asking about Bordeaux, and there is no reason other than coincidence. <BR>Would it be possible to get some specific information on why Bordeaux itself is not highly recommended? Is it because it's an urban area and therefore less pleasant than surrounding regions, or is it really more dirty, dangerous and unpleasant than any other city of its size?

StCirq

IMHO most Americans, and most posters here, simply don't KNOW Bordeaux. Hence the "I've heard it's dangerous" type of remarks. I haven't read anything specific yet. Well, I do know Bordeaux. I'm there all the time, as I live part-time in the Dordogne. It's a beautiful city, graced with fairly uniform 18th century architecture harking back to its glory days as France's largest port town;, it has a wealth of lovely park, squares, and fountains;, it has a charming and large pedestrian area in the old center of the city that is chock full of cafés and shops; it has two fine cathedrals; it has a easonably good museum of fine arts; it has arguably Europe's most beautiful theatre; and it has a wealth of fabulous restaurants. All that, and the wine, too. <BR>As for seaside resorts, Arcachon is a lovely old-fashioned resort, where the Bordeaux "wine widows" built great mansions. It's about 40 minutes by train from the Gare St-Jean. You can swim (though the Atlantic is a bit cold) right on the beach in town (along which there are several wonderful seafood restaurants), or travel up or down the Arcachon basin to several other beaches, including Cap Ferret, where there are lovely dunes and sandy inlets (and more oyster restaurants). If you can, get as far as the Dune du Pilat, the largest dune in Europe - it will astound you. <BR>In Bordeaux I always stay at one of two hotels, owned by the same family, the Parinauds. One is the Etche-Ona, which I like because it is on a quiet side alley just two blocks from the old center of town. It's a comfortable, reasonably priced 3*** furnished in Basque style. The other is the Bayonne, a few blocks away, also 3***, a very swanky modern place. You can view both of them at www.bordeaux-hotel.com <BR>Good luck in your travels.

clairobscur

<BR> I certainly know Bordeaux much less than the previous poster (been there a couple of times). If I don't really like this city, it's not because it's especially "dirty, dangerous or unpleasant" , but merely because I can't find anything extraordinary there. It appears to me to be a nice big town. Nothing more. <BR> <BR>It's probably a matter of personnal taste. After reading the previous post, I must admit I've never been really interested in XVIII° century architecture (I prefer older buildings) and usually not very fond of major cities (little towns any day). So it's a reasonable explanation for these divergent opinions.

lynn

Hi sghosh: <BR>We stayed in Bordeaux last summer for a few nights and found it to be a charming city. We enjoyed the architecture, something like Paris in some ways. The restaurants were excellent. We had our best meal in France here. It is busy and we got rid of our car very quickly after arrival then we relaxed. We stayed at the Best Western hotel grand hotel francais, which is in a great location in the pedestrian shopping streets. It's a nice little place on Temple St near lots of major attractions downtown. Lots of great churches, fascinating wine merchants with everything in this line you can imagine.This city was built on its wine trade and is correspondingly well off. <BR> World class Opera, classical concerts. What doesn;t it have. <BR>We were there last July and we were walking along the riverside and came upon a weekly seafood market. It is on every Thursday and the place was packed with locals. My husband is a lover of oysters and bought a plateful! for the equivalent of $3.00 Canadian dollars. !! <BR>All over the city there were amazing seafood restaurants where we would wander past and see patrons feeding on huge platters of every kind of seafood you can imagine. <BR>We wandered all over with no feeling of tension at all. <BR>The previous year we stayed out at the airport and really didn't like it much but the downtown was great. <BR>Great restaurant = la Chamade, chez lasserre on rue des piliers de tutelle. As I said it was our best meal in France. <BR>We found all the shopping we could possibly want, most of the stores located in Paris we found there as well. <BR>I could go on but hopefully this gives you an idea that it is a city that is well worth visiting. <BR>regards, <BR>Lynn

StCirq

&lt;&lt;I can't find anything extraordinary there. It appears to me to be a nice big town. Nothing more.&gt;&gt; I think that's just its appeal - there's nothing truly extraordinary - it's a REAL French city. <BR> <BR>&lt;&lt;It's probably a matter of personnal taste. After reading the previous post, I must admit I've never been really interested in XVIII° century architecture (I prefer older buildings) and usually not very fond of major cities (little towns any day).&gt;&gt; <BR> <BR>I'm an enormous fan of little towns - why else would I have bought an old house in a rural French hamlet of 300 inhabitants in the Dordogne? - but when people who are going to Bordeaux ask about it, I wouldn't respond by saying "heck, why not check out some small villages?" They ask about Bordeaux, I respond about Bordeaux. That's not a reason to be negative about a place.

clairobscur

St-Cirq : <BR> <BR> I believe there's some reason to be negative about a place. It seems to me that people ask for opinions here, and a negative opinion has the same value than a positive one. The former too can help someone to figure out if he'll like or not a place. I know that some people appreciate a lot Metz, Bled or Tangiers, for instance, but it doesn't refrain me from advising them to go elsewhere... <BR> <BR>And concerning the little villages, I indeed recommanded St Emilion on the other Bordeaux thread (I suppose it's what you're refering to), but IIRC, the OP asked too about the area around Bordeaux.