Bordeaux in July
 

My husband and I are spending 5 nights in Cannes on the beach, and then flying to Bordeaux on a Thursday afternoon, spending 3 nights and departing on Sunday morning. Instead of staying at a large hotel in Bordeaux, I thought it would be nice to stay in a very nice b and b type for the 3 nights and take wine tours on Friday and Saturday. I found one on the internet called Villa St. Simon. Does anyone else have any suggestions? Normally, we stay in 4 or 5 star hotels, and would welcome a completely non-smoking environment. Our interest in this part of our trip is wine and food. We are not wine experts but we simply enjoy it and would like to learn more about it. Thank you!

St. Simon is located in Blaye, which is neither close to Médoc nor to St. Emilion. Since it may reasonable to tour the chateaux in a car, then drop the car at the hotel and than take a taxi or limo for a wine tasting, it may make more sense to stay right within one of the two recommended wine regions.

We stayed in a 3* hotel north of Bordeaux, at the edge of the Médoc, which had a very good restaurant.
http://www.lescriquets.com

Right in Margaux (which is nothing but a small hamlet) is the Relais de Margaux and Le Pavillon de Margaux. You might look into those, if you prefer 4* or 5* level.
www.relais-margaux.fr

Echnaton, we were concerned about the location of Villa St. Simon. Thank you for your other suggestions. I will look into them today.

Will you have a car? Are you willing to stay a bit outside of town? Do you want a somewhat unique stay in a 4-5 star place? if the answers are "yes" then you just might want to take a look at the Chateau Mirambeau hotel in the village of the same name...I've stayed there...it is the usual "avalanche of gilt and drapes" kind of place in many ways..somewhat off the so-called "beaten path" and, quite frankly, unforgettable. Some like it and some don't..if you get that far then also look at the TripAdvisor reviews.

Dukey, thank you for the comment. I think we would like to spend our last night in Bordeaux at the Regent Grand but would like to spend Thurs and Fri nights in St. Emilion or another place close by the vinyards. I'll look into Chateau Mirambeau. Can anyone tell me how long the wine tours last? I'm trying to get an idea on when we would be arriving at the Regent on Saturday. Thank you..

What wine tours are you taking? I hope you realize you cannot just show up and walk into the big wine château properties. Many are by appointment only, and among those, many are not for appointment at all by the general public. What is your plan? If you have none, I'd suggest you start by contacting the wonderful Bordeaux tourist office and the nearby Maison du Vin for information on what you may or may not be able to visit.

It is essential to have reservations if you want to take a tour. IMO the best tour is E6 and includes a visit to their extraordinary museu. You pay extra for a tasting which was excellent. Their web site is http://www.bpdr.com You can register for a tour there.

If you have favorite wines that you enjoy or collect you can email the winery and request a visit. Often the wineries will set up a private or small group for a tour and tasting.

St. Emilion is quite a distance away from the Medoc. We stayed there and had to travel around 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get to the vineyards. There is traffic going through the city of Bordeaux and it is a country lane through the Medoc. There are vineyards in St.Emilion as well but if you want to see all the beautiful chayeaux they are mostly in the Medoc. Bordeaux is also a lovely city to explore.

As I have written in your previous thread, most wineries offer tours on appointment only. Research the websites of the grand chateaux, if they offer tours (many do not). There are some smaller, family-owned wineries (usually Cru Bourgois) which offer highly personalized private tours. When we stayed at Les Criquets, the hotel concierge arranged such a tour in a winery which was close to the hotel. It was Chateau Tour de Haut-Moulin in Cussac and the tour was very interesting (BTW, it was free). Read Robert Parker about that winery.

When you have reserved a hotel, ask the hotel if they can arrange a tour.

Thank you all. I have emailed the hotel for information on the tours. We just booked our flights to France, next the accomodations :)

Consider the hotel Hauterive et rest.St. James just outside Bordeaux in Bouliac. It's a Relais and Chateau property or at least has been, but with fairly reasonable rates, a fantastic situation with views back to Bordeaux while sitting in its own winefields with entrance in its own tiny town. It has modern design (I think Jean Nouvel helped with the renovation) but also old world charm. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Any suggestions on hotels in St. Emilion? I am interested in staying there for at least one night to tour the town and a winery. I have been reviewing Hostellerie de Plaisance. The rooms are high priced but the restaurant appears to be a 2 star Michelin. Has anyone stayed there? We would probably stay Thursday night, tour St. Emilion and a winery on Friday, switch to Regent in Bordeaux and set up wine tours in Medoc on Saturday. Unfortunately, we have a morning flight back on Sunday so that day is spent in the air.