Brittany & Southwest - Suggestions
May 2nd, 2003, 05:51 AM
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Brittany & Southwest - Suggestions
My wife and I will be flying into Paris about May 20 and plan to travel by rental car to Brittany. We will be in Dinard on May 28 and 29 to attend a wedding and will fly back to the US the morning of June 3. We would appreciate any suggestions regarding routes, maps, site seeing, resturaunts, shopping, and B&Bs or Chateaus. We have previously visited Normandy and would like to visit Brittany and south ... possibly as far as Bordeaux if there is time. Other info on our plans are as follows:
Room/food cost ~$120/day (occasional splurge)
Not fluent in French
Previously traveled on our own in Europe
Ages - early 60s
Already have Dinard room reservations
Room/food cost ~$120/day (occasional splurge)
Not fluent in French
Previously traveled on our own in Europe
Ages - early 60s
Already have Dinard room reservations
May 2nd, 2003, 06:43 AM
#2
Drive along the coast, it's so beautiful.
In Riec-sur-Belon(where the famous belon oysters are bred) is a wonderfulwaterside fish restaurant in a cove by the Belon river, called "chez jacky."
For very good crepes. Chez Angele, also in Belon.
In Pont-Aven, the restaurant in the "moulin de Rosemadec"
Here in the east coast, our Maine lobsters are boiled or steamed usually, but there , they do wonderful grilled lobsters. Also loved the fruit de mer that has exotic crustaceans you won't find here. Have a wonderful trip.
In Riec-sur-Belon(where the famous belon oysters are bred) is a wonderfulwaterside fish restaurant in a cove by the Belon river, called "chez jacky."
For very good crepes. Chez Angele, also in Belon.
In Pont-Aven, the restaurant in the "moulin de Rosemadec"
Here in the east coast, our Maine lobsters are boiled or steamed usually, but there , they do wonderful grilled lobsters. Also loved the fruit de mer that has exotic crustaceans you won't find here. Have a wonderful trip.
May 2nd, 2003, 08:15 AM
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You might want to bear in mind that Thursday May 29 is a public holiday in France, so many people will take the Friday off work in order to have a long weekend. Brittany being a favourite weekend/holiday destination for Parisians, you may find that places are booked up or very busy, so best make reservations ASAP!!
That aside, there are lots of lovely places you can visit after your stay in Dinard. If you decide to stay in Brittany, then you could drive along the north coast (visit the seaside town of Perros Guirec, for example) and then drive south to Finistyre, as suggested, and visit Pont-Aven, Riec sur Belon, Quimper, the old thatched cottages in Kerascoet, the walled town of Concarneau and some of the other pretty Breton towns.
I'm afraid I can't be of much help as regards accommodations... but should you make it to Concarneau, then I strongly recommend having dinner at Chez Armande overlooking the waterfront. They serve excellent seafood, with wonderful value fixed-price menus and great desserts.
That aside, there are lots of lovely places you can visit after your stay in Dinard. If you decide to stay in Brittany, then you could drive along the north coast (visit the seaside town of Perros Guirec, for example) and then drive south to Finistyre, as suggested, and visit Pont-Aven, Riec sur Belon, Quimper, the old thatched cottages in Kerascoet, the walled town of Concarneau and some of the other pretty Breton towns.
I'm afraid I can't be of much help as regards accommodations... but should you make it to Concarneau, then I strongly recommend having dinner at Chez Armande overlooking the waterfront. They serve excellent seafood, with wonderful value fixed-price menus and great desserts.
May 2nd, 2003, 09:27 AM
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Hi Lyndell,
My husband and I stayed in Dinard for four days last May and used it as a base to visit other places in Brittany. The coast is beautiful as is the interior. Rent a car and be adventurous, you can't go wrong! Here are a few of the restaurants we enjoyed:
Restauran Didier Meril
6, rue Yves Verney, Dinard
ph: 02 99 16 07 75
dinner for two, incl. wine came to 98eu
Great seafood!
La Salle a Manger
25, Boulevard Feart, Dinard
ph: 02 99 16 07 95
dinner for two, incl. wine came to 87eu
Restaurant Le Troquet
Cancale (sorry I don't have the exact address and phone number. It's a little cafe on the waterfront. My husband had fabulous oysters and I had a warm lobster salad that was great)
dinner for two incl. wine came to 70eu
For a real splurge:
Restaurant Le Bricourt
Cancale (again, I don't know the exact adress, but it is very close to centre ville)
dinner for two incl. wine came to 323eu
Although the food was excellent,this is a michelin starred restaurant, I don't believe it was worth the price. The atmosphere was not that great.
We were in Britanny over the holiday weekend, and hanl is right, it's a very popular holiday destination. We wanted to visit St. Malo, but couldn't get within 2 miles of the old city for parking. That's when we decided to visit Cancale instead and we were glad we did. We discovered the lovely waterfront area and the Troquet restaurant. It was a memorable day!
Enjoy your trip!
Diane
My husband and I stayed in Dinard for four days last May and used it as a base to visit other places in Brittany. The coast is beautiful as is the interior. Rent a car and be adventurous, you can't go wrong! Here are a few of the restaurants we enjoyed:
Restauran Didier Meril
6, rue Yves Verney, Dinard
ph: 02 99 16 07 75
dinner for two, incl. wine came to 98eu
Great seafood!
La Salle a Manger
25, Boulevard Feart, Dinard
ph: 02 99 16 07 95
dinner for two, incl. wine came to 87eu
Restaurant Le Troquet
Cancale (sorry I don't have the exact address and phone number. It's a little cafe on the waterfront. My husband had fabulous oysters and I had a warm lobster salad that was great)
dinner for two incl. wine came to 70eu
For a real splurge:
Restaurant Le Bricourt
Cancale (again, I don't know the exact adress, but it is very close to centre ville)
dinner for two incl. wine came to 323eu
Although the food was excellent,this is a michelin starred restaurant, I don't believe it was worth the price. The atmosphere was not that great.
We were in Britanny over the holiday weekend, and hanl is right, it's a very popular holiday destination. We wanted to visit St. Malo, but couldn't get within 2 miles of the old city for parking. That's when we decided to visit Cancale instead and we were glad we did. We discovered the lovely waterfront area and the Troquet restaurant. It was a memorable day!
Enjoy your trip!
Diane
May 5th, 2003, 10:20 PM
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Try to visit the presqu'ile de Crozon and the Pointe du Raz for breathtaking scenery. We stayed at the Hotel le Goyen in Audierne (see http://www.le-goyen.com/index-gb.htm) and the Bretagne at Questembert near Vannes (see http://www.jpmoser.com/lebretagneetsaresidence.html)
May 8th, 2003, 06:12 PM
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These are really great ideas. As a result, I'm working on a trip from Brantome taking me along the coast via Quimper up to Brest and then continue along the coast to St. Malo or the nearest point after St. Malo where we can get the TGV to Paris.
May 8th, 2003, 07:36 PM
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I happened to be at Mont St Michel on Sept 11, 2001 but we tempered the events of that day by having a beautiful dinner al fresco on a cobblestone street in St. Malo. It was memorable and I recommend a trip to that beautiful walled city.
May 9th, 2003, 08:42 AM
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We were in Brittany last summer and personally preferred the northern coast to the southern (we weren't looking for a beach vacation). We spent 3 delightful nights outside Morlaix at Roche ar Brini (I think the spelling is right) which is a marvelous B & B. I found the place through an Alistair Sawday book.
May 12th, 2003, 04:38 AM
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I am also planning to do a similar trip, coming from Luxembourg. What I don't have a sense of is how long I should plan on staying...I would like to do a little bit of the north coast, and then from Quimper to La Baule..can I do all that in 4/5 days? Or do I have to pick a coast? Any advice greatly appreciated.
Jul 29th, 2003, 03:04 PM
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Auntgrapes:
Maybe Lyndell decided to stay!
We were in Brittany last autumn...late October, early November. So we were "off season". With that in mind, our favorite hotel of the trip was the Grand Hotel Barrier in Dinard. (http://www.lucienbarriere.com/locali...dina/index.asp). Very plush, but we snagged a huge room for 120E. I liked the casual, yet elegant atmosphere. I suspect summer rates will be far higher.
As for restaurants, in Paimpol I highly recommend La Vieille Tour restaurant, 13 rue de L'Eglise. Tel: 02 96 20 83 18. Fax: 02 96 20 90 41.
We passed it several times walking through the village, but always thought it wasn't open because there was no one to be seen through the windows. One night I just tried the door and it opened. Madame came to greet us and escorted us up the stairs to a little beamed dining room. All during the meal, we were surprised with little tastes of "this and that". Very memorable, wonderful lobster. About 100E for two.
Maybe Lyndell decided to stay!
We were in Brittany last autumn...late October, early November. So we were "off season". With that in mind, our favorite hotel of the trip was the Grand Hotel Barrier in Dinard. (http://www.lucienbarriere.com/locali...dina/index.asp). Very plush, but we snagged a huge room for 120E. I liked the casual, yet elegant atmosphere. I suspect summer rates will be far higher.
As for restaurants, in Paimpol I highly recommend La Vieille Tour restaurant, 13 rue de L'Eglise. Tel: 02 96 20 83 18. Fax: 02 96 20 90 41.
We passed it several times walking through the village, but always thought it wasn't open because there was no one to be seen through the windows. One night I just tried the door and it opened. Madame came to greet us and escorted us up the stairs to a little beamed dining room. All during the meal, we were surprised with little tastes of "this and that". Very memorable, wonderful lobster. About 100E for two.
Jul 29th, 2003, 08:14 PM
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To Luxlady: While one certainly could spend more time, you can easily see a sampling of both the north coast, the inteterior (Argoat), and the south coast. They are each so different. I particularly like the Ploumanach area on the north coast with its fantastic rose colored rocks and emerald green water, any of the Parish Closes in the interior (St. Thegonnec, Guimiliau, Lampaul Guimiliau, Pleyben). Pleyben is famous for its Breton Butter cookies and you can smell the wonderful aroma throughout the little town! and Pont L'Abbe and Concarneau as well as the megalith area (Carnac) in the south. Be sure to have plenty of crepes (make sure they're "fait au beurre" - made with real butter) washed down with cider (cidre doux, if you don't like hard cider). Try Hydromel
(honey wine) or chou-chenn, a hearty spirit.
Have a wonderful time!
(honey wine) or chou-chenn, a hearty spirit.
Have a wonderful time!
