Cancale, Dinan, St. Malo or where?
 

Cancale, Dinan, St. Malo or where? After 4 days in Paris and 4 in Normandy, we are thinking of a few days in this area before we head into the Loire Valley. Any comments? Suggestions? Hotel recommendations? We are 4 Seniors and will have a car. Many thanks.

Any of those would make a nice stop, but then there's also Fougères, Vitré, Alençon, la Vallée de Misère, and countless others. What are your interests and how much time do you have?

If you have a few days, I'd consider a jaunt into Brittany.

We plan on 2-3 days in that area. Want to visit Mont St Michelle. After a busy 4 days in Paris then an emotional (I think) 4 days in Normandy, we'll be ready for a rest. Maybe even do laundry. Feast on mussels and foie gras.

Wrong region for foie gras. If you want to relax, we stayed at a B&B between St. Malo and Cancale and near the ocean. We used it as a base to visit the Mont St. Michel. I mention it in my report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34444403

Just returned last night from a visit that included 3 nights in Cancale and 1 in Rennes before taking the train to CDG to fly home. We stayed in Cancale and took day trips around there--to Dinan, Dinard, St. Malo, Combourg. We stayed at the Hotel Quirrien directly on the Bay of Cancale and enjoyed it a lot. Paid 80 euros per night for a double with views of the sea/harbor. The hotel has non-seaview (and quieter) rooms for less as well. Oysters are the best in the world according to my husband. You can get them right from the oyster beds and watch the harvesting. We loved it.

Michael beat me to it regarding the foie gras. You can have Calvados, though, and lots of good cheese and seafood!

If you just want to relax, I'd stay in the St-Malo area and do daytrips. There are plenty of sights to see in the area, or you can just lie on the beach.

A place that's been recommended to me, but that I haven't stayed at yet, is http://www.chateau-les-hauts.com/

Cancale is very nice - wonderful oysters and seafood. I also enjoyed all the little art galleries tucked away in the side streets. Dinan is medieval and charming; well worth a visit. I loved Dol de Bretagne and also Combourg with its lovely castle and market.

The coast road up to Cancale has several places selling Calvados and cider, and there was one which also sold foie gras and associated goose products, also chutneys, all of which were produced on the premises. Many of these were prettily packaged in baskets with gingham napkins and ribbons for gifts, but you could also buy the basic stuff in jars. I don't remember exactly where it was, but it was on the right as you drove north to Cancale, about halfway up the curve of the bay.

Have a great trip.

Dinard is also a nice place to stay; it's a coastal resort with magnificent old Victorian hotels and a nice beach.

Am I the only one that doesn't like the taste of Cancale oysters?

Still an attractive little town.

Keith

Keith: I share your dislike of Cancale oysters - bitter to my taste, personally. I prefer the ones we get from Chincoteague Island here on the East Coast. And guess what? My first time in Bordeaux, there was this little fresh seafood stand selling shellfish, and it happened that the brother of the guy who owned it was from Chincoteague and had shipped him some oysters. So there I was, in 1996, at a seafood shack in Bordeaux, slurping oysters from 160 miles away from where I live!

But the boulons were better.

If you don't like metallic taste, stay away from &quot;boulons&quot;; try <i>bulots</i> instead.