I will be spending 4-5 days in the Dordogne in two weeks and would like your advice on where to stay. Firstly, let me thank all of you, particularly St. Cirq, for the information I have already extracted from this site.

Based on my research, I have narrowed the choices down to three:

La Belle Etoile, La Roque Gageac 50 room 62 Half-Board
La Terrasse, Meyronne 60 room 100 Half Board
L'Esplanade, Domme 72 room 90 Half Board

Can you help me make the choice, based on your experience?

I will more than likely go for the half board, because of the convenience, and I hate driving in the evening. Therefore, I would like to ensure that the hotel had a good restaurant, which, from what I have read, appears to be the case with all. Does any one of these stand out in terms of cuisine?

Judging from the websites, La Terrasse appears to have better rooms, la Belle Etoile the most basic. As I will be there for 4 nights, a nice room is fairly important and I don?t mind paying more for it. Can anyone tell me about the rooms?

All appear be in a wonderful setting; is there any one that is superior to the others?

I am quite sure that there isn't a bad choice here! I would be grateful for any advice you can provide.

Thanking you in advance.

Regards Ger

Ger,

Hi, I've driven to and stayed in the Perigord region quite a few times and would recommend firstly
1)don't go half board as you'll miss the chance to experience some fantastic cuisine in different restaurants and Ferme Auberge's that are common there.
2) Look at the logis-de-france.fr website for some of the nicest and most characterful hotels in France or the Charming small hotels guide & website.
3) Don't stay in La Roque Gageac or Domme as both are rather touristy and your euro will go much further if you visit them rather than stay there.
Try Le Bugue or Montignac where you can stay at the Le Relais du Soleil d'Or for around 60 euros a night (soleil-dor.com)

Can't advise on those hotels though I know L'Esplanade in picturesque but too-tiny-to-hold-me-for-more-than-an- hour Domme.

If you have a car, though, I'd suggest daytrips upriver (east) to the far-less-known but far more interesting towns of Martel, Collonges-la-Rouge, Turenne, St. Cirq and Bretenoux.

FYI: We usually stay above Bretenoux/ Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne at a funny place, the palatial Gilded Age mansion of Chateau du Doux. Large but plain rooms; very simple meals; staffed with what I imagine are state-subventioned employees, as some are handicapped. NOT the usual -- but the mansion (with glorious pool), views and gardens are superb and it is a fine centre for car itineraries. (Great restaurants in Beaulieu, too.

Ger - another thought.
If you dislike driving in the evening (although roads will be fairly quiet much of the time) choosing slightly bigger villages or small towns will mean that there are restaurants to choose from w/o driving or having to stay half board which may limit you a little. FH

Small correction to my previous: St Cere not St Cirq -- I was momentarily distracted by seeing the name earlier on another string. Other advice still stands -- and I agree with the other writers RE their observations

OReilly,
I have made a trip similar to yours a few times and one of them was at Esplanade in Domme. The restaurant is very good and by touring the area in the daytime and returning to Domme at night you will avoid the swarms of tourists, find a parking place, and have the unsurpassed views that attracts people to Domme. Another excellent half board place(we have been 2 times) is the Pont de L'Ouysse near Lacave...in our experience one of the best restaurants in the Dordogne. Most of the Dordogne gets pretty quiet after dark and the driving on some of the tiny, winding roads with an abundance of tunnels can be best negotiated in the day time.

Hi, O'Reilly,

Like several of the other posters, I would definitely consider a trip to Domme (sunset drinks at L'Esplanade followed by dinner there is wonderful), but would consider basing elsewhere. It may be a bit further south than is optimal and also is not the esaiest place to drive to, especially at night.

Whatever you choose, however, the Dordogne is magic -- enjoy!

John H.

We stayed at several places because J. doesn't like to drive after dark. And it was a wise choice. We stayed at the moulin D'LÁbbaye outside of Brantome and in the beautiful St Cirq-lapopie, and another moulin, but I'll have to find my notes to remember.

When are you there, Ger? We were there last May and it certainly wasn't packed with tourists! As a matter of fact, it was pretty nigh tourist-free! I agree that you don't want to do half-board (but the best meal we had on our trip was at La Belle Etoile, so at least have dinner there one night!)

And if you stay in La Roque, the other towns along the river are easily accessible if you don't want the half-board route (and the driving is simple even at night) We stayed in Beynac and it was an easy drive between there and La Roque. Being way high up, instead of on the river, Domme is more isolated so you would probably be happier to go half-board there. We visited Domme early on market day and, like I said, there were VERY few tourists about (mid-May) I don't suppose www.tripadvisor has any reports on Le Belle Etoile? I know our room at Hotel Bonnet was VERY basic, alth

.... although the bathroom was quite large with a great tub, and had a lovely view. There were several other hotels in town...I didn't remember seeing them in the guidebooks. OH! I just dug out a brochure--- have you looked at Hotel Restaurant Manoir de Bellerive? [email protected]
It's four stars vs the two many of these places have.

Thank you all for your very thoughtful advice and websites. You have given me quite a bit to think about.

I will have to stick to my decision not to drive to and from restaurants at night. In addition to the fact that I will be on my own, and therefore doing all the driving, part of the dining pleasure for me is a coup du champagne before the meal and a couple of glasses of good wine during dinner. Obviously, I can't drink and drive

Best regards .. Ger

Hi Crazy4travel: to be honest, I have no recollection of Cenac, but assume it was one of the villages that lined the main road toward Domme. I didn’t explore the village at all.

“within walking distance” – probably on the map, but I had difficultly enough getting the car up that steep, winding hill to Domme, I wouldn’t dream of walking it. Although, I DID see many travelers doing it – it would be a bit like doing an hour’s stint on the threadmaster. I suggest you DRIVE up to Domme rather than walk.

I stayed in Domme in April and it was almost devoid of tourists, but I have read from various posters that know the area better than I (St. Cirq in particularly) that it is overrun during the tourist season. Therefore, your decision to stay outside the town is probably a good one. I don’t think I would have enjoyed Domme as much had I had to battle the tourist throngs. I would vote for Cenac.

I should add that I received great advice on this forum from the Dordogne experts and encourage you to post a separate thread about your plans. Hopefully, St. Cirq, who has a house in the region, will see it. She is a tremendous resource for the region.

Regards Ger

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