swagman, we stayed in one of the houses Carlux manages in Sarlat last June and cannot speak too highly of the house or of the help Carlux provided. We loved being in town, especially in the evening, but found Carlux the village very appealing. It's a win-win situation.

My advice would be to stay longer in the Dordogne and less time further north. Perigueux is an easy daytrip from either Sarlat or Carlux.

We had a wonderful lunch at Le Vieux Logis. Try to see the movie "Le Boucher" before you visit Tremolat!

For photos and descriptions of the Dordogne and our dining experiences there you might find my trip report helpful. It's rather lengthy but you each segment is titled so you can skip through to the places of interest.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34839073

For Swagman: Sorry I didn't answer your earlier question about the weather, although I don't know how useful that would be. (We were in Sicily, where there doesn't seem to be any easy Internet connection). So, regarding weather, Thursday was very hot, around 31 degrees, with thunderstorm at night. Friday very hot again, probably 32, again with thunderstorm. Today, Saturday, down to about 18 degrees and raining. Illustrates the difficulty with extrapolating weather information, or even trying to judge from one day to the next.

However, I do agree with others who have said that you should spend as much time in the Dordogne (Perigord) area as you can. We have been here for 13 years, and have not yet found an area that we like as much. Also have not yet seen everything in the area!

jes3...think you made a sound decision if you booked in Carlux. We found the traffic congestion around Sarlat quite frustrating. There is some road work going on right now down the main throughway which is making traffic even worse. I can imagine in high season it must be bumper to bumper.

We had a wonderful lunch at the Vieux Logis in Tremolat. We weren't aware that the Tapas menu is only available on weekdays. On weekends the only available menu is 65.00 Euros or you can eliminate one main course and that reduces the cost to 49.00 Euros. The food and service were both outstanding. The weekday menu would be a very good value for the cost of 34.00 to 36.00 Euros depending on the menu choice. We could have easily changed our plans had we known but in any case were glad that we had included it in our plans.

There is often roadwork going on in Sarlat especially at this time of year as they try to finish things before the 'high' season starts in mid July. However, there are ways to get around the outskirts, that we let our guests know. For instance, we look after houses in the northern part of the downtown area, and luckily live just off the D47, which is the best way to get to that area, (and from Sarlat to Souillac, avoiding the congestion in the centre of town.) I have to admit that I did just look up the road number. After 13 years here, like everyone else I just call it 'the road through St. Nathalene.' You hardly ever hear a resident referring to a road number.

Glad you liked the Vieux Logis. I try to make it clear to everyone in my comments that it is weekday lunch only - in fact we were there a few weeks ago and it was 34 euros. Never heard of a 36 euro option. I'm sure dinner was good,but not only is lunch cheaper, but we find the many small and varied course a really nice way to eat, and to taste lots of things.

We would have liked to avoid the route we took through Sarlat to get to and from Cenac both times. Not knowing the area we didn't know which way to go to avoid the main road. Luckily both times we found parking quite easily. The first time we paid for parking in the big lot at the foot of the old town. The second time we parked free in a lot across from the Coulverine Hotel (Sp?).

The 34 Euro tapas menu at Vieux Logis said it was available for lunch only weekdays. The 36 Euros menu, which was a chef creation multi course meal, indicated weekdays for lunch or dinner. Our lunch bill was 138 Euros with wine and pre dinner drinks. It was one of the best meals on our trip and quite memorable...so worth every penny. We counted 13 different food items we were served but yet we weren't stuffed. I've heard very good things about the tapas menu so we were a little disappointed at first but quickly got over it after the amuse bouche arrived....every morsel was delightful.

crazy4travel, moolyn: thank you both for such interesting trip reports. I just hope we will have enough time to eat at the many wonderful restaurants mentioned! (including La Meynardie annieladd, already on our list)
An update on our plans: due to some early communication problems, we did not book the house in Carlux. Instead we followed the link here to the yourfriendsinfrance site, and booked one of the houses managed by Carlux the person!
Le Vignal, near Beynac will be our home for eleven nights. Being outside the main tourist season (early October) we hope the roads will be quieter, especially around towns like Sarlat.
Lunch is booked at Le Vieux Logis (on a saturday, so no tapas menu). Closer to the time, they will send us a copy of their seasonal set menu to consider, and have offered to cater for our party if there are any regional dishes we especially want to try.
We have extended our time in Dordogne from seven to eleven nights. This leaves only one night en route from Paris. We think we will take the morning TGV from the airport to Angouleme and hire a car from there. First stop Brantome: as it will be a Monday and the Moulin d'Abbaye restaurant will be closed, we chose to stay at the Moulin du Roc, where we can also have dinner (if we can stay awake!) Can't wait!

jes3....sounds like your plans are shaping up well. You'll love the region and I'm sure it won't be too busy while you're there. We had only a few traffic jams to contend with and it wasn't so bad.

The weekend menu at the Vieux Logis is 65 Euros per person unless you eliminate a course in which case it's 45 Euros per person. The food and service were wonderful.

Sorry....that should of said 49 Euros if you eliminate one of the two main courses.

yes, that was what we were quoted by the restaurant. As it is a special celebration, we are happy to pay more for the full experience.
The restaurant also mentioned the option of a menu including wines selected to complement each course, though not how much that would cost. I have noticed other restaurants offer fixed price menus inclusive of wines. Is this a good idea? We will be new to the area and certainly in need of advice regarding local wines.

I would certainly ask them for a price before committing to the menu including wine. This kind of menu can be quite good, but sometimes quite pricey too.

However, when you're at the restaurant,if you don't know the wine of the area, the sommelier can recommend wine that will go with the meal. He or she will ask you what kind of wine you like, and try to find one that suits - and often not the most expensive one.

I didn't see many menus that included the wine selections. I agree with Carlux that I would ask upfront what the cost would be unless price is no object for you.

The rose wine that the restaurant suggested at the Vieux Logis turned out to be the best of our trip. We couldn't seem to find it elsewhere. I think it's better to rely on recommendations when you're not familar with the local brands.

A menu including wines appealed because it could simplify things on the day with a small group to order for. I would certainly ask how much it would cost, and expect to be told what wines were being offered. However, it's good to hear that the sommeliers will not necessarily steer you to the most expensive wines.