Well, I've done searches back for about 3 years and narrowed things down a bit. Will be driving in from the south. Thanks to this board am squeezing things to do more than one night. I can see from the pictures (and reading "The Most Beautiful Villages...&quot that a second trip will be in order. I googled La Belle Etoile, L'Esplanade, and Hotel du Chateau (Beynac). I'm leaning toward LaBelleEtoile. Any pros or cons? We'll be coming from either Carcassone or Montpelier, depending. During my 'looking around time' in the Dordogne I'd like to see Limeuil (sp)--is that a good choice? Of course, Sarlat. If we don't stay in Domme, is it a good spot to visit for the view? The pictures of La Belle Etoile look like it is right on the river. ?? A good dinner view? PS. I'm not into 2 hour dinners. It cuts into my looking around time. Thanks for any input.

hopingtotravel:

I stayed at L'Esplanade and highly recommend it. Check out my "not quite completed yet" trip report. There are links to photos. Domme is worth at least a visis.

regards ...Ger

hoping:

Even if you don't stay at the Belle Etoile, and it's a very nice place to stay, do try to have a meal there - wonderful! But two-hour (or more) meals are the norm in the Perigord, so you may have to deal with that or just eat at snack-type places.
Limeuil is OK - not one of the highlights of the region, IMO. If you've never seen an elbow bridge, it does hold that fascination, and the little haute ville with its medieval streets is nice enough. That medieval sewage problem it still suffers from in really hot weather can dampen the experience, though.
Domme has THE best view in the Périgord, so good that it is featured in every guidebook, pamphlet, tourist office wall, etc.
If you want a dining experience that isn't at all haute cuisine but features a great setting, try Le Tournepique, the restaurant that stretches out over the bridge at Castelnau. You can eat on the terrace with the river Dordogne flowing underneath you and the Château de Castelnaud all lit up in its craggy majesty above you.

Ger, I have been avidly reading (and loving) your trip report. Am awaiting the Sarlat section. For some reason I can't reply on it -- if no one else can that may be why it hasn't topped. St. Cirq -- your posts (going back for at least 3 years -- no kidding, I've been up until midnight) have been invaluable. I'll look up Tournepique and Castelnau. Please guys, keep comments coming. Thanks.

You're not into two hour dinners?! Good luck. We're pretty normal at home but in France our dinners range from two to three hours. Just consider it part of the experience or you'll go crazy.

It's kind of fun to sit back and really talk to each other!

2 beautiful places to stay in Dordogne from our experience are the Chateau dela Treyne not far from Sarlat and in the beautiful village of Brantome, the Moulin de L'Abbaye.

We stayed at the Moulin in Brantome and it is lovely. The food was excellant.

The Moulin de l'Abbaye in Brantome is great, but it's not ANYWHERE near Sarlat and environns - that's a whole other part of the Dordogne, just so you know. You would never stay there and visit Domme and Sarlat and La Roque-Gaguac, for example - WAY too far away.

This board is so great! I will look up Chateau de la Treyne too. St. Cirq, thanks for the feedback on La Belle Etoile. In looking at the map it looks like Castlenau is a tad south in west of Cahors--am I looking at the right place? We could perhaps lunch there on the way north, then take the road that goes through Gourdon. ?

Hi hoping,

I think you want Castelnaud-la-Chapelle near Sarlat on the Dordogne river.

Sorry, hoping, I inadvertently left off the "d" in Castelnaud in one of my posts. Ira is right - you want the Castelnaud that is just south of the river Dordogne, due south of Benac and west of Domme.

Sorry, hoping, that should be Beynac. Must be these new glasses!

Thanks. That would be more convenient for lunch when we're in the area. I'll look at the map again. Also, I looked up Chateau de la Treyne. What a beautiful spot! However, it looks like it might be a bit east of where I was planning to stay. Also, was planning on spending my "four star" money near St. Remy and Moustiers Ste Marie. But I will keep it on my list.

We should like to cast a strong negative vote for the Moulin de L'Abbaye in Brantome. Lunched there on our last trip to the Dordogne and I suppose that little could have gone wrong that did not go wrong capped by an overcharge on the bill. (That was at least corrected.) Its reputation is not deserved in our opinion and it does not live up to the "standards" of Relais & Chateaux. As far as we can tell these "standards" are never enforced, checked or policed.

The town of Brantome is lovely and certainly worth a visit.

Thanks for the update, Paul. I haven't been to the Moulin de l'Abbaye for a few years, and now it sounds like I can spare myself the drive back there.

PaulR, I'm sorry you had a bad experience there but we stayed there and it was very pleasant and enjoyed our dinners and were served by wonderful waiters.

Looking at maps on viamichellan.com am trying to determine how frequent the bridges are back and forth over the Dordogne in the area from Beynac/Sarlat/Domme etc.

You're talking about the Dorogne,right? Not the Vézère?

There are plenty of bridges, but some aren't for cars. There's a bridge at Castelnaud, one at Domme, one at Siorac, one at Coux-et-Bigaroque, one at Lalinde, one at Limeuil, one at Allas-les-Mines, one at St-Julien, and one at Souillac.

We spent a week in le Bugue last month.
We also found the Michelin maps confusing regarding the bridges. We really relied on the signage instead of the map. In France, the villages/cities are so well signed we just looked for our next destination as we left a spot and wound up back and forth over the river quite easily.
We really loved this area of France and can't wait to return. Font du Gaume was probably the highlight of our trip.
Whatever you see or do, there will always be lots you've missed and a reason to return! Have a wonderful trip!

Thanks. I was just making sure one wouldn't be stuck driving an hour or so on one side or the other of the river then having to backtrack to see what we were looking for.