Hi All:

You were all so helpful last year on my first Perigord trip, I was hoping you could help me choose where to stay one night next August.

We are going back and again taking the slow road from Uzes to Bordeaux. We will stay 4 nights in Uzes and 1 night in St. Cirq Lapopie and then on to Sarlat for 3 nights and 1 night in Brantome. I want to stop for a night between Uzes and St Cirq. My hubby wants to see the bridge in Millau. So I would love your thoughts on where to stop. I was thinking either Rodez, Figeac or Conques. I would also love thoughts on hotels but don't want to spend the price of some of the relais chateaux choices listed already in the threads-more likely Logis de France or Hotel Le Pont d'Or level in Figeac. I would like to keep it under 125 euros/night. Any strong preference between the towns if you had just the one night?

Thanks!

JPie

bookmarking.

We've spent a considerable amount of time in this area. Unfortunatly, it's late here in San Francisco, my wife is out of town attending to sick parents, and I've had a lot of wine. I'll try to get back to you tomorrow. In the mean time, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll send you my Languedoc Itinerary.

Stu Dudley

We spent three weeks in this area last year. It all depends on how big a place you like to visit: Rodez is by far the biggest, at about 25000 folk. Figeac has about 10,000 and Conques is tiny at about 500. I though Figeac was the best place to visit though the cathedral at Rodez is well-worth a glance. Figeac would also be easiest to drive into, and park therein. Each place is splendid in its own way.

Hi jp,

I would recommend against staying in Rodez. It was the site of the only smog we saw on our visit.

Figeac is a lovely town.

Conques is set high (very high) on a hill. Great views.

We loved the Moulin de Cambelong, just outside Conques. It was 200E for a room for the night and an excellent dinner and bkfst for 2.

http://www.moulindecambelong.com/

See my trip report: http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34676645

I love Figeac, but it is very close to St Cirq Lapopie, so you won't be in any "new territory". I think the prettiest areas between Uzes & St Cirq are the Tarn Gorge and along the Lot river near Estaing. Rodez is OK, and it's home to one of my favorite restaurants, but these other two spots are much more interesting. Conques, of course, is remarkable, but it's close to St Cirq again so your travels won't be evenly paced from one day to the next.

In the Gorges du Tarn, Ste Enimie is a very cute medieval village, and has at least one hotel within your price range.

Along the Lot between St Geniez & Estaing, there are several "family run" hotels that also have excellent restaurants. Here is how my wife described our meal at one of them:

St Fleuret in Estaing –(9/04)
St Fleuret was a simple dining room, but, as always, very pleasant in an understated sort of way. We both started with an Amuse Bouche of eggplant and tuna caviar in a glass topped with julienned red cabbage
I had the menu a 22E
- Troute marinee pate with leeks (not pureed, but chopped & molded) served on a bed of sautéed leeks, all with tapenade vinaigrette.
- Daurade in a layered presentation: spinach, a thin seasoned crisp, the daurade, curled lengths (like cut with a mandolin) of sautéed zucchini, all served with a red bell pepper coulis seasoned with cayenne
- cheese from the chariot
- For dessert, I had the tulipe – thin pastry with warm caramel on the bottom, topped with glazed strawberries & vanilla ice cream
Stu (le gourmand!) had the menu a 50E
- two lobes of sautéed foie gras speared with a split vanilla bean & an apple tarte tatin & a small arugula salad with mustard seed dressing & stripes of molasses & vinegar reduction sauces
- A roulade of trout stuffed with chopped pig’s feet (yes, this sounds weird, but Stu insists it was fantastic). This was served with perfectly cooked zucchini, carrot, Chinese eggplant, bok choy. The trout was on a bed of veal stock reduction
- Riz d’agneau with whole ecrevisse & vegetables with lemon beurre blanc
- Rare pigeon stuffed with forcemeat, and lardons sprinkled on top. Accompanying the pigeon were caramelized celery & snow peas. Also, a side of “pounti” – a regional specialty that resembles an herbed potato pancake.
- Cheese from the chariot
- For desserts, Stu had a chocolate tart topped with chestnut ice cream and a vanilla froth with raspberries
All in all, this was an exceptional meal – incredible creative with lots of vegetables that we don’t usually see here (such as the Asian items). We had a bottle of Cotes de Provence and ½ Cahors red, plus a liter of Badoit. Total 102E

End of my wife's dinner description.

We've vacationed for 6 weeks in areas between Uzes & St Cirq. The 35+ page itinerary for the Languedoc I mentioned in an earlier post, describes our favorite villages, scenic routes, restaurants, etc. E-mail me if you want a copy.

Stu Dudley

Hi All:

Stu-I do have your reports for the areas-I got them last year. Thanks. I think you are right that maybe Figeac and Conques may be too close to St Cirq. So I will start looking more over towards the Cevennes.

Thanks again all!

Jpie