astein12

Hey All!

We'll I think that I've pretty much finalized my France trip (10 nights... Oct 13-23)... any sanity checks, advice on local attractions, places to eat, scenic hikes/walks, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

- Fly to CDG. Arrive 8am. Pick up rental car (Europcar through Kemwel).

- Drive to Burgundy. Stay 3 nights at Le Monestier in St-Denis-de-Vaux. Having dinner at the B&B on the 1st night.

- Drive to Provence. Stay 3 nights at La Bastide de Capelongue in Bonnieux. LuxuryLink package including breakfast and dinner. We'd like to do some hiking in the area. Any suggestions appreciated.

- Drive 1/2 way back towards Paris. Stay 1 night. Not 100% sure where. Any suggestions appreciated!

- Drive to Paris. Drop car at airport and take train back to city. Thoughts on this?

- Stay 3 nights at the Westin Paris (Starwood award. yeah, I've read some questionable reviews, but was able to get a deluxe, non-smoking, tower-view king for $0, so gotta go with it). Any ideas for places to eat around the hotel?

- Fly back to US at 1:45pm, Oct 23.

Thanks in advance!

astein12

BTW... does anyone know what gas prices are in France at the moment?

RonZ

Contact the Bastide de Capelongue and ask if "Simione" is available--it is a very large room designed for handicapped access. The other rooms are small. Great hotel, by the way.

Have one dinner at the Auberge la Feniere--25 minutes from the hotel. Just past Lourmarin on the road to Cadanet.

PBProvence

Gasoline prices change quite often, but yesterday I paid 1.29€ per litre for premium lead-free (98) at the Intermarché in St. Rémy.

Patricia

astein12

Ron and Patricia... thanks for the info!

ira

Hi A,

May I suggest that instead of driving for about 3hr on major highways in a jet-lagged condition, that you go into Paris and take the train to Dijon, pick up your car there and then drive to St-Denis-de-Vaux?

It will no take any longer.

astein12

Ira,

Thanks for the suggestion. We did look into that and it turned out significantly cheaper to rent in Paris.

We've actually gotten pretty good at sleeping on red-eye flights and have done similar drives after the flights in other countries. Being out in the car in daylight (and doing some sightseeing along the way) tends to orient me better to the time change in any case.

Thanks for the idea!

Michael

Since you are coming back from southern France, I would drop the car off at Orly; or maybe even Dijon and train the rest of the way (look for PREM tickets on http://www.sncf.fr/indexe.htm).

astein12

Hey Michael,

Thanks for the idea on the car rental. I did look into it, but the one way rental was somewhat cost prohibitive.

Thx!

RonZ

"Drive to Paris. Drop car at airport and take train back to city. Thoughts on this?"

Anyone will tell you this is a bad idea, but you are sacrificing enjoyment for the sake of saving some money and are free to do that.

RonZ

Regarding the Westin, one of our favorite little restaurants is about a block away--Le Souffle on rue du Mont Thabor. Check it out.

astein12

RonZ,

Thanks for the info... I'll definitely check out the restaurant.

As for dropping the car at the airport, is it really that big of a hassle? Am I missing something?

Thx,
Alan

RonZ

Personal opinion of course, but a lot of the trip is spent just driving from one place to another, and much of this driving is just on the autoroutes. The time available for local atractions, scenic hikes, and the like is less than it could be.

I would take a train one way, drive the other. Or:

3 nights in Paris, TGV to Avignon and rent a car.

3 nights in Bonnieux.

3 nights in Burgundy

Last night in Dijon, staying near the station at the Jura hotel.

Early TDV to CDG, arriving in Terminal 2 at 8:21am.

Michael

I do not know about the standard rental companies, but dropping off my leased Renault was very easy. The location was off-site, signage was decent, and they provided a shuttle back to the airport.

astein12

Thanks Ron and Michael,

Still looking at a few alternatives.

Most of my hotels are booked at this point, but I'm looking at picking up the car at CDG, driving south, eventually leaving the car in Dijon and then taking the train to Paris.

Thanks again,
Alan

RonZ

Good...that's a better plan.

Very pretty countryside around St-Denis-de-Vaux. One possible excursion would be to Brancion and then the Comartin Chateau.

astein12

Thanks for the info, Ron... I'll definitely look into it.

RonZ

If you plan an excursion to Moustiers-ste-Marie while in Bonnieux, make a lunch reservation at Les Santons.