french honeymoon at christmas
 

my wife and i (both in our 20's) will be celebrating our honeymoon in france during christmas this year. we have a budget of about 4000, and we definately want to stay in paris for a few days. we will be in france for about 8-10 days and are wondering how best to spend our money.
which is the better experience...a nice hotel in paris, or a luxurious chateau in the mountains. we would definately like to stay in a chateau during the winter. does anyone have any recommendations for a romantic winter experience in a chateau?
concerning paris...
we would like to take in all the sights, but don't want to spend all of our money on a hotel when it appears that most parisian hotels have small rooms. we are basically interested in a room that is clean, warm, charming and has a view. any help would be greatly appreciated.

Keep in mind that many châteaux are centuries old and not all that easy to heat during the winter months. You'd want a fairly up-market one probably, such as those in the Relais et Châteaux group. Not many of those are in the mountains, however--which mountains are you thinking of?

If you haven't already, I'd check out www.karenbrown.com and www.specialplacestostay.com.

I've found their recommendations very reliable, and they both list several inns in the chateau category.

We were in Paris last Christmas on one of those incredibly priced Virgin Vacations deals ($1400 for two for air fare and hotel for 6 nights). We got very lucky in our hotel room at the Mercure Ronceray, which was small but clean and warm, and did have an amazing view -- you can see it here:
http://www.rozault.com/Paris2003/sou...fromhotel.html
Huge breakfasts were also included in the price.

I don't know that I'd go back there though if it weren't part of a deal, because it wasn't really a charming neighborhood -- not a bad one, just not as romantic as the Left Bank.

The Left Bank hotel we stayed in on our previous trip was wonderful -- Hotel des Grandes Ecoles. No sweeping views of the city, but very pleasant views into their garden courtyard, and very reasonably priced. You can see that view here:
http://www.aultdesign.com/FrancePGA/.../source/41.htm

A friend recommends the Château de Mercues in the Dordogne.

Thanks for all the help. We would like to be near the mountains for a couple of nights as well. Any suggestions on chateaux near the alps?
We are also considering travelling to the riviera. We have about 10 tens of travel time, so we can navigate throughout the country. Any suggestions on accomodations/activities in the Nice/Monaco area as well?

If you like driving France is a great country for it. There are lots of small towns and scenery. It just doesn't seem like a good waqy to start a marriage. The movie "Two for the Road" keeps coming to mind. Paris is probably the most romantic city in the world and IMHO you should spend most of your honeymoon there. A three or four day trip to the Alps is all that I would add.

..dont even think about driving to Nice unless you want one of the shortest marriages on record...a fast auto route with not a lot of redeeming features... take the tgv! then rent a car if you wish to "wander"..these short drives are fun and allow you to explore.

Does that $4000 include airfare? If so, how much will be left for everything else?

There don't appear to be very many châteaux-hotels in the Alps region; most of the hotels there are chalet-style. The Dordogne/Lot region appears to have the most chateaux in mountainous regions; check out the Relais & Châteaux web site. Another possibility would be the Chateaux & Hotels de France site. I did a quick scan, and a fair number of the hotels close on December 1st; you might need to think about something closer to Paris, where the season is longer. One that looks quite nice is the Château de la Treemblaye, in Cholet/Loire Valley.

Sorry, make that Tremblaye. (Waiting for new computer glasses!)

I don't know the French Alps area, but I don't think the wealthy French families and royals who built chateaux tended to build them in mountain areas.

I know nothing about these, but I did find a couple, for what it's worth (although the first is not necessarily luxurious):

http://www.chateau-alpes.com/

http://www.slh.com/france/divonneles...on_divdiv.html

After reading several posts on this board, i'm realizing that most people would recommend a french honeymoon that concentrated mostly on Paris, with maybe a short excursion to the Loire Valley. Does anyone disagree? How far will $3000 go in Paris over a ten day period?

Far enough, as long as you choose a moderately priced hotel and don't plan more than one "splurge" dinner. Start looking at orbitz for good hotel deals, preferably in the sixth arrondissement.

For Paris hotels you should also check the slh.com website. But these are pretty expensive hotels yet there are specials around.

I would think you should be able to get a good deal this far in advance -- yes it is Christmas time, but...it's NOT the high tourist season. I'd stay in the St Germain area -- we loved Grand Hotel des Balcons -- it won't break your budget, yet it is romantic and comfy and WELL LOCATED. I would also try to find a very cool side trip to the Loire Valley -- haven't been there myself, but I bet it is possible...

In Paris, we like to skimp a bit on hotel costs and splurge on meals...however a wonderful meal in Paris can be had for about 20% less than a wonderful meal in NYC or DC.

Congrats on your wedding. I would suggest renting a apartment from ParisPerfect while in Paris. Beautifully decorated,quaint,and a full apartment in great locations.Pick up some wine,local fresh cheeses and breads or dinner to spend the day or evening in or out.

Just been thinking of the Ile St. Louis today. There are four hotels there and I gather that only two hotels are really good: Hotel de Lutece and Hotel des Deux Iles. I mean you can get a double room for about 158 euro. For this location it's really inexpensive.

The other two hotels, one is quite expensive and lots of people say it's not worth it for value, the Hotel Jeu de Paume and the other hotel is Hotel St. Louis which has the typical tiny rooms but read that the rooms aren't well-maintained. Also they ask for one night's (unrefundable!) deposit.

Christmas is actually high tourist season in Paris, as far as hotels are concerned. Christmas to NY hotel rates are higher in Paris at that time than any other (matched or followed by early Fall or peak business periods). You won't be able to cut deals.

Hotels also don't give discounts around New Years also.

How about Annecy for a place near the Alpes? I've not been there so I can't speak from firsthand experience, but it's supposed to be a beautiful town on the lake, with view of the mountains, which are only about 1/2 hr. away. I understand there are some lovely hotels in the area, too. Maybe somebody who's been there will pick up on this and supply more details.

I have been to Annecy and found it quite charming. Sorry, I'm from Hawaii, so I don't know that I'd find it so quaint in the winter.

Paris is a fairyland of lights in December. I'd spend the bulk of the time there, then take day trip out of the city. The Loire would also be nice for a few days.