Help!!....Vieux Quercy in Carennac closed down
 

I was reconfirming my reservations that I made last July....as I always do as I book so far in advance. I just got a message back from the Vieux Quercy in Carennac that they have been closed down due to safety concerns.

We are staying our first night not far from Peche Merle...plan to visit Figeac and Rocamadour that day and were going to end up in Carennac spending that night and the next day. Our plan on day two would be to visit Goffre de Padric, Autoire, Loubressac, St Cere and Chateau Castelnau-Bretenoux.

I am looking for suggestions. Should we perhaps stay at the Logis in Carennac or stay somewhere nearby possibly St. Cere. I am looking for hotel recommendations. I recall someone mentioning Grammat had a nice option.

The other thought is to spend a night in Rocamadour and the next night somewhere closer to Carennac or St. Cere. I know moving can be a pain but the atmosphere in Rocamadour might be interesting at night.

Your help is appreciated.

ttt

If you are ending your day at Castelnau-Bretenoux, you are very close to Beaulieu sur Dordogne. Between Bretenoux and Beaulieu -- basically on the outskirts of Beaulieu -- there is a road up to the Chateau du Doux.

Chateau du Doux is a hotel, transformed from a grand private house built 100 years ago by (I believe) a rich man from South America.

The Chateau is a superb building of the Gilded Age. Its grounds/ gardens are equally superb and include a fine swimming pool. The views are extraordinary.

However, as hotels go, it is quite simple in its furnishing and the breakfasts are rather plain.

As I understand it, this place is state-subsidized and offers employment to handicapped people.

So: It's not for everyone. Scarcely like a "real" hotel at all. But we have stayed there 3-4 times.

Let me repeat: The setting and the well-preserved house itself are like dropping into The Great Gatsby (or some French equivalent).

For dinner, you descend by car into Beaulieu, to one of several fine restaurants there.

(Beaulieu is much nicer than Bretenoux, IMO).

I'de stay somewhere in the St Cere area to minimize your driving (although that's a very scenic area to drive around in). There's lots of hotels in the St Cere area. We actually stayed in the town of St Cere, but had a very nice dinner at the more "upscale" hotel/restaurant Les Trois Soleils de Montal - just a few Ks outside of St Cere. It's a Michelin 1 star restaurant. Rooms are reasonable priced (85/145 in the '06 Michelin guide).

Stu Dudley

Thank you for feedback tedgale. I have been looking at Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne. I'll have a closer look at the Hotel le Chateau du Doux. There was also a very good deal at the Le Manior de Beaulieu for 58 Euros per night including breakfast.

Thank you Stu....I have heard mixed reviews about St. Cere but I certainly haven't ruled it out.

We've visited St Cere twice - and enjoyed it both times. As you know, we spend 2 months in France each year, visiting different areas & exploring towns like St Cere - so we've probably spent time in hundreds of villages the size of St Cere. Michelin gives it a 1 star rating - the same as Carennac & Martel, although I think the latter are "cuter". It's not a tourist town, so there is commerce there for the locals - which adds a little flavor to the town. There is a very nice "old" section, and there's even a walking itinerary in the Michelin guide & a picture of a few cross-timbered buildings in the main square in St Cere.

Stu Dudley

Thanks for that additional info Stu. We'll take a closer look as the Le Manior de Beaulieu is sold out for our dates. I am not too keen about the Logis in Carennac as St. Cirq mentioned that the bells toll all night. I've had that twice on previous travels and being a light sleeper....it doesn't work well for me.

Thanks again....any more suggestions from other people who are familar with this area would be greatly appreciated.

Last June, we stayed a week in a house in Carennac, which was lovely, but our favorite town in the area was nearby Loubressac. Loubressac has a cute small old town and gorgeous views of the valley -- we spent an hour just sitting on a bench looking at the panorama -- as well as some lovely cottage gardens. There is a hotel in Loubressac (don't remember the name -- it is on the main square, but a web search turned up the Inter-hotel Le Relais De Castelnau). We found Autoire to be missable -- doesn't compare to the other "plus beaux" villages in the area but loved Collonges la Rouge. Drove through Martel several times and always wanted, but never had time, to stop there.

Thank you gabriele...I saw that hotel Loubressac and will take another look. The hotel looks fairly basic but the setting is lovely.

gabriele...just a note to let you know that we ended up booking the Le Relais De Castelnau in Loubressac. Thank you for your feedback on the area. The town looks really cute.