Nicole

Hello everyone, <BR> <BR>I am starting to plan a honeymoon for April 2001. We are not sure how long it will be yet - probably anywhere from 11 to 15 days. We plan to go to Paris for at least 4-5 nights. My main question about Paris is where to stay. I have searched this board for hotel info and found some good recommendations. But I'd still like to ask again -- mainly I'd like to know WHY you liked a particular hotel (friendliness of staff, size of room, furnishing, cleanliness, etc). Our budget is around $150/night and we were thinking of the 5th, 6th, or 7th arrondissements because I get the impression they have a lot of charm. <BR> <BR>We would like to spend the rest of the trip in fairly small towns (we plan to drive). One idea is driving up to Brugge, Belgium, as I hear it is beautiful. Any one know how long the drive is? Suggestions for romantic three-star hotels in Brugge? <BR> <BR>We would also like to visit the Burgundy region (any suggestions for pretty towns to stay in?). We don't want to have a hectic itinerary, and I wonder if Paris, Burgundy region, and Brugge is too much for 2 weeks. Any comments? <BR> <BR>I've been reading (and once in a while contributing to) this board for almost 3 years now and think it's a great source of information for travelers. Thanks for any help you can give me. <BR> <BR>Nicole

Rex

Nicole, <BR> <BR>Congratulations on your upcoming plans. <BR> <BR>I'll offer a suggestion or two for making your budget go as far as possible without having to give up too much luxury. <BR> <BR>First, I think it's a great idea to have a car. Keep in mind that the 6th and 7th nights of a car rental are "free" but then the 8th-12th nights are just like starting over again. So I think it makes sense to have a single rental of 7 days for a 11-15 day trip - - or alternatively, you might prefer to have one 7-day rental and a separate 3-day rental. <BR> <BR>I do not think you are trying to do too much - - if anything, you may find that you can spread 3 days "around" Bruges - - check out Ghent, Leuven and/or Maastricht (NL), for example. There is probably more of interest IN Belgium than BETWEEN Paris and Belgium - - so why not ride the Thalys to Brussels - - at least one direction - - and rent the car there (say, for 3 days in Belgium only and turn it back in there). Or if you want to keep your rental to 7 days total, you can rent in Lille and turn that car back in Paris. <BR> <BR>To keep your lodging budget under control, you will be wise to keep Paris to 4 nights (or even just three?) and add more onto the Burgundy segment perhaps. Burgundy is actually a big place, and there is a lot to like in 100 mile circles around Lyon and Dijon. There are some charming places to stay on the website www.chateauxandcountry.com (see Longsard, as just one great example). <BR> <BR>On your way back towards Paris, between Dijon and Gien is a neat place called Auberge La Beursaudiere in the town of Nitry. They specialize in a cuisine unique to that area called morvandais - - with lots of things poached in red wine (try the hard-boiled eggs!) They don't seem to have an internet presence, but I can post the telephone and address if you want it. <BR> <BR>Last of all, I recommend www.logis-de-france.fr for hundreds of smaller, affordable places - - you can literally print yourself a directory, departement by departement off their website - - if you prefer the "see where we land tonight" approach. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex

woody & debbie

congratulations nicole. we are getting married this october and planning similar honeymoon. we're planning 3 days in paris (i agree with other response.. you don't really need five days in the city).. then loire valley, maybe beaujolais, but ending with few days on cote d'azur, driving the whole way, hoping to ditch car maybe in nice, and taking train back to paris just for the fun of the trainride. have no other useful info rite this second, but since our trips are similar, going to save your email, maybe we can swamp more specific notes.. we just starting our plans now, too. you will have advantage, haha, of us making a mistake first. goodluck!

Nicole

To Rex: thanks for all the great advice - very useful information! To Woody and Debbie: congratulations on your upcoming marriage, and keep me posted on your vacation plans since they are somewhat similar to mine. <BR> <BR>Is there anyone else out there with advice? I am still interested in hearing about recommendations for specific hotels in Paris especially, but also Brugge. If you have a recommendation, please tell me why you liked the room (decor, size, cleanliness, etc.) and the general price range. <BR> <BR>Thanks for all help.

Abby

Bonjour, <BR> <BR>I spent two weeks in France and Germany two summers ago (early July). My fiance and I both loved Paris and stayed there for about five days. We also travelled by train to the south of France to stay in Avignon for four days. We loved it! We actually stayed at the most quaint, converted farmhouse (La Ferme) on the island adjacent to Avignon. We're talking fields of huge sunflowers, lavender, apple trees, and bike rides through it all! Absolutely romantic and quiet on the island, plus exploring the small city of Avignon was fun as well. We rented bikes and packed a picnic one evening to watch the sunset over the river--absolutely gorgeous! (Only thing is, I'm not sure about the flowers, sun, etc. during April). We also rented motorbikes and journeyed slightly north to wine country from Avignon. Especially loved the Chateau Neuf du Pape region. I would consider going to the south of France for awhile during your honeymoon. (not to give you too many choices!) Have fun!!!

Cindy

Nicole: Congratulations! It sounds like you have a fabulous honeymoon planned! You'll find lots of useful info in the forums about Paris. I can't recommend any hotels in your price range - I usually stay in Paris for longer periods of time and try to keep my cost to around $110/night - but can tell you that you will love Brugges! I stayed at a FABULOUS hotel called the Hansa Hotel. Wonderful room, terrific staff, great breakfast, outstanding location. Everything within Brugges is walkable from here. The only drawback: it's not directly on a canal, which may or may not be important to you. (Personally, I wasn't in my room that much, so being right on a canal wasn't at the top of my list.) Brugges is truly lovely and romantic, with warm and friendly people, good food and fabulous architecture. I don't know how long the drive is from Paris (I took the TGV train to Brussels and transferred from there), but if you do have a car, try to venture out to Ghent and Antwerp, both very cool cities. If you'd like more info, feel free to email me directly.

Jen

Congrats Nicole! <BR> <BR>My husband and I went to Paris and Provence for our honeymoon. 4 years ago and went back last fall. <BR> <BR>Our favorite hotel in Paris (he's stayed in a couple) is the Hotel Buci Latin on Rue de Buci in the 6th. Why - the place is modern and trendy and 'fashionably' decorated. The beds are the most comfortable with huge down pillows and comforters. Each room door is painted - sometimes wildly - by different artists. They are extremely accommodating and will hunt down dinner reservations for you. The location can't be beat - 4 blocks from the Seine - steps from St. Germain. It's in the middle of great restaurants - pricey ones and moderate ones. Next to our favorite wine bar and the daily Buci market - grab lunch and head to a park for a picnic. It's not much to look at from the outside - but heaven inside. Around $180 per night last we were there for a king bed with shower bath. Rooms are not big - but when are the rooms big in Paris - but bigger than most and tastefully done. I would say though it is not 'charming' but very comfortable. <BR> <BR>Try http://www.parishotels.com/ as a good site to check it out - the Buci is in there as well as www.designhotels.com. <BR> <BR>Enjoy Nicole - and if you would like any restaurant recs, I'd be happy to help there too! <BR> <BR>Bon voyage!

brent & stacey

Nicole, <BR> <BR>Congrats you'll enjoy. As mentioned Paris is grand for a few days. We spent two weeks in France late last spring and highly recommend two places. In Paris, the Arc de Triomphe Etoile (17th) is 250-300 yards north of the arc. The family owned hotel can be reached @ 01 43 80 36 94 @ 3 rue de l'Etoile. You can catch the Metro (subway) to any place in Paris in a few minutes for a clean / good price. I think we paid +- $120 for a nice sized room, modern furniture, sitting area and private bath. The location is great and Arc spectacular at night. <BR> <BR>If you travel to Burgandy it's quite a drive from Paris. We stayed just outside the village of Tournus at a the most friendly country house. Look up Marie-Lawrence and Bernard at Demmesey.com for an out of the way, most friendly retreat. Day trips to Beaune, Beaujolais and south are easily reached for a 4-5 day trip. Lyon is VERY industrialized. <BR> <BR>I'd recommend the TGV as mentioned elsewhere and possibly visit the Bourdeax region and the wines of St. Emilion. Not all in one trip though ! <BR> <BR>Brugges I'm not sure about and am actually looking for recommendations about Belgium tonight. We'll be in England and want to take 4 day excusion. Forward any good info! <BR> <BR>Best of Luck! <BR>bb

wes fowler

Nicole, <BR>The drive from Paris to Bruges is between three and a half and four hours depending upon the traffic, which can be quite dense with commercial vehicles. The ride is hardly scenic! For a truly lovely family owned and operated hotel in Bruges, take a look at the website www.terduinenhotel.be What you see is what you get. The rooms are as depicted; we've stayed in four of them over the years and their size, cleanliness, brightness and decor are ideal. The morning breakfast in a lovely dining room will be a highlight of your day - at least until you sample mussels in wine sauce and one of the Belgian beers.

jane

Enjoy Brugge! Take a boat trip down the canals and enjoy their museums- although not as 'big' as the museums in Paris, we enjoyed the smaller nature. We stayed at Di Swanne (spelling?) Very nice. one night's dinner required for a stay. Take your calculator- that was one of the most expensive dinners we'd had! We were still thinking Dutch currency!

Carol

Congratulations Nicole. Bruges is a beautiful and romantic place (in the evenings and early morning before the tourist invasion). If I were going, I'd definitely want a hotel on the canal. I wish I had one to recommend.

Dawn

We did a similar trip 2 years ago this month but for only 8 nights. We flew into Paris and drove directly to Brugge which took about 3 hours (though I don't know how fast my husband was driving when I was sleeping) check out the web site cwlease.com for distances from city to city. We stayed at a B&B brugge which I wouldn't recommend but I can recommend getting lots of chocolate at Dumon chocolatier...yum. We took a day trip to the Netherlands and hung around Brugge which is amazingly beautiful. We then drove to a chateau B&B outside of Paris called chateau de jonvilliers which was wonderful. Then on to Paris where we stayed in the 7th at hotel champ du mars which we thought was great...especially the chocolate almond croissants on the corner. This is a really lovely area with a big market everyday. I would recommend this area. Have a wonderful time and congrats!!

Mikki

Just wanted to ditto a previous message...We stayed at the Hansa Hotel also June and highly reccommend it...great service, location, etc.

Maria

I don't have a lot of information on hotels, but did want to mention that the weather in April in Paris is cool and can be wet. I would definitely consider seeing the Arles/Avignon area. The weather is gorgeous and the area has a lot of Roman ruins if you're into the history of the area. If you are driving, you can also spend a day wine tasting on the way down.

Diana

Nicole- <BR>I LOVE Brugge! I have a good friend who lives in Brugge (where I stay) so I haven't a hotel recommendation but for dinner I would certainly suggest De Tassche on oude burg in Brugges (they have a hotel too, but I as I said, can't vouch for the room) Great food, cozy but classy decor. Also, I had the best ice cream in my life in Brugge - yum. It is a great town for strolling but not enough for a long visit. Good luck. <BR>

Caitlin

In Paris, I recommend the Hotel des Jardins du Luxembourg, where I stayed in April. It is in the 5th arr., right near the Jardin du Luxembourg, and a few blocks from the Pantheon and Sorbonne. We walked most places from there, and it is around the corner from the Luxembourg RER station. It is on a small cul-de-sac and is very quiet. It is small (27 rooms) and very charming and "French." The rooms are small, but the bathrooms are quite large by European standards and are done in light wood and colorful mosaic tile with nifty porcelain basins. Ours had a seven-nozzle shower! The lobby and breakfast room are also very nice and quite charming. We stayed in a room with a private street entrance that was larger than most, I believe, but some rooms on the higher floors have views. It will be about $120 a night. There are photos you can preview (entirely accurate, I might note; one is of the room we stayed in) at www.travelinparis.com and www.pariserve.com. The staff was friendly and helpful and the reception staff speaks English.