We are planning a 8-10 day tour through central France this fall (coming in from Switzerland and ending up at friends' farm north of Paris). Between the four of us we have "done" the Loire, Burgundy, Dordogne, Languedoc-Roussillon, and Provence, and want to see some new places.

We plan to cut across and spend a few days in the Dordogne, then explore the Massif Central on our way north. I have seen suggestions for a few must-see towns (and plenty of suggestions for cheese!), but does anyone have specific recommendations for hotels and/or restaurants?

About 3 years ago we stayed in a wonderful Chambres d'Hotes in Arlanc - Ma Cachette (www.ma-cachette.com)It is situated in the National park and very close to towns like Ambert and Le Puy .....

We were really impressed - the rooms are so big - the bathrooms enormous - and the service excellent! They also serve a dinner to die for - you just have to tell in the morning if you would like to eat there the night.

Thanks for the suggestion...anyone else? We are looking at spending 2 nights in the southern Massif Central and 3 nights somewhere further north.

chiarachiara,
If you are still around, I just wanted to thank you tremendously for the Ma Cachette recommendation. We spent two nights there and absolutely loved it! I have to admit we were a little wary when we pulled up to the house (we came from the wrong direction and had trouble finding it) and have limited experience with Chambres d'Hotes, but this one was incredible! We enjoyed by far the best rooms of our trip, two lovely home-cooked meals, and Pierre and Johan were wonderful hosts with lots of great tips on exploring the region.

If anyone is thinking about spending time in the southern Massif Central, I highly recommend Ma Cachette. There's not much to see in Arlanc but it is very close to Puy-en-Velay and many other small towns.

Hausfrau, I am so glad you enjoyed Ma Cachette! We were really impressed and still want to return one day in future. I will never forget the big cosy rooms and enormous bathrooms. And the dinners - still dreaming of them. Yes, Johan and Pierre are wonderful hosts.