Languedoc rental Location
 

I have been doing some preliminary search for a month long rental mid Sept - mid Oct, 2007. I have looked at a zillion places. We all have our size, amenity needs and location that we think we might want. I am thinking about the St. Chinian location.

Comments from those who know the areas?

Thanks...........

We stayed in a Gite for a week near Lamalou les Bains in '04, which is only 35K north of St Chinion. We've also stayed 1 week near Ganges, 2 weeks near Uzes, 2 weeks near Espalion, 2 weeks near Caussade, and 2 weeks near Ceret - all in the Languedoc region.

The Languedoc is huge - don't think for a minute that you can base in one place and visit most of the more interesting sites this beautiful region has to offer. The things I enjoy the most are the canyons, mountains, gorges, medieval villages, Cathars castles, & rivers. Most of this "stuff" is very far north of St Chinion, or southwest in the Roussillon region. The Lamalou area was the least interesting of all the areas we explored. Carcassone & Minerve are quite nice, but you're going to be seeing a lot of freeway if you want to see the things I find most interesting about the Languedoc.

We were very busy seeing things for all two weeks we were in the Roussillon area, and also in the Espalion region (on the Lot River). We ran out of things to do & see in about 5 days in the Lamalou region. We took the very scenic D14 and then the D20 south from Lamalou to St Chinion, and then on to Menerve. The D14 has some nice views north, and there are some pretty vineyards on the D20 immediatly east of St Chinion. As we drove over to Minerve, we both noted how remote the area was. I think St Cirq passed close to this region also, and posted about it on SlowTrav. She remarked about how isolated it was.

If this were my trip, I would stay 2 weeks near Espalion & explore the Gorges du Tarn and the other gorges near there, the 10 or so "Most Beautiful Villages of France" on or near the Lot River, and the very scenic volcano area north of the Lot river. Then spend 2 weeks near Ceret and explore the coast, and hit the Pyrenees - and perhaps a trip into Spain.

I have a 35 page itinerary for the Languedoc region, which describes my favorite villages, drives, sites, etc. It also has a restaurant section from my wife's diary. E-mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy.

Stu Dudley

Hi, gracejoan:

A couple of years ago someone here on Fodor's mentioned renting a place in St-Chinian, so on one of our wanderings through the area, PBProvence and I drove all around the St-Chinian area and stopped for a coffee right in St-Chinian.

All we could talk about was how utterly depressing it would be to go all the way to France and end up for a week - or maybe it was even two - in St. Chinian "like that poor woman on Fodor's did."

It's really pretty barren in that area - dusty, ragged, very little innate geographical charm.

Even the acres and acres of vineyards looked scrappy and uncared for.

I would follow Stu's advice. Lamalou is a nice town, as is Olargues, and the drive through the Gorge de l'Orb was interesting, but I can't begin to fathom spending a month around that area.

You can check out my SlowTrav trip report for more details than I remember at the moment...

We stayed in the town of Fabrezon and it worked out well for us to day trip in the area.

StCirq

That sounds depressing!! PBProvence joined me for a before dinner cocktail at Riboto de Taven when I was there last. I love the Alpilles and Riboto.

I have a couple other places that I have in mind..one lovely place in Ceret and a cute place in Pouzols and one other in Poilhes. Any of these locations sound better for a month?

I checked with via michelin and I could easily go to the Alpilles for overnight..have also been toying with an attempt for a reservation at El Bulli!!

Thanks,
Joan

Ceret would be a good base. The other two places are pretty much the same look & feel as St Chinian - flat, dry, & not much going on locally, and a long way from the most interesting sites.

Get out the Green Guide for Languedoc. Use the "Principal Sights" section (about page 5), and pick an area that has lots of scenic drives, interesting villages, gorges you might want to explore, caves, etc. Pick a Gite close by. Then get a Michelin Map of the Languedoc ( #339, 344, 338, 330, & perhaps 331) and see how many Michelin Restaurants are within 35K of any Gite you are interested in.

I think I sent you my Languedoc itinerary. Read about the restaurants around Espalion, and some of the trips we went on. Same with the Ceret area.

Don't get hung up on a "cute place" - I think location is much more important. The place we stayed in around Espalion had 4 large bedrooms, 2 American bathrooms with huge showers - 1 had a double sink, a living room with a fireplace, large kitchen with a dining room, and a family room with a fireplace, and it's an independent house in a very small village (no commerce). It's an old stone house that was completly renovated a few years ago - and they did an excellent job. It rented for about 570E per week in Sept/Oct. There are more like this. I don't divulge specifics about our gites - we plan to return soon. Get the Gites-de-France book for the Aveyron to find gites (you might find ours). Do not use the Gites-de-France site - it does not work very well for the Aveyron Dept (unless they switched software within the last year)

Stu Dudley

We are staying in a gite in Olonzac, which is close to Toulouse and Carcassonne, in June 2006. We are four Aussies and picked the site on the internet and I think there are a number of Aussie owners in the area. The website address is www.languedocgites.com The owner, Derek Chapple, seems very helpful and has sent us maps etc of how to get there. Have a look at there accommodation (there are two) and may be availoable when you require it.

A few years ago, my cousin rented a home from one of his co-workers in LUNEL, a very non-descript town in Langedoque. He paid a paltry sum for the rental, and it was a very large house. My cousin called me , and my wife and I joined him. I saw why the rental was so low. The town really has no redeeming features as far a scenery etc. goes (except that it is the home of Perrier, and where they get their water). However, there are some good features there: there are several good restaurants in the town, the rail station is connected to the express line, so that transportation to Arles, Nimes, Avignon, Montpelier and other large towns is extremely convenient. We used Lunel as our home base and traveled all over Languedoque and Provence very easily. The low rental amount made this a great bargain. Oh, one other thing, the claim to fame of the town is that Karl Marx lived there.

I am still searching......

What about the area aound Prades?

If I am going to be there for a month, I am going to give it a try for El Bulli reservations!! Why not!!

Prads is in a pretty area. The Cerdagne to the west is interesting. So is the Abbey St Martin - although the hike up there is a killer. Vernet les Bains had all it's old-style thermal resorts flooded out, but the town kinda climbs up a hill and wandering through the streets is fun. Eus is a cute town as you pass by it on the freeway. Villefranche de Conflent is the main draw in the area - old medieval walled town with very interesting covered ramparts, and a Vauban Fort sitting above the village. It's a little touristy in summer, however (a few too-many trinket shops). This area would be better than tho others you are considering - except for Ceret. The drawback to Prads is that there is really only 1 road that accesses the region - the N117 along the Tet River. The smaller roads north & south are very winding & slow to travel on, although most are quite scenic. The trafic around Perpignan can get very heavy & slow at times. Ceret would still be a little better location - less driving to many of the sites.

Stu Dudley

If I decide on the Dordogne area instead, I have found a very charming place in Beynac right on the river...

Well, gracejoan, I think you can stop searching then. Near Beynac...on the river...what could be better?

StCirq,

Somehow, I knew I would get that response!!

I thought maybe staying further south might be a good idea..guess not, from those who know the area better. I have not spent any time in the Pyrenees area..have been in the Dordogne area..it is lovely, as we all know!

You might have saved me a lot of money by changing my mind about being part of the other 300,000 trying for an El Bulli reservation. I could still do it, as I would be staying overnight, anyway..guess you don't finish til about 2:30!!

I do have an email off to Beynac for additional pictures.

>>I thought maybe staying further south might be a good idea..guess not, from those who know the area better<<

Staying south near Prades or Ceret would be a very good idea.

However, the Dordogne is an even better idea. We spent a month there this past Sept - after spending 4 weeks there on prior trips. We were just across the river & upriver a bit from Beynac - near Roque Gageac.

Stu Dudley

You won't believe the latest!! The Beynac place seems to be for sale!!

StCirq...you may know the place...Auberge de la Riviere in Beynac..rightt overlookng the river...they have rooms, but also just completed an apartment..sounded very nice..I asked them to send pictures...I sent them another e-nail about it being for sale.....

If you know anything about it, please let me know...
Joan

Hi, gracejoan:

Yes, I know the place - went to a party there a couple of years ago. It's owned by a British couple and started out as a tea room, then blossomed into a small restaurant and inn with a few rooms. Is there actually an apartment, though? I didn't know about that.

I had a kind of other-worldly afternoon there at that party - dozens of Brits, a sort of potluck affair with beans on toast and green jello and chicken curry and all kinds of things you wouoldn't expect to find in a joint overlooking the river at Beynac. But the hosts were very nice and welcoming.

The apt. is new, but I received a picture of living room...no thanks!!

Yes, for that wonderful location, something should be better!!

gracejoan3 - what are you looking for in a place??? There are hundreds, maybe thousands of Gites & other places to rent in the Dordogne. Like I said, the house we rent is just a few hundred yards (as the crow flies) from the Dordogne, and is quite nice. In the same tiny village, there are about 4 other Gites. There are Gites everywhere - you should not have any trouble finding one. I rent from the Gites-de-France program. There are over 40,000 Gites listed for all of France. Each department (the Dordogne, for example) administers the rental process for their department. Use this site & order a book for the Dordogne. You can select & rent on-line, but unfortunatly the software that the Dordogne uses, does not work very well at all.
http://www.gites-de-france.fr/eng/index.htm

Stu Dudley

I have some things in the works now. I should have something all set within the next couple of days.

Thanks,

Joan

All set. I have been able to get the place that I had reserved for 2 weeks this fall and had to cancel because of some family illness problems. Cancelled my FF reservations, too. Illness problems were solved easier than first thought they would be, but FF reservations for same period could not be had. I did find some good dates and re-did my trip arriving in Toulouse and spending 3 nights at La Bastide de Cabezac and then 2 nights in Llo at the Hotel Atalaya and then up to Saint Crepin et Carlucet for 5 nights @ Les Granges Hautes (some French friends will join me for a few days), then down to Sare and the Hotel Arraya for 5 nights to see some Basque country..depart from Biarritz.Here is the website where I will be spending my month in 2007: http://www.yourfriendsinfrance.org/
I don't do any cooking to speak of, and appreciate being able to walk to some place for breakfast. I like it that in the little place where I will be, I will also have a computer. Staying for a month, this can be helpful.
Thanks to all for you help..StCirq, I will arrive in St.Crepin Sept. 24 and depart Sept. 30..if you are there would be happy to meet for lunch/dinner. a bientot...Joan