Texastrvlr

My husband and I are taking a trip to the Loire Valley in July and would like some ideas about things to do. I have been in contact with a company called Riverloire and they have sent us an incredible package with wonderful hotels and restaurants. I was wondering if anyone knows of this company or has done business with them. I am a little nervous about sending someone my credit card information without a reference. They plan every part of your trip from the hotels to the meals, etc. They have incredible things planned and it is part guided and the rest is self guided so we can do things at our own pace and change them if we want. I just hope its not too good to be true. Let me know if anyone knows about them.

drbb

Hi Texastrvlr-

I've never heard of this company but frankly that doesn't probably mean too much. I always arrange all my own travel, pick my own hotels and restaurants. I hope you get some information from someone on this forum, but I've found that most people on this forum do their own planning. Very few use a packaged trip.

There is lots of info on Loire Valley traveling on this forum. Have you done a search?

If you really want to use a package tour, I think I would suggest cross-checking the hotels and restaurants that are in the package. Maybe use some sites like fodor's, tripadvisor and chowhound to see if people who have stayed there/eaten there give the same ratings that the tour company does.

If there is a discrepancy between reality and what the tour company says, that would be my first red flag.

Hope it works out for you - the Loire is a beautiful place to visit.

FrankS

We dont like Tours(no Loire pun intended-lol). However, Im sure they have many happy customers. If you do go to Loire on your own, I have several helpful links in my Loire folder.

http://www.francetourism.com/practic...onswestern.htm

http://us.franceguide.com/

http://www.countrybreak.com/en/index.php

http://france-for-visitors.com/loire/index.html
- I have plenty more

StCirq

The Loire Valley is so amazingly easy to do on your own I can't imagine paying someone else do it for you - but I guess a lot of people do. There's a wealth of information here and lots of other places about hotels and restaurants and the sites to help you plan a trip of your own.

Maybe you should list what this company is planning for you, and how much they are charging to do that, so we can evaluate it.

Sarastro

Virtually any proposed itinerary of the Loire Valley by a tour company can be done on your own (and most likely much cheaper) by simply reading the information presented in this forum and referencing several guide books (there are many but I plane itineraries with the Michelin Green Guides and select hotels/restaurants with the Michelin Red Guide).

Thousands of people do this every year. Should a question arise specific to your travel plans, simply post it here. Just because questions and itinerary suggestions found here are free, does not mean that they are not as comprehensive or as well planned as those offered by a tour company.

sssteve

Texas:

Check out my web page on our trip to the Loire Valley. Maybe it will help you with your planning. I definitely agree with StCirq that the Loire valley is easy to do on your own. Here's the link:

http://www.travel.stv77.com/loire/loire.htm

drbb

StCirg and Sarastro make a good point - with any package you are paying more, because you have to pay the tour company for their time and labor. Frankly I'd rather spend that money on good food and good wine, of which there is plenty in the Loire.

I have a trip report on the Loire as do many others on this forum. Check them out and take a stab at doing some planning on your own before making a commitment to a tour. Use the tour company's itinerary and hotel/restaurant suggestions as a start if that really caught your fancy.

Plenty of people here will answer your questions and help out.

yk

Out of curiosity, I looked up the company RiverLoire. I clicked on one of the "Self-guided breaks" where the package includes:

3 nights hotel w/breakfast
rental car
admission tickets to 2 chateaux
2 wine tastings
picnic basket for Day 1

The cost is €990 per person. So, for a couple, we're talking about €2000 for 4 days/3 nights.

http://www.riverloire.com/our-escape...ded-break.html

BigRuss

WOW, what a rip-off. YK's research indicates a $2600 four-day, three-night trip that's self-guided! If you can't do your travels for less than $650 day then maybe you should be on the Robb Report travel forums (if those exist), not Fodors.

And it only includes two chateaux, not even Chambord? What about Cheverny? What about the historic Abbey Fontevraud in Chinon? Nothing about any of those places?

My wife and I thoroughly clambered, climbed, wandered and toured through no less than two chateaux each day we were in the Loire Valley and she was at the end of her second trimester by then. And we had time for more touring, wine stops, etc. too but didn't do it because (a) wine tasting for a pregnant woman is an irrelevant pasttime; (b) she did tire out after a bit.

Rent your own car and make sure it's a diesel that gets about 14/kpl or 35mpg. You don't want or need a luxury car in France because gas is $7/gallon (diesel is about $1.50 per gallon less after currency conversion and metric conversion) and the streets in the small towns are narrow. Stay in or near Amboise, not Tours. Plot your own trip.

I'm happy to send you our trip report off-line if you want to get input on about a dozen chateaux and the area we visited.

Dukey

Russ, a LOT of us spend more than $650 a day and we spend it on our own'''lighten up, man.

StCirq

Dukey on May 15, 09 at 11:54 AM
Russ, a LOT of us spend more than $650 a day and we spend it on our own'''lighten up, man.

You DO? A LOT of you? I can't fathom how to spend that in a day. That's more than I spent in a day with two kids in tow at a nice hotel and good meals and visiting about 5-6 sites a day, plus car rental and gas, etc.

Anyway, the tour company is a total rip-off.

Robespierre

First and foremost, your credit card User Agreement protects you against fraudulent use of your number. Period. But I agree with the above that self-guided in the Loire is better.

Here are some links from our sojourn last September:

chateaudelanoue.com
www.monmousseau.com
www.abbaye-fontevraud.com/v3/home
chenonceau.com

nytraveler

I wouldn't touch that kind of a trip with a barge pole. You an do it much more easily, se and do exactly what you want and pay a whole lot less just doing it yourself. We spent 6 days a coupleof years ago, staying at a private chateau and driving and didn't begin to see everything there is to see/do.

And this area is VERY easy to trael - no need for guided anything.

Texastrvlr

I guess I should have been more specific as to what they are offering. I really wasn't asking whether anyone thought it was a good price or not. I just wanted to know if they were legitimate. This is a self guided tour. They just set up four star hotels and restaurants and pick the rooms. They also select the best wineries and chateaus to visit and set it all up for you. They have included a private river boat tour on the first night and private tastings at some of the wineries with a sommelier to give information on the wine. The restaurants are michelin starred restaurants and wine and all meals are included in the quoted price. I actually was very impressed with all they had to offer. I know that I could set it all up myself, but there is something to be said for advice from people that live there. We actually have lived in Europe before and know that you can spend a lot of time figuring out what you are going to do rather than just enjoying the place and the culture. Thanks for all your help!