We will be in France for 2 weeks the first of May, would like to visit these areas with more time in Loire (maybe split 10/4) and especially visit Honfleur and vintners in Sancerre. Will pickup rental car, want very nice accommodations with good bathrooms. Any help with itenerary and accommodations would be greatly appreciated. I'm overwhelmed!!!

I will also be in the area at that time and have researched this board for years.
Put Honfleur, or Normandy, or any of the towns, places, etc, you plan to visit into the search box on this board and you will find more info than you can read in a week.

For nice accommodations, although somewhat out of the way, try the Prieuré d'Orsan (http://tinyurl.com/2u2e5m). For something different, visit the pottery village of La Borne located between Sancerre and Bourges. The last part of this album has pictures from that area: http://tinyurl.com/ys4jys

Sancerre Vitners. Avoid like the plague those vitners with cellers on the top of the hill. Try those at the base. Hotel Panoramic is surprizingly nice.

Two other areas worth a pop by. Le Mans the town still has roman walls. The area along Le Loir (Just north of La Loire)

ssdssi,

I liked the Michelin Green Guide. It lists suggested routes, sights to see, hotels, restaurants,etc. I did a ~10 day trip, east to west and enjoyed it a lot.

Honfleur is lovely but as it's so nice it does get busy. There is a big carpark in the centre of town. Etritat (same coastline) is also lovely and you can take some beautiful coastal walks.

If you are driving, be aware that the roads can be much slower than you might be used to as in some areas they will be single lane and windy. Leave plenty of time for travelling.

Thank you for all the helpful responses. Has anyone stayed at Le Manoir St. Thomas in Amboise? How does it compare to Manoir les Minimes?

Also, are the wines at the base of the hill in Sancerre better, or the vitners nicer? Will I need to be able to speak French (which I do not) when visiting the Caves?

Thank you again.

Sancerre is a volcanic mound in an almost full arc of vinyards. So all the wine comes from the valley arc. As you go up the hill you will stumble into different little shops, restaurants, winery exhibitions and generally the building are more expensive as you go up.

The wine is generally made from Suavignon Blanc which is basically a cheaper white wine and these guys have produced wines from this short lived wine. hence they try and up price all the time. From experience all wines are interesting but the better value ones tend to have lower cost buildings selling them.

French always makes the French relax and they will tell you more but if you use the top 40 words and do stuff like greet them when you enter the shop etc they will do there best. However you can get a better idea by visiting the town web site who may advise yo uof opening times and English speakers

Michael--I really enjoyed your photos. Thank you!

Thanks for the compliment. Photos of other locations can be seen at:

http://www.photoworks.com/members/mksfca

The albums are listed in alphabetical order as much as possible.

I am going to Paris in March. My husband and I are thinking of exploring the Loire area and Normandy; however, I wondered about renting cars. We'll be flying into Paris. Are we better off to rent a car in Paris or to take a train to another area (with the traffic, parking, etc. issues of Paris)? After you get out of Paris, is parking a problem? Any information about car rentals in France/Paris/Normandy/Loire is appreciated.

Look at this thread:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=35109242

We stayed at Chateau de L’Isle-Marie near Bayeux in Normandy. It is a beautiful 11th Century chateau that is run by the original family to this day. It was remodeled by Laura Ashley so has that feel to it in the bedrooms which are very spacious. The prices were very reasonable as well. www.islemarie.com

I'd also like to recommend our guide for the D-Day tour. Nigel Stewart will meet you at your hotel and drive you or you can drive your own car. He was brilliant. You can tell from his website how passionate he is about his subject. My then 15 yr. old son thought the day with him was the best ever. www.dday-guide.com

While in Honfleur we stayed at Hotel des Loges, just off the square by the church, so not on the water, but very nice. They had parking (be sure to ask for it) which is a real plus in Honfleur. They do not have AC but in May that should be ok. The rooms are medium sized but our bathroom was very large. All done in white, grey and cream in that new modern stipped down decor. Free internet. Narrow winding stairs. Only around 110-130 euros per night. Google them. They have a nice website. Had dinner at Breard, an excellent choice only a block from the hotel and also modern decor. Fois gras with raspberries and thinly sliced candied rhubarb, then sea bream over fennel all at fairly reasonable rates for such classy food. Honfleur is lovely. You can't help but enjoy it.

don't miss Chavignol w of Sancerre and vintner Henri Bourgios (sp) - nice village famous for fromage and Henri's tasting room is lovely and educational with 8-9 different bottlings to try - supposed to be a very good restuarant in the village also which we didnt try

The following was our (partial) itinerary last April. No regrets on any of the hotels. Google them for their web sites.

Auberge du Bon Laboureur (Chenonceaux) (stayed three nights to tour the chateau region)

Hôtellerie L'Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud (Fontevraud L'Abbaye) (You actually stay in an old abbey and have the run of the place after visiting hours plus excellent dinner)

Hotel le d’Avaugour (Dinan)

Le Moulin de Ducey (Ducey)

Ferme de la Ranconniere (Crepon)

La Corniche de Rolleboise (Rolleboise)