Hi all! We are planning a trip to the Loire Valley in late September. If you've experienced the region, what were your favorite towns, sites, restaurants, etc.? Any tips would be appreciated! <BR>Jay

Hi, Jay, <BR> <BR>I was with a party of six people traveling in France last September (middle of the month). We stayed in Amboise and loved it. We stayed at Le Manoir Les Minimes (see www.karenbrown.com), and were able to walk into town and also see the Chateau lit up at night. Other 4* hotels nearby: Le Choiseul (also in Amboise) and Chateau de Pray (in the town of Charge, 5-10 minutes from Amboise by car). <BR> <BR>For food, we ate at the Chateau de Pray one night, and at Le Manoir St. Thomas (in Amboise -- fax: 011-33-2-47-30-44-71), both 1* Michelin restaurants. We averaged about $45/person at Le Manoir St Thomas and $60/person at Chateau de Pray, incuding wine. I think we also had a round of kir on the terrace at the Chateau de Pray, which is included in that total). There was also another great restaurant in town recommended by our hotel, maybe $20-$25/person -- I will have to see if I can find the name. Anyway, we loved staying in Amboise and at Le Manoir Les Minimes. <BR> <BR>Don't miss Chenonceaux castle -- the Sound & Light (Son et Lumiere) shows should still be going on there or at Chambord -- try to see when they have one in English. <BR> <BR>Enjoy! <BR> <BR>John H

Jay, <BR>We are returning again this fall for a trip thru the Loire Valley. If you can rent a car and drive the "Chateau Trail". You will start at Amboise, then Chenonceau, Villandry, Azay le Rideau,(my personal fav)Usse, Chinon. At Chambord, we were the only ones there. It was raining, so the caretaker made a fire, while we went to the nearby restaurant. You can't get much better than this! If you're thinking about a stay in a chateau, check out Chateau de Jallanges, Chateau du Noizay, Chateau de Gerfaut. All are reasonable, with a lot of activities and local charm.There are nearby wineries to visit, bicycling, and carriage rides. Enjoy!

Amboise is my all-time favorite Loire valley site - for hotels and for the general sunny atmosphere of the place plus the gloomy château and the Clos Lucé - also just makes a great base for touring the Loire. I usually split my Loire trips up into two - eastern and western, and make Amboise the base for the eastern part and Saumur for the western, so I can enjoy the troglodyte caves, the Jean Lurcé tapestries, and the towns of Saumur and Angers (and its chateau).

We visited Chenonceau, Chambord, and Clos Luce last September. We stayed at the Hotel La Roseraie in Chenonceaux, it was within walking distance of the chateau. The rooms were reasonable and the restaurant at the hotel was excellent. The owners were very nice too. <BR>http://www.charminghotel.com/

My favorite town is Onzain. There is a very nice (and reasonable) hotel - Chateau de Tertes. You can get a nice view of the Chateau of Chaumont. In Chaumaont, there is a nice incexpensive restaurant - Chez Collette (at least it was there a number of years ago) <BR> <BR>Get off the main roads and take the roads that are colored white on a Michelin map. <BR> <BR>As well as the major Chateau, don't forget to see some of the minor ones - Usse, Villandry, etc.

Hi <BR> <BR>We loved our week in the Loire in August 99 and a few memories which stay in my mind are the Villandry Chateau gardens, and also the gardens of a lesser chateau which were full of 100s of varieties of tomatoes... <BR> <BR>We stayed in Saumur which is a nice low-key little town... <BR> <BR>This is ideal unless your goal is to tick off every one of the well known chateaux in which case you are a little far West. <BR> <BR>For more info on what we did, loved and where we stayed and ate, you could search for my trip report which I think is called something like Kavey's Loire Diary (if you are interested). <BR> <BR>Hope you love it as much as we did... <BR> <BR>Kavey