traveldawg

We will be here in May 2014 on way to Bordeaux for cruise. Need a great place to stay for 3 to 4 evenings to tour the area. Will have rental car and another couple with us. Any good suggestions?

PalenQ

Well not specifically but the Amboise area is at the epicenter of visiting several of the most famous chateaus, including its own - it also has the Clos Luce - home of Leonardo da Vinci after Francois I of France, who lived in the Amboise chateau, brought him here to literally bring the Renaissance to France (legend has it anyway) - Amboise is a nice enough smalish town though in season there are a lot of tourists so no sleepy backwater.

The Cheateau de Pray on the edge of town gets good reviews for a unique place to stay - I have never stayed there because it is out of my budget but I've heard many good comments.

http://www.chateaupray.com/index.html

within a short drive of Amboise are Chenonceau (http://www.chenonceau.com/); Azay-le-Rideau (http://loire-chateaux.co.uk/19-Chate...-Rideau.html)- my favorite and Chambord (http://chambord.org/- the biggest and in many ways most amazing Loire castle - the Vouvray wine caves and houses are also nearby for touring, tasting and buying direct from the proprietor - some of the wine houses are veritable chateaus in their own right.

trotters

Stay in Amboise at Le Vieux Manoir, a beautifully restored 18th century manor house. Gloria and Bob are knowledgeable hosts, and staying with them was a highlight of our last trip to the Loire VAlley.

Amboise is a great base for touring the area and is small enough explore on foot. Be sure to visit Chateau du luce and the gardens that are filled with many large scale models of Da Vinci's inventions. Da Vinci is buried nearby in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert.

trotters

Oops! Chateau du Clos Luce.

PalenQ

http://www.vinci-closluce.com/en/

the clos Luce which I loved and trotters did too but which some are underwhelmed at. But a nice old manor house and lovely gardens and models of some of Leo's inventions or would-be inventions hanging from the ceiling and scattered around the house.

PalenQ

Another Loire city I like and which I think is the prettiest of all of them is Chinon, lovingly situated on a river that soon flows into the Loire. It too is a short enough drive from the major Loire castles and has its own chateau that is a museum I believe devoted to Joan of Arc, patron Saint of France (I believe).

aliced

Please look at Auberge du Bon Laboureur, right across the street from the magnificent Chenonceau chateau. Charming lodging, great food, parking, and conveniently located for exploring the Loire Valley.

I am interested in which Bordeaux cruise you are taking, that area is the one we have yet to explore in France. Please share your origin and departures cities if you dont mind.

annhig

We did a similar trip many years ago and stayed in Saumur.

it makes a very nice base for touring the western Loire - it's near enough to Chenonceau, Villandry, Fontavraud, Candes st. Martin, Angers...to make touring that area quite easy.

PalenQ

Saumur is famous for its troglodyte mushroom caves - if you see a sign 'champignons' along the road and something that looks like a garage hollowed out of the small cliffs running along much of the south side of the Loire here pop in to see how champignons (mushrooms) are produced in this ideal environment for them and you can of course sample the wares and buy fresh shrooms.

annhig

there are some nice wine caves along there too.

MmePerdu

If you like smaller places but still big enough for all the comforts and some good food I'd stay in or near Chinon. Still close to the all the places annhig mentions but more intimate. You don't need a big town and Chinon has a beautiful location right on the Vienne River.

PalenQ

there are some nice wine caves along there too>

yup Saumur wine is one of my Loire favorites - Bourgeuil (sp?) has the largest collection of Val de Loire wines - huge area that makes an interesting stop if into wines and wine houses, tastings, etc. - Not far from Chinon or Saumur. the finest Loire wines, Sancerre are produced much much farther upriver from Saumur and Amboise - not really in the Val de Loire. Mont-Louis, near Tours is another but smaller area.

nytraveler

We stayed in a private chateau near Chinon that we loved. It was easy driving distance to many of the chateaux and besides the places to eat in Chinon the hosts offered dinner en famille to all of the guests a couple of times a week. We loved dining with guests from several other countries (yes, everyone spoke/understood a little English - and we had the chance to use our French/Spanish) with all of the ingredients of the meal - including the wine - from the chateau.

We found the prices at the Chateau des Reaux very reasonable - but it was 5 years ago. Make sure you get a room in the actual Chateau - up at least one long flight of stairs - versus in the converted stables.

Leburta

We enjoyed our stay at Le Choiseul: http://www.grandesetapes.fr/en/Chate...eul/index.html

It had a wonderful restaurant with lovely views of the river, and was very close to the chateau.

Rastaguytoday

Over the years, Amboise has turned into your basic tourist town. Reservations required for early eating with all the other Americans. I've vowed never to stay there again.

It's a good time to try one of the alternate smaller towns before they're "discovered".

PRLCH

We recently returned from the Loire Valley and stayed in Avoine - a little town near Chinon. Would happily stay there again. See my report of our accommodation at

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ovely-gite.cfm

PalenQ

ttt

WeisserTee

Just an FYI for those who like the city of Angers (our favourite place in the Loire Valley). A new apparthotel has opened with rates as low as 39 euros per night. The studios/1 or 2 bed room appts come with kitchenettes, which is nice if you want to enjoy some of the edible goodies from the local markets, patisseries, etc.
http://www.appartcity.com/apparthote...-residence.htm

Not for those who prefer luxury accommodations or quaint/classic décor, but this is an option to consider if you're ok with modern and fairly simple. Or for those traveling with kids who'd like a little more space.

annhig

mm - Angers is a bit too far west for me, but if you wanted to go to the Puy de fou at Cholet, those apartments sound like a good idea.

ZonaB2

I always use http://myreservationzone.com to find hotels with the amenities I want.
You can narrow the list by search parameters in the left column after your initial search results show up.
There's a map of the area around the hotel and phone numbers so you can call with specific questions.

I just did a quick search for Loire Valley, France. It came up with 145 places you could stay including bed and breakfasts! At that point, you can narrow down the list by the sights you plan to visit or the amenities you want or by cost or about 50 other ways!

Check it before you decide! Then you can book with confidence.

Hope you have a great trip!

ZonaB2