ktebe

My wife and I intend to spend a week in the Loire Valley in early October? We're looking for recommendations on places to stay. Preferably in an establishment off the beaten path that's centrel to the castle and wine region. Maybe about 100 euro per night as a price range.
Thanks

Wesch

We are staying at Le Manoir Les Minimes in Amboise in July. It has gotten GREAT reviews, both on here and TripAdvisor. I believe their rates start at 105 euros (maybe less in the off season). It overlooks the Chateau Royal d'Amboise and the Loire River. Their website is www.manoirlesminimes.com. I handled everything by email and it was great - they speak great English and are very nice.

Oh, a friend of mine also recommended Chateau de Pray in Amboise. Here's their website: http://www.chateauxhotels.com/public...ndex.php?id=11
I emailed them, but to stay in the chateau at the time I wanted (summer) was 145 euros. I could've stayed in the annex for 105, but we opted for the other place instead.

Good luck!

TuckH

We very much enjoyed our 5-night stay with this family's farmhouse B&B not far from Azay-le-Rideau:

http://www.lagrangebleue.com/

BTilke

Hi Tuck, interesting recommendation. Question: do you know why they list their longitude and latitude along with their address and phone number? That's the *first* time I've seen such info given for a hotel!

TuckH

Hello, BT...I hadn't noticed it before; I guess those with a global positioning device could use it. As a matter of fact, despite my very good sense of direction and a good map, I did get a little lost when we first arrived. Once there, it was a piece of cake!

BTW, I'm in the midst of planning our 3-week trip to SW Germany, Bavaria, Tirol and Salzkammergut. I've gotten lots of goodies from this board (including some from you!) and will be glad to share.

mr_go

If you're serious about going "off the beaten path," I recommend the Manoir Giraudiere. We stayed there a few years ago, and enjoyed it. The value was good, the room was comfortable (but not really fancy), the restaurant was terrific, and the friendly proprietor spoke excellent English.

The location, a few miles outside of Chinon, offers very convenient access to most of the top sites in the region, especially the more westerly spots like Angers, Saumur, and Fontvraud Abbey. But be advised...the Manoir Giraudiere is out in the vineyards, about a mile off the main road, and a couple miles from the nearest village (Beaumont-en-Veran). Chinon, about 4 miles in the other direction, is a great town to explore/eat/drink wine in.

ktebe

Thanks all. I'm not sure how far off the path we want to go, mr.go but the Monoir sounds interesting.

SalB

You might want to check the Logis de France chain. They are usually very nice and have good restaurants. We stay at de Biencourt in Azay-le-Rideau. It is a pedestrian area so you drop your luggage and then park the car nearby. We usually just park the car a block away and wheel our luggage up. There are a lot of British tourists there but not Americans. They do speak English.

The Logis web site is http://www.logis-de-france.fr/uk/

We have used them for booking for years and never had a problem. Even if you don't use them, it's fun to look at the pictures!

wren

We stayed at Le Fief Gentil in Blere. Convenient, nice, wonderful proprietors, reasonably priced; but an unusual bed and breakfast. We ate dinner there on enight, and it was out of this world. Here is the website: http://www.fiefgentil.fr.fm

Also, based on the delicious dinner we ate at Le Rosaraie one evening, I think staying at their hotel in the town of Chenoceaux would be good as well. It looked quite nice.