Camptips

My husband and I are celebrating our 20th Anniversary next summer and are planning a trip to France. We have stays already arranged in Paris and Nice and are looking to stay in between the two cities for 2 nights. We are interested in the countryside, wine, vineyards, beauty and romance. I have narrowed down the choices to 4 places and would love opinions from people who may have stayed at any of them recently or know others who have. Right now we are thinking about: Chateau Andre Ziltener, Chateau de Codignat, Chateau de Vault de Lugny, and Hostellerie de Levernois. I would appreciate any thoughts and if you have other suggestions similar to these properties. Thank you!

tower

Hostellerie de Levernois is outstanding. We couldn't get a reservation so we booked the next door lodgings..big disappointment, especially after touring the Hostellerie and having dinner there (don't miss that experience). Levernois is a tiny, isolated village but only 10 minutes from Beaune, which we found to be a delightful town as a base. After one night at the aforementioned poor substitute we left and found a pleasant hotel in the heart of Beaune.
stu (next post, some pics of that part of Burgundy in October, right after harvest)

tower

Camptips: Pix of Beaune and other parts of the region

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...eBurgundy2009#

Enjoy your visit. One thing about post-harvest October...not crowded.

Camptips

Thank you for your pictures and thoughts. I am curious about the other properties I listed too but am leaning towards Levernois.

StuDudley

Two nights isn't much time in Burgundy, and it will consume at least 7 hrs to drive to Burgundy from Nice. Seven hours in the car isn't the way I would want to spend a day of my anniversary trip to France.

Have you considered Provence instead of Burgundy? Only 3 hrs away from Nice. There are scads of vineyards in the Cote du Rhone region - also lots of sunflower & lavender fields if you'll be there around July. Provence is only 3 hrs via relaxing TGV to/from Paris.

Stu Dudley

Skimountain

I did the exact trip two years ago in September right before harvest time in Burgundy. I agree it is pretty aggressive travel plans since the travel to Nice is not easy. We took the train and it was about 7 hours.

I completely enjoyed Burgundy and can't wait to go back. It is very quiet and not over populated. I will definitely go back again.

We stayed in Chateau Chassagne Montrachet. Owned by Michel Picard. It is very small, I believe 4 rooms but we enjoyed it. They are right by the bike trail. You can rent one from them and head through Burgundy and take it all in. I think it was about 20 minutes to get to Beaune.

We were happy we did this leg since it was so quiet and relaxed, it made for a great break from the urban setting in Paris and Nice.

I loved Nice and enjoyed everythign there. If you only have one excursion I would recommend a boat from the Marina to St. Tropez.

Langcraft

I have stayed twice at the Chateau de Bellecroix in Chagny, 10 miles south of Beaune. A beautiful place with a fine restaurant, albeit a bit pricey: http://www.chateau-bellecroix.com/.

It is near several vineyards; Volnay and Meursault are both between Chagny and Beaune. All in all, a lovely region of Burgundy.

Camptips

Wow - thanks for the information on travel time. I did not realize it would take so long to travel to the Burgundy area. We are rethinking our itinerary and taking your suggestions to spend 2 nights in Provence instead. Currently, we are looking at La Coquillade. Thoughts? We would like to take advantage of the lavender fields and vineyards.

StuDudley

We stay in Gites, so I can't help you with upscale hotels.

Do you have my 27 page itinerary for Provence & Cote d'Azur? I've sent it to over 3,000 people on Fodors. E-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach a copy to the reply e-mail

Stu Dudley