My girlfriend and myself will be going to France in May, and I would like suggestions for the hotel in Paris. We will be staying in Paris for three days, then would like to see other parts of the country for the next 6 days. Could anyone also suggest an itinerary for those 6 days, the more romantic, the better. Then we want to spend our last night in Paris, in the best hotel we can find (probably the Ritz).

May is a perfect time for Paris. Was there myself just last May. We chose an inexpensive hotel so that we could splurge on fabulous dinners. Try www.whew.com/travel/france/lodging <BR>We found our tiny room that was nearly all bed to be quite romantic. The bathroom was excellent, with the necessary creature comforts (like a good hair dryer, decent water pressure, plenty of hot water, bath tub, etc.) And the linens were changed daily.

Frankly, if you really want to splurge on a classy hotel, you'd rather stay at the Crilon on place de la Concorde. The views are to be remembered for the rest of your life, and it is less "Mid-Eastern" than the Ritz. Otherwise, an insider's tip would be to choose the Hôtel Costes, very central, trendy, yet cosy (it's where the rich and famous - those with taste ! - stay when they are in Paris). Otherwise, for the excursion, I think Provence would be a good idea. Perfect climate at that time of the year, plenty of "romantic" spots. If you want to go romantic up North, take a day trip to Brugge in Belgium. Don't hesitate to contact me directly on my e-mail, I'll give you all the accurate info, and more !

Hi Mike-- <BR>For your non-Paris itinerary, I'd suggest flying to the Riviera (Nice) and staying 3 days in a small intimate hotel (the prices range from moderate to luxury)in any of the villages between Nice, Monaco and Cannes, e.g. Villefranche-sur-Mer, Beulieu, St. Jean Cap-Ferrat. In the expensive category, the Chateau St. Martin in Vence has been highly recommended to me. I'm sure others in the forum will have suggestions too. You can rent a cr or travel by train along the coast easily. <BR> For the next 3 days, I'd go to the Loire Valley and stay in a chateau. I think the TGV from Nice to Paris might stop in Tours. There are tons of chambres d'hotes (like B&B's) ranging from private chateaus to townhouses and smaller cottages. There's a wonderful guide to French B&B's by Alastair Sawday, with color pictures and very colorful descriptions. I's sure you can order it from Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Please email me if I can help with any other information. Sounds like you'll have a wonderful honeymoon. <BR> By the way, if you do a search here for "Paris honeymoon hotels" you'll find lots of suggestions. The topic's been discussed a lot in the past few months. <BR> Sorry this is such a long message, but I just reaalized, travelling might be easier if you started with the Loire Valley (about 1.5-2 hours from Paris by TGV). Then maybe you could take the TGV from Tours to Nice!

Hi, Mike: The itinerary you want is one of my favorites, so here you go: Stay your 3 nights in Paris at le Pavillon Bastille. It is an intimate townhouse hotel, done up in yellows and blues, breakfast included downstairs in the charming breakfast room. Very close to the Metro Bastille, so you can get anywhere from there. You will leave Paris for Nice using TGV (don't fly--it takes you an hour to the airport, an hour's wait, an hour plus to fly to Nice if the plane is on time). You want the train, the TGV, because it is a great European experience, and you are two blocks to the train station Gare de Lyon, which you can get to in 5 minutes by taxi. You will love the countryside of France. On arrival in Nice, pick up your rental car that you have reserved from the States, and drive straight to your first hotel at Eze Village. Name of hotel is Chateau de la Chevre d'Or. It is in a medieval village perched high on top of a rock (for safety from medieval intruders) and you take the Moyenne Corniche to get there - 30 minutes beautiful drive. Explore the village, stay overnight, then drive to St. Paul de Vence, where your second hotel awaits: le St. Paul. St. Paul is a walled medieval village in the middle of nowhere (we found it, so will you) and if you have reservations at the hotel, they let you into the village with your car. Chagall is buried in a cemetery there. Everyone stops what they are doing to watch the sun go down over the valley beyond. Eat in the hotel dining room. Charm beyond belief. Talk about romantic! Next day, drive to your third town and reserved hotel: le Moulin de Mougins at Mougins. Renowned chef Roger Verge, eat at the restaurant and stay overnight. Up the next day, drive to the train station at Nice, across the street is where you drop off your car. Go on your next leg of the journey to the Loire, and I can't help you with that! However, if you wanted to train it on from Nice to Venice, I can help you with that wonderful part of the trip! <BR> <BR>The three hotels in the South are all Relais and Chateaux Hotels and this is the VERY BEST and most romantic. There is nothing to compare this to in the States. <BR> <BR>Your last night in Paris? Go back to le Pavillon Bastille, because by then you will feel that you own it. <BR> <BR>Best wishes. Have a great time.

Mike, Listen to Donna---that is some very good advise. You will find the locations on the riviera to be more <BR>romantic than Paris, and she has picked <BR>2 good ones. The option to Eze is the <BR>charming seaside village of Menton, my <BR>favorite location on the Med., but the <BR>views from Eze are incredible. <BR>

I agree. Donna has spun out a marvelous trip and I can't wait to take it myself --