We are going to be in the SW area of France and looking to explore that corner up to La Rochelle from the Spanish Border. Love small towns, backroads and luxury , clean character accommodation/hotels. Any gems you know would be very appreciated

La Rochelle! We loved it stayed at a BB&B and ate by the water at "Les Flots"the best grilled lobster I have ever tasted. The owner/chefs dad owns a fancier pricey resto also close to the water. In basque country we stayed in a great village and a hotel with wonderful food.The Hotel Ithurria in Ainhoa. It's the prettiest village in that area.In Saint-Jean-De-Luz we ate at the ARRANTZALEAK, a simple aythentic fish shack in Cilboure.I hope you are going to see the Guggenhein in Bilboa.

Be sure to spend some time in Saint-Jean-de Luz. It's a very picturesque port town with a nice pedestrian quarter and some interesting shops (including one that sells nothing but bottled vinegars - my son the salad dressing king went nuts there). We ended up there on a whim after deciding Biarritz looked too crowded and glitzy for us, so I can't recommend a hotel (we found a perfectly adequate one, but nothing to write home about and I didn't write down the name), but we did on the recommendation of locals have two very good Basque meals, one at Irrintzina, 5, rue Saint-Jean, and the other at Restaurant Chez Mattin, place de la Croix-Roue-Ciboure.

We love la Rochelle and have stopped there several times. It's got a lovely old quarter, a beautiful hotel de ville, and some outstanding restaurants, of which the best is probably Restaurant le Bistror de l'Entreacte, 22, rue Saint-Jean-du-Perot. We also liked A Coté de Chez Fred, rue Saint-Nicolas (great seafood bistro); Les Quatre Sergents, 48, rue Saint-Jean-du-Perot (beautiful old 19th-century building); and Le Boute-en-Train, 2, rue des Cloutiers (homestyle cooking - delicious). And for some of the best pizza we ever ate, Restaurant Teatro Bettinni, 3, rue Thiers).

Take the bridge over to Ile de Re, which reminds me of a Greek isle, with its whitewashed houses and bougainvillea everywhere. The town of St-Martin is particularly attractive.

And if you have the time, go up the coast as far as Bayonne - a lovely town.

Stop by la Bastide d'Armagnac for a coffee. It has a picturesque town square. It also is in the center of Armagnac production. Orthez has a nice hotel, but not luxurious, right behind city hall; the restaurant was also very good. Search Orthez and you should find it. I posted it previously but the name slips my mind.

Hi

take a sidetrip to Dax.
Interesting roman remains (hot baths)
and a good lunch stop.

Peter
http://tlp.netfirms.com

Carcassonne is also worth a visit! And make sure to eat Cassoulet - anywhere in Carcassonne - or the Languedoc for that matter!

We stayed in the small town of Quillan - between Spanish border and Carcassonne - cannot remember the Hotel's name (opposite the train station) - it is about 70 km from Carcassonne!Nice, clean Hotel with a very good restaurant!