mkk4050

Just returned from 17 days in France and had a wonderful time. For nearly a year I planned this trip and used information from this site as well as others to help plan. There are several things for certain I can say: (1)there is such a thing as over-planning (I did); (2) you never have enough days to do everything no matter how long you plan to be in one place which is the wonderful part of travel-you must do it often- so hit your highlights and let the rest just happen; (3) if you wait for the exchange rate to improve (it's worse since we returned) or the political situation to stabilize (does it ever?)you will never go;(4)try to speak a little of the local language (this is especially true in France where we found that a little French elicits responses in English and valid attempts to help); (5) remember you're on vacation and don't allow any situation to stress you out too much (there will be another train to Versailles in a few minutes, you can get another car with working a/c, the roosters will stop crowing-eventually, the next cafe will serve food; (6) pack lighter than you might think unless you'll only be in one place (I could have left 1/3 of my things at home); (7) rent a diesel and you will have better gas mileage and pay less (it cost approx. 42 euros to fill up a VW Golf with diesel-do the math); and (8) take any tours offered in English at museums, churches, etc (many places do not have anything in English and it helps provide an overview of the place instead of walking aimlessly-Chambord ran out of english audio-guides which we found difficult to understand since there were so few native english speakers unless they only had 5 to begin with).

We spent 8 nights in Paris (Marriott Champs Elysees using points- a very nide hotel with an excellent staff but the location is just too touristy- it did have the best a/c in France and there were some hot days); train to Reims p/u a car (Europecar through Auto Europe) and 2 nights at Boyer Les Crayeres (spectacular); drive to Amboise for 3 nights at Le Manoir les Minimes (excellent choice and value); drive to Dinan (Brittany) for 2 nights at Hotel Le D?Avaugour (the roosters); drive to Bayeux for 2 nights at Chateau de Sully (very nice, excellent restaurant and I don't recall seeing in this forum). We flew in and out of Heathrow since we spent 3 days in London at the end for business and took the Eurostar both ways.

We heard a violin quartet at Saint Chappelle, took 4 Paris Walks walking tours( I'le de Cite, Latin Quarter, Marais and Montmartre), the Bat-o-Bus during the day and the Bateaux Mouches at night (it rained a couple of nights), the Louvre (2x), Musee D'Orsay, Cluny (undiscovered gem), Conciergerie, Arc de Triomphe (to the top), through the Tuilleries, around and under the Eiffel Tower at night from the Champs de Mars, a movie with French subtitles,shopping at Au Printemps and Galleries Lafayette (July sales), a day at Versailles and lots and lots of walking just about everywhere. The only taxis we took were to and from the train station and from the Latin Quarter to catch the last Bateaux Mouches on ourlast night. We either walked or used the Metro (bought 4 carnets of 10 tickets each and then 6 extra single tickets our last day). We ate at Taillevant, Palais Royale, Le Train Bleu, Spicy, Le Vieux Bistro, Le Maupertu, Cafe Very, Laduree and assorted other brasseries and bistros (some recommended here, Zagat's, Rick Steves and Frommer's and some we just came upon because we were starved)! Breakfast was usually coffee and a croissant at a Le Brioche D'Or near the hotel (7 euros for 2 petite dejeuner). The cost of food was the biggest sticker shock item with most lunches costing $50 or more(I just got some credit card bills) and dinners averaging a minimum of $100 and more (Taillevant was close to $400+). We found that wine, even the house carafe, increased the cost measurably but it was so hard to resist-after all, we were in France! We watched most of the locals drink, as did we, le carafe de l'eau (table water). Americans drink much more water than the French. Other than usually being warm there was no problem drinking it and it saved about $5 for every large bottle (sometimes we had 2 with dinner).

Reims is a lovely city 90 minutes north east of Paris from the Gare de L'est. The downtown is pedestrian friendly and the cathedral is historic and beautiful. Champagne is served everywhere! There are many famous champagne caves to tour (we visited Pommery which was a let-down although we heard there were others much better), The surrounding countryside is lovely. We drove to Verdun to tour the WWI battlefields which was a nice change of pace and a beautiful drive through backroads of champagne vineyards and tiny villages and hamlets. Les Crayeres is everything we ever heard and more. We both agree that the dinner at Les Crayeres exceeded Taillevant hands down. It is impossible to describe the food, level of service and the surroundings starting with the magnificent terrace and the view over Reims at sunset. This was truly an event and it was meant to be since we were celebrating our 25th anniversary (they remembered and brought us a to-die-for chocolate mousse cake which we ate with our sumptuous breakfast the next morning) after 2 nights in the most magnificent room(my husband said he felt like he was sleeping in Versailles). It was worth every euro. I now know why this hotel is always rated in the top 10 worldwide.

We drove three hours to Amboise and spent 3 marvelous nights at the Le Manoir les Minimes. The hotel is literally below the Chateau and along the river. The staff was gracious, helpful and made us feel very much at home. We toured several chateau-Chenenceaux, Chambord, Amboise, Chinon, Villandry (it is very centrally located to use as a base)- and took a sunrise baloon ride over Chenenceaux and the vineyards, farms, rivers, etc. The hotel recommended several fine restaurants for dinner.

We then drove to Dinan, stopping at Chateau Villandry to see its incredible gardens (they are) and Fougeres to see its medievil fortress (defintely worth a stop). Dinan is very interesting, many of its buildings 500+ years old with cobbled streets, small alleys, ramparts, all overlooking the Rance River. There is wonderful seafood, crepes, a market every Thursday morning selling local fresh produce, cheese, meat, bread, flowers and an array of flea market items. We drove to many towns on our way to the coast to eat oysters in Cancale and visit Saint Malo which was a major disappointment. It is filled with tourists, is a beach type town that is also a destination/embarkation point for the ferries to England. It took 45 minutes to find a parking space and it was here that we encountered the only "difficult locals" on our entire trip (remember not to stress out too much).

We next drove to Bayeux for 2 nights. We viewed the Bayeux Tapestry (definitely worth it and admission includes the 20 minute audio guide in english). We also took the english walking tour offered by the tourism office (at the tapestry site) which was excellent. The guide was the curator for the cathedral and we were allowed into certain rooms that the general public could not see. The next day we took a full day American Highlights tour of the D-Day sights with Battle Bus tours. There were only 5 of us and the guide (Dale Booth, a Brit who was wonderful). It was a glorious day and we enjoyed it immensely. We visited St Mere Eglise, Utah and Omaha beaches, Arromanches, the American cemetery and several other off the beaten path sites. Dale was extemely knowledgable and the tour was very compehensive. It was just incredible. The next day we drove to Lille where we dropped off our rental and took the Eurostar to London.

If anyone needs any other info please let me know here and I will send you my e-mail address. Thanks for reading!

marcy_

Thanks for reporting, mkk. I particularly appreciate the hotel and restaurant info.
It sounds like you had a great trip. And congratulations on 25 years of marriage!
Best wishes for many more years of happiness together!

cigalechanta

A wonderful report and ..added wishes for your 25 year anniversary.

Travelnut

Was there plenty of parking at Manoir les Minimes; was it necessary to reserve a space..? We will be there in October.. thanks...

Suki

We also stayed at Manoir les Minimes.You will be very happy there. There is plenty of parking, and you do not need to reserve a space.

Travelnut

Thank you!

Sue4

Thanks for the report - sounds like an absolutely wonderful trip! You really did alot, and such great places to visit in France. I, too, stayed at the Manoir les Minimes, and loved it. I agree, plenty of parking. I was interested in hearing about Reims, Dinan, and Bayeux, three places I'm planning to visit in the next year. Afraid I can't quite swing Les Crayeres, but wish I could!

cmcfong

Hi mkk4050 We are on the way to Dinan and Bayeux in early Sept. Where did you stay in those towns? Any restaurant recommendations? We are also booked for Manoir de Minimes in Amboise. Please share any restaurant recommendations. Did you find any wonderful shops in any of these places.
Thanks so much for your report. You covered many issues of interest to me.

cmcfong

OOOOPS. I reread your post and see you have already given some information I requested in my post last night. Sorry.

Apparently you booked the same hotels I have booked in Dinan and Bayeux. I read a very negative post in Raves and Rants about the hotel (and the hotelier) at the Hotel D'Avagour in Dinan. What did you think?

Thanks.

mkk4050

Of all the hotels we stayed at, I was least impressed with the one in Dinan (I always forget how to spell it). Nevertheless, it was in a wonderful location right on the reamparts, 2 blocks from the tourist officeon the main square. Parking is a problem on market days as the market uses the 2 large public parking areas on the square and the only other place to park are the pay spaces in front of the hotel if you can get them (the hotel had to put a chair in a space for us to be able to park and take our luggage in). The bathroom was very nice but the room didn;t have the same amenities of the other hotels we stayed at. There is no a/c but it was cool and breezy at night although with the windows open you do hear those roosters starting at 5AM. I would request a garden view room and not on the third floor (I think those rooms may be smaller. There is an elevator which was a plus and breakfast (which was included) was good. There is a lovely garden out back with a wonderful view where we had drinks. They also serve afternoon tea on the terrace. We paid 175 euros per night all inclusive( I booked it last fall). We ate dinner one night at Le Relais des Corsaires which was recommended by Fodor's. We really enjoyed that. We had a prix fixe menu that included a fresh seafood plate (prawns, shrimp, oysters,mussels, winks and whelks), frash fish with veggies, cheese and dessert. It was reasonable for what we ate at approx. 22-24 earos a person (wine, coffee extra as usual. It is right along the Rance River by way of the very, very steep Rue Jeruzal (all cobblestones and what a way to walk off the dessert) but it can be done. It's a lively place but you don't need reservations as there are many restaurants along the river, The 2nd night we ate at a Rick Steves/Frommers recommended place on a beautiful medieval square called Le Mere Pourcel. We were very disappointed esp. because it was quite expensive and the service was very spotty. I would recomment going back to one of the places on the river or a crepe place along the main pedestrian street where there are many that were quite crowded.
For lunch we ate in Cancale at one of the many restaurants along the harbor but nothing to write home about. I would recommend eating at one of the seafood restaurants that also sells their seafood to the public as well as operating the restaurant. Their prices seemed cheaper, their food better and it looked more authentic. My husband, who loves oysters, found them to be more salty than at home and the size does vary (the smaller the # assigned the larger the oyster) but they are literally right off the boat.

As for resturants in Bayeux, we had lunch at Le Petite Normand (recommended by Rick Steves on a street near the TI, cathedral, tapestry with a lunch special for 9.5 euros-starter, main and dessert) and it was pretty good (they stop serving at 2PM which really irritated an American who wanted food now). We had dinner at the Chateau de Sully approx 1 mile outside of Bayeux where we were staying. The public can eat there too and it is quite popular so make reservations in advance (we didn't and they only had availability one of the 2 nights of our stay). It is lovely, the food excellent but expensive (40+ euros per person). The last night we ate at L'Amaryllis on Rue St. Patrice (a Fodor's recommendation) which was very good and reasonable. The owner is very nice and made sure we had an English menu. Make sure that you make reservations as she did turn people away without.

In Amboise, we ate at Le Pavillion de Lys, a new restaurant in an old chateau right in town. It was in walking distance to the hotel and they recommended it. It was elegant, small and quite good. We also at at Le Bon Laboureur in Chenenceaux (recommended by the hotel and Fodors). It was also very nice, good food but we had to wait a half hour to be seated although we had reservations (we think it was because some diners were going to the Son et Lumiere at the Chateau and they were still filled-it started at 10 and our reservations were for 9). Our last night we at in Amboise across from the Chateau at L'Epercerie. It was 70 euros for 2 with everything. It was recommended by RS and the hotel. We ate breakfast one morning in town and two mornings at the hotel. We enjoyed the hotel ( I like to have more than one cup of coffee and there are no refills at cafes, etc.)

mkk4050

Forgot to mention a couple of things. We did very little shopping so I can't really comment on shops. We found the gift shop at Villandry to have beautiful kitchen towels, aprons, etc. (we have cooks in the family)for reasonable prices. We collect plates from all of our travels and bought a hand signed "faience" plate in Saint Malo that I didn't see anywhere else although Dinan had some good regional stores (I also saw one in Amboise on the Rue Nacional past the clock tower).

We also visited Mont St. Michel on our way to Bayeux. I strongly recommend that you arrive early (before 10AM at the latest), use the pay car park for 4 euros (if you don't want your car to possibly be underwater--they know when the tides are), take your pictures on the walk to the Mont (the best views) and then follow the RS guide-take the steps to the left as you enter and walk up. You will avoid all the shoppers, saunterers, etc. We missed the english guide but the RS info and the brochure more than compensated. Definitely walk as far up as possible, don't miss the cloisters and then come down. It is packed by the time you are leaving and the streets are sooo narrow. Eat at the restaurants along the causeway (and use the toilets there too on the way in and out). There are also some great views as you leave and head toward Bayeux.

laverendrye

mkk: Sorry to hear of your experience with Chez la Mère Pourcel. You may have hit a bad night, as we found the service impeccable and the food was excellent (we did choose the most expensive menu). This was in early June this year.

I can also recommend the Hotel Arvor, which at 75€ for a double including breakfast could be a better value than the d'Argouges. It's even more centrally located.

mkk4050

It may have been a bad night but I did choose the most expensive menu too. Maybe they were short staffed but they weren't full either. They seemed more interested in clearing off tables outside as they walked by our table. Also, I think there is a true division of labor as the waitress couldn't serve us our bottled water despite 3 requests. It had to be served by the waiter which was pretty strange.

We did walk by the hotel you mention and it is near the church, etc. but I don't know where you would park. Also, it is 2 star vs. 3 star but I don't know why? The elevator/view perhaps?

cmcfong

Thank you mkk4050 for all the information. There are cooks in my family, too, so I will definitely check out the gift shop. You have been generous with your time and information. I appreciate it. I will post a trip report when I get back. Thanks, too,lavenderandrye, you have also been a great help.