Where to stay in Dordogne; which town in Bordeaux, and which hotel?
 

We are two seniors wending our way to Dordogne in mid-September; any recommendations for gites - and in which town - have looked at some - including Domme and Roque Gageac, but am concerned about steep hills to climb.We will have 10 days. Also any recommendations for hotels in Bordeaux area, vineyards or wineries to visit -only three days unfortunately.

Have been looking for Stu Dudley's trip report on Dordogne, but cannot seem to pull it up. Appreciate any input on that.

Many thanks.

Hi bev,

We very much liked our stay at http://chateau-de-roques.com/en/index.html, between Bordeaux and St. Emilion.

More information at my trip report:
http://chateau-de-roques.com/en/index.html

((I))

In Domme and La Roque, it depends on where you stay. I would guess that wherever you are going to stay in La Roque would involve some climbing as the street along the riverside is pretty much all commercial establishments. In Domme, if you were in the bastide proper, it's pretty flat up there, but you'd want to be sure of your parking situation. We stayed at a place in Beynac that I don't believe has any openings in September, and probably wouldn't be a good choice for you if you want to avoid climbing. Good luck.

If you're talking about renting a gîte for this coming September, you'd best get on it right away. As for steep hills, there are more towns in the Dordogne that don't require navigating steep hills than towns that do, so it shouldn't be a problem. Check out Le Bugue, St-Cyprien, Meyrals, just about anywhere south of the river, and of course Sarlat.

Not sure what you mean by "which town in Bordeaux," but can recommend two hotels, both owned by the same family: The Etche-Ona and the Bayonne, both right near the pedestrian-only center of the city. The Maison du Vin and Tourist Office in Bordeaux are great resources for wine tours and such.

Thanks to all for input -we are working on it diligently, but it is driving me a little crazier than usual, because many of the gite owners simply do not respond.

We stayed at the one of the B&B rooms here - http://www.les-granges-hautes.fr/en/index.htm - a couple of years ago and were very happy with all aspects of our stay. They have since completed a couple of self catering cottages that look very nice. It is about 10 kms from Sarlat. The owners were delightful.

http://www.in-sarlat.fr/holiday-rent...ion-rental.php

This is just one of their rental places right IN the historic town center in Sarlat. We stayed at Gite Presidial. It looks exactly like the photos. Write to the In-Sarlat office (email on website) and, unlike some of your other experiences, you'll find they will answer immediately. Excellent to work with.

I linked the above because it is on of the ground floor (first floor USA) flats,. We had to walk up one tall flight of stairs to reach our place, and it sounds as if you'd prefer to avoid climbs.
We thought our place was excellent value for its price and location.

Gite owners can be a pain as they seem to dsiconnect with the world. I spent a long time 4 years ago trying to book direct and get any contact. In the end I used the following

1) I used the village tourist information web sites to get them to manage the interface
2) gite-de-france is a great web site, you pay a tad more but the result is a service

I rented a house in Domme a few years ago with a group of friends, one of whom had difficulty walking due to knee problems. Domme proved to be an unwise choice for her, as many streets are quite steep, even though the actual center is flat. I might think twice about basing here with mobility issues.

Parking in Domme is difficult in season. We were there in October and we had some issues then as well as our house came with only one parking space and we had two cars. Just be aware.

Thanks for all your input. Found it very helpful. Finally ended up with a gite in Sarlat , renting from Mr. Tourlemon. Will write a report upon my return.

We were very happy with our stay at Une Chambre de Ville B&B in Bordeaux. http://www.bandb-bx.com/. Unfortunately I can't recall if they had elevators. But owners were very nice and helpful. Bathrooms were very large and modern for European standards.

As for wineries, they are all appointment only. We emailed several and were able to visit a handful. They all offer unique tours and tastings. It was nice learning the history of each one. I would focus on specific area.
South of the city of Bordeaux: CHATEAUX D'YQUEM in/for Sauternes was an unforgetable experience. Our tour was from the assistant wine maker who was very passionate. Closest to the city: Chateau Haut Brion. Informative and wonderful history.

Pauillac: LYNCH-BAGES and LEOVILLE BARTON are fairly close to each other. Two contrasting wineries and methods. Formal and informative tours. The Lynch Bages village has a nice restaurant for lunch. Right in the tiny square as you leave the tour.

My favorite wine is from Chateau PALMER in Margaux. This was a larger group and not as intimate of of tour. But again, a nice experience. I did not care for LASCOMBES. Although small, I think it was bought my a conglomerate and has lost it's charm. Beautiful grounds, though.

But I would first contact your favorites and see what is available for the time you are there. We also visited ST. Emilion region. All the wineries were closed for harvest. The town has several tasting rooms but keep in mind that it is a hilltown with steep walkways throughout.

Our visit was during late October. Enjoy your trip! The rest of our stay was in the Dordogne region, as well. IF you plan to explore, I recommend a GPS. Sarlat and the small village of Bratome were our favorites