Where to stay in Loire?
 

4 of us will be driving to Loire Valley from Paris in September. My father is somewhat handicapped, so 1st and foremost we need a hotel room that has easy access, with a room on the 1st floor, or lift. We'll be there 2/3 days, so looking for something central where we can see major highlights. Will head to the coast (Rochelle) after this. $100-150 per night. Dad might not be able to make it out every day, so a nice hotel where he could relax and enjoy the hotel. Any suggestions? annieladd

The Chateau Belmont, owned by Jean and Sophie Bardet, just outside Tours is lovely and would surely suit your needs, but it may cost more than you've budgeted. I couldn't find any online rates.

Jean is the chef at the restaurant, and he's earned 2 Michelin stars.

www.jeanbardet.com

For the western Loire, I'd recommend you stay in Amboise - lots of recommendations for hotels there, but the Lion d'Or and the Choiseul come to mind.

For the eastern Loire, I'd suggest you stay in Angers or Saumur. Do a search on this board for hotels there or ask BTilke.

Much as I appreciate grandmere's posts on this site, I'd steer clear of Tours as much as possible - my least favorite Loire venue - a tangle of traffic and a pain to get in and out of.

I very much like the little town of Amboise in the Loire Valley. It is central to many of the main sites so you can easily drive to many of the main attractions in the Loire -Chenenceau, Cheverny, Chambord, Azay le Rideau & Chinon, Loches.

I recommend using the smaller D roads (Departement) to see the area as they are much more scenic, rather than the A (expressways - I think it stands for Autoroute - indicated in yellow with a red outline on Michelin Maps) or the N roads (National - indicated in red) as I think the French drive far too fast. You might also consider taking the TGV to Tours and hiring your car from there, or at least pick a car up at Orly airport, as driving around in, and also getting out of, Paris is a real nightmare.

Amboise also has its own interesting chateau and Leonardo da Vinci's home Clos Luce. Here are some reviews of Amboise hotels and you could seek advice on the forum.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g1...re-Hotels.html

Try to choose a hotel with a garden in or very near the town so you can take strolls but you will have to check if they have ground floor room (Une Chambre au rez-chaussee, don't ask for one on the 1st floor as in France that means it is up one flight of stairs) or a lift (in France called un ascenseur.

The Manoir Les Minimes has one room for disabled people but it is probably outside your budget www.manoirlesminimes.com

I've often wondered about limited mobility as my mom was in a wheelchair for several years. What do you when someone has to stay in a hotel in a European city? The resorts that might be in and of themselves are usually in the boondocks. The hotels in cities have tiny rooms and almost always tiny lobbies that won't afford much entertainment. The television doesn't help much when only a few channels are in English.

You might try this hotel in Saumur.

www.hotel-anneanjou.com

I've not stayed here. I scoped out the lobby when in Saumur in 2001. It looked very nice. I suggest this hotel for a few reasons. Being a 3 star I'm almost certain it has an elevator (but do check.) It's in your price range.

It's located along the road that runs along the Loire River. This will make it easy to find when driving. It also means the road is flat. Your father might be able to walk a few blocks to a cafe or sit along the river across the street from the hotel.

Saumur is a delightful town overlooked by a fairy tale castle that's currently closed for renovations as I recall.

Annie, I agree with StCirq on Amboise and Saumur--both lovely cities of manageable size with lots to see and do and a large variety of hotels to choose from.

Since you mentioned La Rochelle, we always stay at France-Angleterre and Champlain there, a former "hôtel particulier" we found in the Red Guide Michelin. It is not right on the waterfront, but nearby. When you mentioned your father, I though of its lovely spacious foyer, sitting rooms and very large private garden in back with chaise-lounges and comfortable tables and chairs as well as benches throughout the grounds. If you would like more specifics you can email me at [email protected]. I have pictures as well if you like. Also taxi service in La Rochelle (Les Abeilles) is excellent and affordable.

Good luck and have fun!

In addition to what St. Cirq says about the difficulty of getting in and out of Tours, I have read on Trip Advisor (after my original post) that Chateau Belmont does not get good reviews. I only had dinner there; evidently the service at the hotel does not live up to the usual Relais and Chateaux standards. That's too bad because it is a beautiful old building in a lovely setting.

We stayed in Saumur at the Hotel Anne Anjou as Indytravel recommended. We loved it. We were there in the summer of 2003. We had an apartment room with a great view of the castle. We were travelling with our 2 kids.
We loved Saumur and would love to return. My husband also visited the Museum of Blindes, tank museum and he loved it. The castle was open when we were there and it was fun.

Have a great trip.

Travelatte

Last Easter, we spent three nights at a wonderful small hotel very close to Amboise. The Auberge de Launay should exceed all of your expectations and the price is extremely reasonable.

The website is www.aubergedelaunay.com or you can book through the www.logisdefrance.com website.

The hotel is small with ground floor rooms. You can even park directly in front of the room. They have adjoining rooms available for families. Breakfast and superb dinners are available at the restaurnt; the owner is an accomplished chef who specializes in regional cuisine.

The hotel is completely modern on the inside and incredibly charming on the outside. The location is great for touring the chateaux of the Loire Valley.

We usually visit the Loire Valley every spring and fall and this small, charming, and inexpensive hotel is definitely one of the places we will stay at again.

The owners are fluent in French, English, and German. They reside at the hotel so there is always someone available.

The hotel gardens are gorgeous! The hotel is very close to a main road; however, we experienced very little road noise.

Please note that you do NOT need a a first floor room. In France that would be the first floor above the ground and may require stairs.

What you need is a ground floor room (which may be hard to find) and is called res de chaussez (SP?).

Oh - and sorry not to be able to help. Have stayed in the Loire 3 times (2 chateaux and 1 hotel) - but all places required stairs.

St. Cirq, you mentioned the Lion d'Or in Amboise. I can't find one in Amboise, is this what you're referring to? 69, rue Georges Clemenceau
41200 ROMORANTIN-LANTHENAY
FRANCE www.hotel-liondor.fr

It looks lovely, but I'm not sure it's the same one. annieladd

I stayed at the Anne d'Anjou in Saumur,and it was quite lovely, and does have an elevator. It also has a gorgeous staircase. My room was beautiful, and large - and not very expensive. I would highly recommend this hotel if you choose to stay in Saumur.

Amboise is a great town to stay in, too.
The Manoir les Minimes is wonderful, but has no elevator. However, they do have a little annex building with one or two rooms, which would be on ground level. You should really check that out.
Amboise was probably my favorite place in the Loire.

No, not the same one:

HOTEL LION D'OR AMBOISE
17, quai Charles Guinot 37400 AMBOISE

not sure if it has its own website. It's right on the water, a 2-star but very nice with good restaurant.

Thanks St. Cirq, I had a feeling it wasn't the same one. I'm feeling a bit paralyzed with so many options. 1st and foremost, I need a place where Dadd can get to his room and restaurant easily, he can't do stairs very well. And, one with a nice restaurant. $150-200 range. And, of course, a lovely place. Some places have been within walking distance of Amboise, and others in the country, I guess that's a toss up for us. Looking at Ormeaux, Le Clos Amboise, Auberge de Launay, and Le Fleuray. Choisel's nicer room are 240E+. Le Bon Labourer can only take us 2 of the nights, and Manoir les Minimes is booked. How to decide?? annieladd

It is pretty late at night, but either StCirq has East and West mixed up or I do.

But I second what she says about getting in and out of Tours; it was a source of great confusion for us last summer, leading to being lost in exactly the same place I got lost in the last time I tried it, over thirty years ago.

March issue of National Geographic Traveler lists and describes a few very affordable chateaux to stay in.

Adding to my post just above: I'm at work and 'zine is at home. If anyone's interested, I'll copy the websites of the featured chateaux tonight.

I just got that magazine too, and was excited to see Chateau Ormeaux there as I have ressies for three days in April. One note about it for the OP, however. I don't think they serve dinner there every night, just a couple times a week.

Grandmere, I'd love to know the ones mentioned. Right now we're leaning toward Chateau du Pray in Amboise. If anyone's stayed there, I'd love to know your thoughts on the place. annieladd

www.chateau-de-beauharnais.com
www.chateau-de-lisle.com
www.chateaudelabarre.com
www.chateaudesormeaux.fr
www.leclosamboise
www.chateau-de-pintray.com

Chateau de Colliers is w/o website, but phone is 33 2 54 87 50 75. Says it is flanked by the Loire and chateau of Chambord.

There are some fine suggestions previously given, but mine would be to take the train to Tours if you haven't already rented a car. I was stationed near Chinon at the U.S. Army 7743 Engineers Depot for nearly two years back in the '50s when France was still in NATO so I know the area quite well. My wife and I returned there a few years ago and had a great time, traveling by rental car from Tours to Chinon, staying a small hotel on one side of the Vienne River, a left-bank tributary of the Loire River. Sorry, I forgot the name of the small hotel where we stayed. Chinon has a fortress-type of chateau facing the river that's worth taking in. While in the Chinon area taste the delightful regional wine Vouvray, washing down a picnic meal of French bread, cheese and dry sausage!

From Chinon go to nearby town of Azay-le-Rideau which has the small devine chateau of the same name that's not to be missed. While The Chinon chateau was built for defense in times of war, Azay-le-Rideau was built as a summer home by one of the aristocracy in Paris either for a mistress or as a summer home.

From the town of Azay-le-Rideau drive to the nearby small town of Sache where the Musee Balzac is located. A small colony of artists once thrived there or nearby including Alexander Calder, whose
"stabile" sculptures can still be seen there. Jo Davidson, the American sculptor who lived near Sache at his old home named Manoir de Becheron where his friends Hemmingway and Gertrude Stein visited. Go to:
http://www.loire-france.com/villes/i...che/index.html

for topics related to Sache, including
Calder.

From Sache, return to Azay-le-Rideau and take some side trips to other chateaus in the Loire area such as Angers, returning to Chinon as your homebase.

If you are into classical music, the French composer Francis Poulenc inherited Noizay, a country estate near his grandparents' home, which would be an important retreat for him as he gained fame. You can stay at the rather pricy Château de Noizay for the night. Noizay is a quiet town on the north side of the River Loire to the west of Amboise, which has a chateau worthy a visit. A link for the Château de Noizay is:

http://www.karenbrown.com/property.asp?propid=9733

Meeting people in the small towns and enjoying simple roadside picnics in the countryside is a major form of pleasure that is in store for you. Don't overplan, let the new and unexpected around the bend of the road come into your life!

Le Clos d'Amboise is an excellent value, with parking included, and some rooms at ground level. It's close to the center of Amboise, but very quiet with lovely grounds. We had a very pleasant stay there last year.

Note that the website reference above is not correct; it should be:
http://www.leclosamboise.com

I suggest you to spend nights in Tours or in Amboise, because these 2 towns are more "central" if you want to visit many chateaux or parcs (for ex the Clos lucé, Chambord, Azay le Rideau, Ussé, Loches,...) with nice gardens. Tours and Amboise are very lovely towns

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