Custom Travel To France

Last May we spent a few days roaming around the South West of France, visiting Bordeaux and a few villages around. Here are some notes I took about it.

Bordeaux:

There is amazing shopping on Rue Sainte Catherine and on the adjacent streets. The entire city (or at least the old town) is part of UNESCO World Heritage list, which I find very cool. There are a lots of museums, notably the Museum of Wine (of course) and the Musée des Beaux-Arts. But if you are going to spend just 2 or 3 nights in Bordeaux like most people do, spending one day walking around the city is well worth it. We took a walking tour of the old town with a guide from the tourist office, which enlightened us on the very rich history. This is a good town for exploring on your own however, and just getting lost in the medieval streets. I particularly enjoyed the Place de la Bourse and the mirror of water that fills up every few minutes in which you can see the reflection of the immense palace. Since I am no history specialist, I’ll let you read about that on better suited websites and guidebooks and will focus on tips about where to stay and what to do.

If you wish to stay in the center of Bordeaux, I would recommend staying in the old part of town, around Rue Ste Catherine. This is definitely where you want to be, and where all the restaurants and shops are located. The theater is nearby if you plan to see a show. The only downside is the parking: most hotels don’t have a private parking and you have to use the public ones, which are an average of 17 Euros per day. If you plan on visiting the vineyards, having a car rental is very handy. The alternative to driving would be to get a hotel transfer and a tour to the vineyards.

I inspected a few hotels and here are the ones I really liked:

• Le Régent Grand Hotel (5*): right smack in the very heart of Bordeaux, on the beautiful Place de la Comédie. The location is splendid, and the hotel is beautiful. The decoration is somewhat heavy but you can feel the history there. The standard rooms are a bit on the small side for a hotel of this class, but very comfy.

• Best Western Grand Hotel Français (3*):  Also in the heart of the old town, the hotel has charm and personality, and the staff is friendly and welcoming. There are 2 kinds of rooms: some that have traditional decor and some that are more modern. The Superior room is well worth the little bit of extra money as it is much larger. There is a public parking nearby, and the location cannot be beat.

• Hotel Continental(2*): The owner consistently refuses the 3rd star, as he prefers to keep his regular faithful clientele rather than lose them by increasing his prices. The other reason why he turned the star down is because he would have had to build a bigger elevator, which would have to be in the center of the staircase and deter its charm. The hotel is close to the Place des Grands Hommes, in the very center of the old town, a 5-minute walk to the rue Sainte Catherine. Only about 50 rooms, all very simply decorated but with an owner obviously committed to customer service.

The Chartrons quarter is not an area where I would personally choose to stay – it is quite a walk to the center, and the neighborhood is not great to look at. The area was rebuilt in the 80’s and seems to have remained stuck there. Although there is quite some history in that quarter, a visit by day would be preferable. Nighttime seemed to be rather dodgy in some places. The upside is that there are some decent hotels that are cheaper than the ones in the center, such as the Mercure Chartrons.

Bordeaux - Place de la Bourse - credit Office de Tourisme de Bordeaux - T. Sanson

Bordeaux - Quai de la Douane - credit Office de Tourisme de Bordeaux - T. Sanson

Vineyards:

The most popular vineyard areas visited are Saint Emilion, Médoc and Graves, depending on the types of wines you like and the Domaines you want to visit. If you are not sure, you can figure it out at La Winery, a brand new ultra-modern 20 million-dollar complex that hosts a wine bar with thousands of wines, a wonderful gourmet restaurant and a beautiful park amongst the vineyards dotted by works of art from Nikki de Saint Phalle and many artists. The highlight of this place however is the blind tasting sessions, called the “Wine Sign®“, where you express your opinion about a 6 glasses of wines through a computerized system that then determines the types of wines that you like and the ones you might enjoy. It is beautifully done in a fun way and nice setting.The other popular attraction there is the “Safari” in the vineyards, where you learn everything about grapes and wine-making. Plan at least a half day for this, if not the whole day. It is a good opportunity to really see the vineyards, taste some excellent wine, and relax in a beautiful place.

Wine tasting in the Bordeaux region is different than wine tasting in California: you need a reservation to access the most prestigious domaines such as Château Margaux and it is almost impossible to obtain for individuals. The best way to do it is to sign up with a day tour (the tourist office has them for example, or we can provide them for you as well), however you never know which wineries you are going to hit. You can basically select the area you want to visit, but not the Châteaux. I tried hard to figure out a way around this, but even the tourist office couldn’t help. That just seems to be the way it is…

As far as staying in the vineyards, THE place to stay is the heavenly Sources de Caudalie. This boutique 5* resort of 49 rooms looks like it’s been here for ages when really it was built just 12 years ago, but you wouldn’t never know the difference. You will need a car rental to stay there, and it’s a little difficult to find (rent a GPS!), but well worth the trouble. Once you are there, allow yourself to relax for 2 or 3 days and enjoy the scenery, the beautiful room, the 2 gourmet restaurants and the spa! I strongly suggest that you get the half or full board as it can be much cheaper than paying for your meals there. Besides, it includes meals in both restaurants, one of them with a michelin star. The spa is a one-of-a-kind, specialized in their very own concept of Vinothérapie®. Something to explore… The hotel is located right by the Château Smith Haut Lafitte, owned by the same people, which entitles all guests of Caudalie to a visit and tasting, which can be quite difficult to achieve otherwise.

We took a tour to Saint Emilion with Bordeaux’s tourist office. Even though we enjoyed the village and the wines, we felt like the guide was mediocre and a whole bus was too many people (which made me want to stick even more to our concept of no more than 8 people per tour!). Saint Emilion itself was lovely and not too crowded. We visited the catacombs, which I could have done without; I would have preferred to walk around instead and take pictures.

A trip to Bordeaux and around deserves 2 nights in Bordeaux at least, and a couple of nights in the vineyards if you want to treat yourself and take a break.

I came back from France a few days ago, with a bag full of ideas and a camera full of photos of the beautiful South West region.

I was lucky enough to be part of a FAM trip (meaning Familiarization in travel lingo) organized by Air France and Maison de la France, the French Ministry of Tourism’s branch that promotes France abroad. Not only do they make it a wonderful deal for us tour operators and travel agents, but they also make us feel very special.

To confirm the point I was making on the blog I wrote on September 21, we really are spoiled in the travel industry: when I showed up at the airport, I found out I had been bumped to Business class, as were the other agents on the trip. It was such a cool experience. Never before did I find a transatlantic flight too short! I must say that you arrive at your destination in a totally different state than when flying economy, which is well rested, well fed and your ego inflated!

We had a very full few days and, so I will only write about what I thought were the highlights and worth the trip:

• Château de Garrevaques.

Spending the night there was just as I imagined it would be sleeping in a castle. I felt like Cinderella except without the nasty mother-in-law. I loved everything about the place, including the owner and hostess, Mrs Combes, who made my stay just as worth as her beautiful property. She was genuinely nice and humble, and went out of her way to make us and the other guests feel at home. The castle is her heart and soul: she is the 16th generation of her family to inherit it and she is determined to maintain it in the best shape possible. The building looks like a fairytale medieval castle with the four turrets. Inside the furniture and the decoration is original and many items date back centuries, giving the place an antique feel in every room. There are only three guest rooms in the main building, the rest being in the Pavillon du Château, which is just as spectacular inside. Each room is different: I had the Chinese room which was very roomy and comfortable, as well as beautiful. I chatted quite a bit with Mrs Combes and I discovered that besides doing a lot of work herself (such as waxing the gigantic floors!), she was also running a little spa in a building behind. She took me for a quick look inside, of what I thought was going to be a simple massage room. Instead of that she opened the doors to a peaceful and wonderful-smelling haven that had no less than ten treatment rooms and some of the most prestigious hydrotherapy bathtubs and spa jets I had ever seen! What a woman! The Château de Garrevaques is located in the village of the same name, about 30 miles from Toulouse, and is well worth a stop.

• Rocamadour.

Rocamadour (pronounce rock-ahm-ad-oor) is a village built vertically on a rock and considered one of the most beautiful villages of France. Indeed it is quite a spectacle, especially when you arrive from above the rock at sunset! This was a holy place and a stop point for the pilgrims making the grueling trip to Santiago de Compostela in Spain by foot. There is a footpath that leads you from the castle at the top to the main church of Notre-Dame at the bottom, which contains a Black Madonna, known to have been carved by Saint Amadour. Besides being touristy, the village is definitely worth a detour and would be a highlight on any trip, religious or not. Although bare in mind that if you are here in pilgrimage, the tradition wants you to climb up 17 steps on your knees. I spared myself the effort but I did went down the path along the village on foot rather than taking the elevator…

• Saint-Cirq-Lapopie

The name is a mouthful for anyone not French, so don’t bother trying to pronounce it, I won’t even help you to. However, don’t let the annoying spelling of the name discourage you from visiting it. Also classified as one of the most beautiful villages of France, you will understand why as soon as you get there. My description will come no closer to the real beauty of the site but let’s try: it is a medieval village, with quaint little medieval houses, medieval narrow streets, crooked roofs, lots of flowers and a whole lot of charm! We stopped there for lunch in a typical restaurant and had a stroll in the streets afterwards. It will only take a couple of hours to stop there, but you will remember it always. Really.

• Cordes-sur-Ciel

My oh my! Another one classified as one of the most beautiful villages of France! Well, I am not native of that region but I must forget my Savoy pride for a moment and admit, and it is hard for me, that they have some of the best scenic sites. This is yet another beautiful medieval village that is perched on a hill. Therefore you can either burn up all the Foie Gras and climb it on foot, or take the little touristic train on wheels that gets you almost all the way up. For the remainder though, you have to put your Foie Gras to good use, but it’s a nice stroll in stone-paved little streets lined up with quaint boutiques. Once at the top, on the main square, there is a Chocolaterie that will delight your palate and make up for the calories just burnt.

• The assembly lines of the A380 at the Airbus site, Toulouse.

Some people were dreading the visit and thought it would be technical and boring, but I honestly found it very interesting. I was disappointed not to go inside one, but it was still amazing to see three of the monster planes lined up with an army of ants bustling about. I don’t know that I am really looking forward to waiting in line with 524 other passengers to get on board, but I thoroughly enjoyed the visit and the fact that it certainly is going to be more economical and environment-friendly, with the capacity being so much more increased.

• Albi and the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum

Albi is a medium-size town, all made out of bricks, giving it the nickname of “red town”. It is a good place for shopping as well as sightseeing. The highlight of the town is the famous cathedral Sainte Cécile which resembles a fortress and is made out of… red brick, of course. The 13th century cathedral stands proud in the middle of the city, dominating the river Tarn, which makes for some pretty pictures. It took two centuries to build it and is a magnificent example of Gothic style. Right next to it is the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, worth a look inside. The painter was born in this town and his most famous works are displayed there, such as the Moulin Rouge poster and the Ambassadeurs.

• Toulouse

Toulouse is a big town but you will most likely fly in or take the train there to start exploring the region. It has some very pretty neighborhoods and tons of shopping. It is very lively and full of students, so there is always something going on there. It is called the Pink City, see for yourself on those pictures.

• A word about the food

Ok. Even though I had a terrible indigestion due to an overdose of Foie Gras, I have to say that everything we ate was very tasty. I personally find it easy to overdo it as most restaurants offer the typical menu which usually contains Foie Gras, cassoulet or duck confit. We were treated so nicely that we were offered a typical meal for lunch and dinner every day, but next time I go by myself I will definitely choose some lighter options once in a while. My advice: to really appreciate it, pace yourself. Pick a few good restaurants for the whole trip, but avoid the typical stuff at every meal, it definitely gets heavy. The South West region is famous for its cuisine and its wine, so try a bit of everything, you will probably discover some new tastes!

With all the great on-site information I collected, I am now working on putting together packages and custom tours and I am very excited! The South West is not only beautiful (there goes away my Savoy pride again) but the people are genuinely nice and welcoming. The pace of life is much slower than the capital and makes for a relaxing vacation. It is a great pairing with a few days in Paris or for those who want to discover “the real France”.