Hi
Four of us are planning to come to the Bordeaux region for 2/3 nights in August. We can%26#39;t decide where would be best to stay in St Emilion or in the town of Bordeaux. What would you folks advise? We are primarily coming to taste the wine and visit some of the smaller wineries and enjoy the countryside and scenery. However, we would like to be able to walk to nearby restaurants/bars in the evening so we can avoid driving! Any advice of which place would be best to stay and any recommendations of places to stay - not big hotels - would prefer a smaller more personal hotel/b%26amp;b.
Thanks
Sheila
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Based on all that you%26#39;ve written, you%26#39;d probably want to stay in Saint-Emilion. From there you%26#39;ll certainly be able to taste the local wine and the countryside is exquisite. The town has a great choice of restaurants, so you won%26#39;t have to worry about being someplace isolated in the evening.
Of course, if you are planning on visiting châteaux in the Médoc or Graves/Sauternes, there will be quite a bit of driving involved after your day of visits. However, Saint-Emilion has enough to offer to fill several days, and you can save the other vineyard regions for a future trip.
For accommodations, I%26#39;ve put clients up at the Logis des Remparts with great success.
%26lt;http://www.logisdesremparts.com/index.php?page=logis%26amp;lang=en%26gt;
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Thank you for your very quick reply - St Emilion sounds great. I have been looking at other places and have just seen Chateau des Salles in Saint-Fort-Sur-Gironde. Have you heard of this and what is the village like?
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I hadn%26#39;t heard of either the town or the property so I went to their web site. The château certainly looks attractive, however you would not be staying in the Bordeaux region, but rather in Poitou-Charentes. Although this is right next to the Gironde département, you%26#39;ll be quite some distance from Saint-Emilion, and again there%26#39;ll be a long drive after the day of visits.
On the other hand, you%26#39;ll be in the Cognac region if this is of any interest.
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Wow - another quick response. I hadn%26#39;t realised that this wasn%26#39;t in the Bordeaux region, so will give that a miss - especially as we are not Cognac drinkers! Are there are any Chateau type B%26amp;Bs in St Emilion that you could recommend? We don%26#39;t mind having a walk into the village.
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The closest place to what you%26#39;re looking for may be Château Franc-Mayne. It%26#39;s within walking distance of Saint-Emilion, a true winemaking château, and while not quite a bed and breakfast, it is a smaller establishment with the personal touch added by the friendly staff.
%26lt;http://www.relaisfrancmayne.com%26gt;
If this is a bit too elaborate then Château Franc-Pourret may be closer to what you%26#39;re looking for. I haven%26#39;t had clients staying there so I can%26#39;t personally vouch for its quality, but having passed it numerous times going into Saint-Emilion I can attest that it is certainly within walking distance of the town.
%26lt;http://www.cybevasion.com/b-and-b/france/b-and-b_chateau-franc-pourret_saint-emilion_9224.htm%26gt;
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Agree with Logis des Remparts --small room, but lovely. Bordeaux is a huge city, St. Emilion is walkable, lovely, quiet with several restaurants, one was in a %26quot;cave%26quot;. It has been several years since I have been there, but I always think of it when I think of France.
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We stayed at Auberge de la Commanderie which was absolutely comfortable, had rather unusual and bright decorations and a good breakfast. Nothing luxurious but quite fun.
www.aubergedelacommanderie.com
We saw this place and would have liked to stay, but given the evening before had been spent in a two Michelin star restautrant at Cordiellan Bages, Pauillac, we couldn%26#39;t do it again. However, it looked lovely.
www.hostelleriedeplaisance.com
St Emillion has a great little town, full of wine negotiants and tasting rooms, surrounded by first growth vineyards and with nice restaurants in town. There is also a great winemakers coop just where the little train finishes, next to the tourist bureau, where you can wander through, looking at various bottles at various prices and choosing some for yourselves at what appear to be very competitive prices.
The underground church is also worth a visit.
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Thank you everyone for all of your very helpful advice - St Emilion it is! Sorry another question or two!
Can you tell me how long it will take to drive from Bordeux airport to St Emilion and does anyone know of any private/small wine tour companies who could offer small group wine tours of Bordeaux.
Thanks in advance
Sheila
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Travel time between Bordeaux airport (Merignac) and Saint-Emilion is about 45 minutes, depending on the time of day--rush hour and all that.
For tour operators, I%26#39;ll leave it to others to offer recommendations
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