France and Belgium hotel, restaurant and sites
for Brittany, Bretagne, Pont Aven, Carnac, Gavrinis, Dinan, Bayeux, Loire
Valley, Amboise, Bléré, Chenonceau,
Bruges, Brugge, Brussels, Bruxelles
My
partner and I travelled for 14 days in France and Belgium in May 2011. Below
are some of the best hotels, restaurants and sites encountered during our trip.
We’re listing only the things you might not find in a guidebook or on the web--experiences
and people we found particularly wonderful.
During
our trip US $1 = €1.49.
swittetATpathDOTorg
Our
itinerary:
* Arrived
Paris for two nights.
* Pont Aven, Brittany for four nights.
* Dinan, Brittany for two nights. Used as a base to
visit Le Mont Saint Michel and Bayeux.
* Bruges two nights.
* Brussels
one night. Flew home from Brussels.
Paris
Our Paris
hotel was not memorable, though well-situated near the Marais. And while we had
nice meals, there was nothing worth mentioning.
If
you haven’t yet visited the Sainte Chappelle, make
sure to do so (and pray for small crowds). It is spectacular. We had always
avoided it, put off by long lines (they are waiting for the security screening,
like at an airport), but this visit we arrived early and were in luck—only had
to wait 20 or 30 minutes.
Pont Aven,
Bretagne (Brittany)
Two
friends from Portland were teaching at the Pont Aven
School of Contemporary Art, so we day tripped from that small town. As it was
pre-season, the tourist crowds weren’t bad.
We
very much enjoyed staying at a B&B run by their British friend, Carol. It’s
a cute house with a nice, wild back garden. It’s quiet and a short walk into
town.
Roc An Eol
10 rue du Bourgneuf, 29930 PONT-AVEN; +33 (0)298 061926
www.roc-an-eol.com;
Owner: Carol Whitwill -- carol@roc-an-eol.com
While in Southern Brittany, if you are at all interested in megalithic
monuments, don’t miss the Carnac rock
alignments (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnac) and the Carnac
museum (www.museedecarnac.com). With a car and GPS, they
are easy to visit.
We also went to the carved burial chamber at Gavrinis,
which I recommend (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavrinis). To get there, take
a short boat ride from the harbor at Larmor Baden. In
high season you may need reservations (02 97 57 19 38), but there were plenty
of open seats when we went. Surprizingly the guide on
the private island only spoke French, even though they get plenty of
international tourists. For a group that was at least 50% non-French-speaking, she
kept asking, in French, “Are there any questions? [no response] So it’s all
clear?”
Dinan, Bretagne
Dinan is a lovely town, but we chose to stay about 20
minutes away, in a charming old country house. Rick Steves
calls it “the place to stay if you have two days and a car.” (We did).
Owner Patrick was a great host and our upstairs rooms were charming and
larger than we needed (with an extra loft for sleeping a friend or kids). We
were very pleased with our stay.
Manoir de Rigourdaine
22490 Plouër-sur-Rance; Tél. 00 33 (0)2 96 86 89 96
www.hotel-rigourdaine.fr; Owner Patrick VAN VALENBERG: hotel.rigourdaine@wanadoo.fr
From Plouër we visited Mt. St.
Michel and Bayeux in one long day. Get to MSM early, before 9 if possible. Note:
you do not have to walk up or down the busy, main commercial stretch to reach
the site. Consult a guidebook for directions (not difficult).
On the way to Bayeaux from MSM, we stopped in Avranches for lunch at a cute shop and restaurant:
Tartines et decouvertes
4 Rue du docteur Gilbert, Avranches; Tel. 02.33.79.35.80; www.lelittre.com/cadre.asp
Bayeux
The exhibits and film in Bayeux Tapistry Museum
(www.tapestry-bayeux.com) are excellent and
engaging. The cathedral also is interesting. Bayeux is close to the Normandy
beaches.
Warning: in Bayeux, avoid the restaurant next to the cathedral called L’Assiette Normande. It is a
tourist trap producing very poor meals. You will do better eating away from the
tourist sites, if possible.
Loire Valley, Bléré,
France, near Chenonceau
We chose to stay outside the main tourist area of
Amboise. Bléré is a small town about
15 minutes from Amboise and Chenonceau. We stayed in
a charming, 400 year old mill property with a lovely pond and gardens, and a
charming hostess/chef. The common areas of Le Moulin are very comfortable and
well-stocked.
Le Moulin du Fief Gentil
3 rue de Culoison - 37150 Bléré; +33
(0)247 30 32 5; +33 (0)664 82 37 18
www.fiefgentil.com;Owner: Florence Heurtebise: florence.heurtebise@wanadoo.fr
We were fortunate when our hostess, Mme. Heurtebise, told us that she would be preparing a meal on
our second night, and invited us to join her. We enthusiastically accepted and
the evening, shared with Florence, another American couple and a French couple,
was one of the high points of our trip. Don’t miss her homemade preserves. They
are delicious and it can be fun to guess the secret ingredients; often
surprising!
From Bléré we visited three chateaux in one day: arrived
early at Chenonceau to beat the crowds (it would have
been better if we had arrived by 9), then trekked to Chambord, had a quick lunch,
and finally arrived at Chaumont sur Loire to visit
the old-style castle and see the famous “garden/art.” We got home in plenty of
time for the feast described above.
Bruges, Brugge, Belgium
Bruges
was lovely as expected. The interesting, modern B&B where we stayed (a 15
minute walk from the town square, free wifi) was a
good deal and included a nice Flemish breakfast. The hostess and owner, Trees, was
very friendly, fun and helpful with information of all sorts.
t Walleke B&B
Carmersstraat 41; + 32 (0)50 67 66 11
www.bruggebedandbreakfast.be/en/; Owner: Trees Christiaen christiaen.emiel@telenet.be
The
three-day Bruges museum pass is a bargain, even if you only have one day to use
it. In that case, you can pass it to the folks you meet at breakfast on
departure day (for us, a nice couple from Czech Republic).
Brussels, Bruxelles,
Bergium
We
stayed at the Hotel Bloom, but I would not particularly recommend it. Bloom is rather
self-satisfied and hypes itself incessently, but I
felt that it faltered a bit in terms of functionality. Question to “spice girl”
at reception: “about how much will it cost to take a taxi to the airport?”
Blank faced response: “I have no idea.” End of conversation. To be fair, when I
called again, later, and spoke to someone else, they had an answer. They also
tend to spam customers with unnecessary and redundant emails and annoying
follow-up surveys.
Because
we stayed in Bloom’s somewhat seedy neighborhood 1+ km from the Grand Place, we
happened to enjoy a gastronomic feast at a small restaurant near the hotel. The
two female owners have been running this place for 25 years. Our meal was a
slight splurge, but was very good value considering the quality and intriguing
nature of the food presented, and the overall ambiance and experience. Brussels
is famous for great food and this was a remarkable and memorable way to end our
trip!
Les Dames Tartine
Chausee de Haecht, 58; Tel. 02 218 45 49 (it helps to
speak some French); www2.resto.be/lesdamestartine
If
you are looking for a decent, inexpensive Chinese lunch, try Chiu Chow
City. Lunch specials at €3.80!
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