Hotel Recommendation in Dordogne with specific requirements

Welcome!

We stayed in Sarlat at Hotel Bon Encontre
A short walk downhill to town-or easy drive with plenty of parking
Parking on site
Happened to be there during a heat wave so the pool actually came in handy
Lovely host

https://hotel-sarlat-bonencontre.fr/

We stayed at Hotel La Belle Etoile in La Roque Gageac. We liked the little town on the river, parking was convenient a bit down the street. There were some shops. Our room was spotless and large. The staff was kind and helpful. I'd be surprised if there were more than 15 rooms. Their restaurant is wonderful, and it is a good idea to make a reservation.

https://hotel-belle-etoile-dordogne.fr/

The Dordogne Valley stretches over more than 200 km, Sarlat is the most touristic place and also the "Rick Steves land" of this region but not necessarily the best located to visit it, even with a car.
I would even say especially by car in summer since traffic is very difficult and parking in town is almost impossible (and now paying from April to October)

You certainly have good reasons to want to go only to a hotel but know that with this choice you eliminate 60% of the available accommodation among which a good part could match your requirements (close to a historic village / with local shops and restaurants / marketplace).

I have not listed any hotels, but check this map anyway which can be useful to you to determine where to stay, what to do, see and eat.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1OdPOg8AgsNn0Jlv1cNHkujaWv9p_Jpc&usp=sharing

We had a heck of a time finding parking when we went to Sarlat for market day.

EDITED TO ADD: We were in the Dordogne in October. Beynac is about 10 minutes by car from La Rocque Gageac, with more restaurants and shops and ample parking. It has a castle. You could consider staying there or make use of Beynac and stay in La Rocque Gageac

We liked our visit to Domme, so much that we went twice. Cute small town with exceptional views.

I have no specific recommendations, as we stayed in a gite (apartment rental) when we visited Dordogne. But a couple of thoughts: Big difference between staying in a town like Sarlat versus a small village like La Roque Gageac. You want local shops and restaurants - how many? La Roque Gageac has a few, but we couldn't get into La Belle Etoile, which is the most appealing. (This was in May, pre-Covid.) Many more options in Sarlat, where I imagine in October parking will be moderately challenging but not insane - I would not go there in August.
Dordogne is quite a wide area. Think about where you want to visit so your hotel is located conveniently. Roads are not fast. If the caves, etc., are important on your agenda, Montignac or Les Eyzies might be reasonable choices - villages, but slightly larger than most with a fair amount of facilities.
We spent two weeks there, with a car, being energetic tourists, and felt we barely scratched the surface. There's a lot to see and do!

I think clawssmith is on the right track. Get a detailed map, decide what you want to see, and then start looking in that area village by village until you find a hotel that you like. One respected brand of independent hotels run by chefs/restaurateurs is Logis Hotels. Each is different, independent but inspected and approved. That would be one way to start. Another. but definitely a step up, is Relais et Chateaux. I'd look in this manner, as well for waiting for recommendations from people on line.

In our case, we wanted to be near Les Eyzies because the prehistoric sites are important to us. I wanted to stay in a Farm-Auberge, an inn run by a farm family with homecooked breakfast and dinner included. In my case, I prefer this to searching daily for new or the best restaurants as rated by others. Googling ferme auberge Les Eyzies, we chose one on a hilltop near the village of Sireuil, close to the Chateau de Commarque, a quick drive to Les Eyzies, and several prehistoric sites. It was perfect for us to stay on a working farm and eat local family cuisine every meal. We always had a lively, full table with French speakers from different countries. Unfortunately, they no longer take guests.

Thank you all for the great advice.

I'm not that concerned about parking; if we stay at one of the hotels, I'm sure they'll be able to arrange accommodations. My husband and I have made a number of trips to Europe over the years, and we've come to realize that having an in-town hotel is a great convenience on days when we want to explore local shops and sites, but take a break or duck inside from the rain. For reference, small villages that fit the bill perfectly for us were Cassis in France and Tropea and Taormina in Italy. Sarlat has been mentioned to me before, and looks appealing. Of the other towns mentioned above, Beynac sounds like it might best fit the bill. That said, I'll heed your advice about first deciding what sites we want to see on our day trips, and pick a place that won't put us more than an hour or two away.

Again, thank you, and happy new year!

if you stay in Sarlat, you, of course, will have parking. My point was that the Dordogne was quite busy in October and in several of the cities it was difficult to find parking for sightseeing. Cities that were a pain for parking were Sarlat and Rocamadour. Even though crowded, we enjoyed Sarlat. Rocamadour was extremely crowded and not all that interesting or pleasant. In retrospect, we could have enjoyed some overlooks of the town and not parked for the city at all.

Just to clarify that what we call a "small village" in France is a municipality of a few hundred inhabitants at most (we are less than 500 in mine).

Sarlat la Canéda with its almost 10,000 inhabitants is one of the largest cities in Dordogne, not to mention the 2 million visitors every year. It is the perfect place to meet up with tourists from all over the world, but not to know the real Dordogne

I see your point, JoLui. Still, since Sarlat is just a bit larger than the 3 towns I mentioned, if it has a walkable “old town” center, it might fit the bill.

Of the other towns mentioned above, Beynac sounds like it might best
fit the bill.

We stayed in Beynac for a few days in early October and loved it, but it is a small town of about 500 people. Here's a link to my Trip Report if you're interested. Our lodging is hard to describe as it's not a hotel but it's also not quite a B&B. It was perfect for us. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-part-2-hills-and-castles-dordogne

Thanks, Allen. Your report really helped me get a feel for the region. It also helped me determine that, no, Beynac would not be the best “home base” for us. But will def visit the castle!