Loire Valley for the first time

Loire is pretty spread out. We've stayed in both Amboise area and Saumur area. They were both nice. We visited Chinon and Azay-le-Rideau, those were also nice little towns. I'd recommend choosing your chateaus and then using a map to see which area is best. Or if you have enough days, stay in both. Our favorite chateaus were Villandry, Chenonceau, Azay-le Rideau, Chambord and Chateau du Chaumont, all for very different reasons.

Just did six days in the Loire valley, 3 based in Amboise and 3 based in Chinon. I much preferred the eastern side of the valley and there’s more to do in Amboise and better restaurant options in my opinion. You can easily get to Villandry from Amboise which is the only chateau on the western side that is a must see.

I haven’t been to Amboise but my stay in Chinon was wonderful. Stayed at the Hotel Le Leon d’Or with plenty of free parking in the immediate area. Easy to drive leisurely to the various chateaux. Great restaurants and historic hilltop castle to visit. What I liked particularly about Chinon was its small size. I didn’t feel “touristy” at all.

Consider staying in Onzain, a pleasant town between Blois and Amboise

How many nights are you looking at there? If just a few, then I'd say Amboise or nearby. If more, then split the time east and west of Tours. We liked Chinon.

If you can drop off your car in Angers, be sure to take time to go through their amazing fortress! The fortress has the bonus of having the Apocalypse Tapestry set from the 1300’s displayed in a huge room for it, also.

I really liked Angers as a city, too.

we've decided to stay in Amboise. Any hotel suggestions? We don't need a place with a pool

Just a couple miles outside of Amboise is Chateau du Pray. We loved it, it was quite fun to stay in a real Chateau. It turned out to be quite reasonable, too. If you happen to watch any of the Rick Steves Loire shows/videos, Rick and Steve Smith stay and eat at Chateau du Pray.

EDITED TO ADD: I also recommend the restaurant. For us, it was more of a splurge, but much less than we expected. My recollection was that my fixed price meal was about 40 euro, and the wines by the glass suggested by the sommelier were priced much less than we were expecting.

We stayed at Chateau de Pray as well and enjoyed it very much. Their restaurant is excellent for a splurge.

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In June we spent six great days in the Loire, three nights in Angers and three nights in Amboise.
Picking up the car in Angers was really easy, Avis and others are right there at the train station.
If you go to Angers, be sure to visit the Fortress and tapestry.

I confirm that Angers is a wonderful city which deserves to be more well known.
Here are some suggestions for activities and places to visit:
- Castle/fortress of Angers and Apocalypse Tapestry
- Cointreau museum
- Beaux-Arts museum
- David d'Angers gallery/museum
- Terra Botanica
- replica of the Holy Sepulchre
- Adam House
- Cathedral of Angers

And a little outside Angers:
- la Mine Bleue
- 1200 castles (Brissac, Plessis-Massé, Plessis-Bourré, Serrant, Brézé, Saumur, Montreuil-Bellay, Montgeoffroy, Durtal...)
- zoo Doué-la-Fontaine
- armoured tank museum in Saumur
- Cadre Noir in Saumur
- Oriental Park in Maulévrier
- Fontevraud Abbey
- Giffard plant visit
- boat trip in various rivers
- bike ride along the Loire and the Maine rivers
...

We stayed at the Manoir les Minimes, in Amboise. Many rooms offer a view of the castle and it is a short walk to the main square. One evening, we opted for an apero-style dinner and purchased some soup, bread, meat, cheese, and champagne from the hotel. The staff heated our soup, arranged a charcuterie board, and poured the champagne on the terrace. A view of both the river and the castle added to a very memorable evening. Attentive staff. Lovely rooms, too.

Amboise Hotel response: hope this isn't too late.... September 2022, I stayed 2 nights at Hotel le Blasson. it's in the RS book. Nice room upstairs in the attic conversion, with exposed wood beams and sloped ceiling. Plus, an excellent breakfast. Parking in front was most welcome.
Easy walk around town and restaurants. Don't miss the Market Day. I rented a bike near the TI office for a fun trip southward with my picnic lunch. Short drive to chalets.

hope this helps. Chris