My wife and I will be driving from the Saumur area to St. Remy in Sept. We're looking for a place to spend the night and visit enroute. We'd prefer a smaller town. Any suggestions?
Posted by
Portland, Maine
2916 posts
One possibility is Le Puy en Velay, although it might be a little bigger than what you're looking for. We used it as an overnight stopping point, and it was worth the visit.
Posted by
Florida
509 posts
We made a similar overnight stay en route from Normandy to Provence last year. Based on little more than a search for a convenient stopping point, we stayed in Thiers at a nice hotel: Le Clos St. Eloi. http://www.clos-st-eloi.fr/en/index.html. It looks like it would be about mid-way on your route. The Hotel: on the edge of town, easily accessed from the highway into town; very clean; English spoken; modern and comfortable room at reasonable price (E90 for a "junior suite"). Very nice grounds. A bit road-weary from the drive, we made a reservation and had dinner in their restaurant. Excellent service and food. With a population around 11,000, this might not qualify as a "smaller town." We declined the breakfast option, grabbing coffee and croissants somewhere along the morning drive toward Provence.
More info on the Town: * https://travelfranceonline.com/thiers-french-capital-cutlery-auvergne/
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiers,_Puy-de-D%C3%B4me
TripAdvisor reviews of the hotel: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g661770-d579906-Reviews-Le_Clos_St_Eloi-Thiers_Puy_de_Dome_Auvergne_Rhone_Alpes.html
PS - Altho we enjoyed L'Isle sur la Sorgue as our base in Provence, my wife's favorite village was St. Remy -- high grades for cleanliness, shopping, Van Gogh scenic walk. You'll have a great trip.