Prebooking hotels or winging it in Southern France

I would wing it since you want to be able to turn on a dime. It's not high season at that time and place so finding quality lodging should not be a problem. However, I would still book ahead if you know for sure you will want to be in a particular town on a given date. Or if there is a special hotel you definitely want. It also would help to research whether festivals or special events are going on in a town which might cause its hotels to fill up even during the off-season.

We were just in Bretagne. We had one place booked near Quimper. Following that, we had no problem whatsoever booking rooms at modest prices in various places. If you don't have a well-defined plan, booking with a lead of a day or 2 is quite easy. We used booking.com and other sites. Plus there are plenty of inexpensive chains. If you wish for more fancy places, I doubt that at that time of year, definitely shoulder season, you would have difficulty finding any level of accommodation.

That is a good time a year to wing it. It could cost more winging it showing up without a reservation though.

Check very carefully to be sure there are no significant local celebrations in the area while you will be there. They can cause problems (price and availability) not just in the town where they take place but also in neighboring towns. It is prudent to book your room via the Internet as soon as you figure out your next stop and when you will reach it. In general, I think you will not have much trouble. Even late May was OK this year until I ran up against a festival in Arles. That led to a significantly overpriced room in Avignon.

My theory is that spur-of-the-moment rooms are easiest to find if you're only staying for one or two nights.

There are a number of newer chains in France. Hotel Ibis is often inexpensive. Another is Novotel. These are inexpensive and very spare, but we had no problem booking a room for a night or 2 in Rennes in May. Also do not forget hostels. These days, most hostels have private rooms which are inexpensive. You get the advantage is staying with young people who party until late.

When we stayed in Hotel Ibis Budget near Rennes, the hotel was patronized by a lot of businesspeople. It is on the outskirts - if you have a car, you have that option. 60 E a night for a double, with breakfast.

I stayed in several Ibis hotels this summer and found the rooms fine for the price if you're OK with a business hotel rather than one with local charm. Be sure there are restaurants in the area, though. That is sometimes an issue, and based on my experience, you do not want to be stuck eating at the hotel. I found the posted dinner menus quite limited, and the one time I was stuck with that option (Bristol, England), it turned out that all they really offered was pizza (frozen and reheated, I'm sure) and deep-fried bar snacks.

I don't think that the south is any different from the rest of the country in this respect. As long as you are flexible (that is, you don't especially care exactly which hotel or room you get), you should have no problem that time of year.

I think that reserving by phone the morning of saves you some hassle, but that is up to you.

If you are looking for a flop and are happy with an Ibis on the road then winging it works fine. In my experience we have always gotten charming and wonderful hotels and rentals when I plan ahead and had terrible experiences both regarding price and quality when we try to pick things up as we go. We also waste a lot of time that way. If you plan to wing it and care about having well priced and charming places to stay, then I recommend having a list of places you contact the day before when you know your plans. We did have one experience in May in the south of France where every single hotel on our list was unavailable (like 5 of them) and we ended up at a hotel with rooms like a prison (the bed was a cement platform poured into the floor with a thin foam mattress on it) We were glad to have anyplace at that point. I like to stay in places with some charm and in towns where an afternoon is well spent e.g. last fall we spent and afternoon and one night on our way to a cottage in the Dordogne at a beautiful hotel in Uzerches. I would never have found this on the fly and it was one of the loveliest places we have stayed with a beautiful view of the river and a charming old town to stroll in. So yes you can book on the fly, but I would definitely have a strategy for doing it and some ideas of where you want to stay so you can book at least the day before and not spend time trying to find lodging.

There are three flavors of Ibis- Ibis, which is rather IKEA but generally reliable, Ibis Styles that has slightly better modern decor and is breakfast-included, and Ibis Basic which rather competes with the private hostel room option. Along with Novotel, Raffles, Sofitel, and Mercure and about ten other different sub-brands, they're part of the French Accor Hotels conglomerate.

Accor has a decent app for booking direct while on the road if you're bringing a smartphone, and often give modest discounts with app or web booking if you sign up for their free loyalty program.

The last week of April though the first week of May includes the May 1 national holiday. One third of the primary/secondary schools in France will also still be on spring break during the last week of April. At the very least, consider booking the April 27 thru May 1 period, since many French people like to "faire le pont" ie. take a long weekend including the May 1 Tuesday.

There is an umbrella-group of small hotel/restaurants called Logis-de-France which we often used on road trips, all over France, They are owner managed and usually have a good restaurant because the owner is often a chef. Google for lots of info and watch for their “chimney” logo.

You won't go homeless, there will be places to stay and they will be available last minute. My technique in the past was to make a list of places that would be suitable ahead of time, then call the list the morning before I expect to stay. I've done that in many parts of Europe and always found something decent. I always did best (usually paying lower than prices listed in guide books) seeing what they have available, asking the price, then booking if it sounds good. If I'm going to be late, I call them back and let them know when I expect to arrive.

Nowadays there is so much information available with a smart phone (look into the Orange holiday SIM), it's probably too much extra work to create a list. I'd use tripadvisor to get ideas and reviews, then look up the direct number and call the hotel directly to see what they have available. I'd personally avoid some of the other sights. I stayed in one place in Beune that was the worst ever. When I rated it I gave it a high score for location (because it was well located) but horrible on other things; the sight (I think Booking.com) gave the place a good overall score, 3.7, and wouldn't let me change it.

I agree with booking any fixed spots on your itinerary, plane, train or car pick up reservations, ahead of time.