Customer Reviews

The Guide to Lodging in France's Monasteries

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LODGING IN FRANCE'S MONASTERIES - $22.95 Anacapa Press

Travel writer Barish adds a third volume (along with Spain and Italy) to her series on unique and inexpensive accommodations in monasteries, convents and religious guest houses, many of which are located in some of the most beautiful towns and villages in France. Travelers can stay, for example, in a 16th century building just a few feet from Chartres Cathedral or in a former castle in the village of Moulins-les-Metz in Lorraine. Most of the more than 150 institutions profiled accept guests without any religious obligation but some of them offer only spiritual retreats. Each entry includes information on the number of rooms, amenities, cost, availability of meals, any special rules, directions and contact information, and two to four pages on local tourist attractions. The average cost per person per night is $30 (meals may add $5 to the cost) and some monasteries ask only for a donation. Barish has also included a reservation form letter in English and French. This is a worthwhile addition to any travel collection and will intrigue travelers on a strict budget and those who want a holiday with a twist. Linda M. Kaufmann, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

This book has obviously taken a great deal of work to put together, so it's a pity that the final result is not as polished as it could be. It provides travellers with a long list of monasteries in France that provide accommodation, including contact info and pricing where available. But where if falls short for the prospective traveller is in not giving much information about the accommodation, the buildings in which the accommodation is provided, pictures of the accommodation, or location maps - all the things that readers would expect from a travel guide.
Descriptions would have been more helpful if they had been organized under heads in a more systematic manner - like LOCATION, HISTORY, ACCOMMODATION, LOCAL AREA, ETC. At present they tend to be long and rambling and focus mainly on the history of the monsatery and the town which, interesting as it is, really misses the point - the accommodation. There are lots of black and white pictures, often of mixed quality. These frequently relate to the town or local sights and numerous entries fail to show, or indicate the accommodation. This is not much help if you want to see where you are going to be lodging. So it can be a question of taking pot luck! Having said all this, the book does give one a useful starting point.

There are limitations with monastaries which were not clear from the book's description. Not all of the monastaries are open to solitary travelers or couples, many stipulating, 'Groups only'; and don't expect that they will replace hotels as a place to stay on a holiday where late nights are the norm. But there are many which would be fine for a night's accommodation when traveling from north to south or east to west in France.

I enjoyed this book very much since I travel around the world and stay in different Monasteries. This book is set up in such a way that I can gather a lot of information about specific Monasteries that interest me versus those that might not be what I am looking for in terms of accommodations.

Truly a worthwhile purchase.

Rhonda

Another way to travel if you are Catholic or interested in a different way to see France.