Customer Reviews

Rivages: Hotels and Country Inns of Character and Charm in France

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you want to see the best of France, just arm yourself with your Michelin atlas, Michelin Red Guide, a Blue or Green Guide, this book, a rental car, and your appetite for great food and wine.

Any inn that appears in both the Red Guide and this guide will be a memorable experience. All inns in the Red Guide have professional service and great food. Inns listed in both guides will also be unique and charming. Coupled with the data provided by the Red Guide, the pictures in this guide are very useful.

Best of all are the places in the countryside. Easy parking, phenomenal food, great wine, and usually a great setting. This is not a budget guide, but there are some great deals to be found. The cheapest place I stayed was an isolated Auberge in the Vosges mountains that charged only $50 per person for half board. This included a very small room, great 3 course dinner, buffet breakfast, and all tax and service.

My wife and I first started using the guide in 1998. We have stayed at approximately 6 of the entries. Some were of excellent quality and value, but others we found to be of highly variable quality. For example, the last one we stayed in was in St Lo, Normandy and failed to any extent to match its description. The whole building including the restaurant smelt dirty.

You need to be prepared to arrive at some disappointing hotels and just leave them.

My husband and I used this book to find hotels for our honeymoon in Italy. We loved every place we chose; the only difficulty was trying to decide among so many wonderful locations. It was especially helpful to find information on how close each hotel was to nearby cities and attractions.

Prices range from very cheap to some of the most luxurious accomodations in the world--something for everyone!

...without spending a fortune (unless you want to). This is an excellent resource to find lodging in France. We used it to find a chateaux in the Loire valley which had been converted to a bed and breakfast (like staying in a castle). The photographs, descriptions and maps will help you find the perfect lodging near the places you plan to visit. This is the book you should review when you plan your trip to France.

This book was excellent addition to our travel material. We used it to select our evening's accommodations and were not disappointed.