HOTELS
A run down on the hotels...
Hotels are an intregral part of a trip with good ones giving a peak into the location and welcoming guests in. All the hotels we stayed in (including mine before the tour in Paris) were typical Rick Steves hotels. All were in great locations, perfect for exploring the old parts of town. They each had their own personality and were all clean and tidy. I travel as a single and have learned to expect small rooms that often overlook an alley or parking lot. I consider it a treat to find otherwise!
The Hotel Lenox Montparnasse was the perfect hotel for me in Paris. It was in a neighborhood I had never explored and was a couple blocks from Gare Montparnasse, handy to hop the train to Chartres. This is a hotel frequently used for the RS Paris tours (there was one there the night I stayed) and was really lovely. The very welcoming staff kindly upgraded my room from a single to a junior suite. I would easily stay here again if I wanted to sleep in Montparnasse.
I stayed in the Campanile Chartres Centre for one day on my own as well the two nights of the tour. It was about 2 blocks from the train station and a 15 minute walk to the cathedral. I had a large room with a lovely view of the cathedral. I would not call this place charming but it was certainly adequate for the stay.
A spectacular sunrise from my room!
My favorite hotel of the tour was Hotel Diderot in Chinon. This one had all the charm I wanted! Yes, my room was small, but it was lovely and had a view of the beautifully landscaped courtyard. The whole stay was so welcoming, including breakfast and wine tasting.
We stayed in Hotel Montaigne in Sarlat for three nights. It's in a perfect location, a couple of blocks from the main part of town. Very handy to bring back packages from market day! My room was on the top floor and was bigger than some of my other accommodations. I thought of it as my garret! You can see my very small window in the roofline of the building.
We only stayed one night at Hotel Montmorency in Carcassonne. It certainly had the most quirky rooms of the tour! They were decorated in all bright colors, mine being pink(header picture on this page) with others being bright orange or blue. I was on the ground floor and had a patio door out to a very peaceful landscaped area with the citadel perched above me. We were in an annex with a tasty breakfast across the street in the main building. Once I got over the pink, I really enjoyed the hotel.
Main building of Hotel Montmorency
Hotel Calendal was right by the old Roman Arena with quick access to the streets of Arles. My third floor room had a door opening out to a view of a central indoor garden with pleasant tables for a drink or snack. My guess is that area would have been a relaxing oasis during the summer heat.
Our final hotel of the tour was Mercure Hotel Nice Marche aux Fleurs. My small room was right beside the reception desk and had a view of the alley beside the building. I didn't open the window. While it didn't have much charm, the location could not have been better! It was right across the street from the spectacular beach, next to the opera house, and backing on a main promenade in town. I was happy to stay here two nights on my own after the tour.
