Kayaking the Dordogne River past the scenic Beynac-et-Cazenac, France

Fascinating French Finds

Driving from the Dordogne region of France to Nice, we identified a myriad number of discoveries to share in Secrets. J’ai hate de revenir!

Staying in the Dordogne region, we were searching for lodging that was convenient to several small villages, and L’Ombriere was in a perfect location. This charming B&B, housed in a beautiful 18th century stone residence, offered a cosy living room to “practice sweet idleness.” Our breakfast was a feast of local items selected from neighboring farms, like the walnuts and honey and eggs. We visited Beynac-et-Cazenac,La Roque Gageac, and the caves of Lascaux from this perfectly situated charming home. Visit lombriere.com.

On a tip from my brother in law, we walked past La Belle Etoile during our visit to the wonderful village of La Roque Gageac and made a dinner reservation. The shaded terrace overlooks the Dordogne River, and for 33 euros, we feasted on four courses of devilishly, gastronomic delights. It was the best meal of the trip. Visit hotel-belle-etoile-dordogne.fr.

 

Our daughter, Heather and her husband, William, discovered a favorite find of ours, Belcastel, which is nestled outside of Rodez. This 15th century tiny village with its lauze-roofed houses and castle towers above the cobbled bridge over the Aveyron River. This place just exuded charm. We were totally smitten.

The visit to the Pont du Gard was a fabulously fun canoe trip because of Canoe Collias. Located outside of Uzes, we drove in with perfect directions from their emails to us. The water of the Gardon River was cold but we were kept busy paddling the eight kilometers to the massive Pont du Gard. This Roman aqueduct bridge was built in the first century AD to carry water 31 miles to the town of Nimes, and is the highest and best preserved from the amazing Roman engineers. Visit canoe-collias.com.

 

 

Choosing a place to stay in the Vaucluse region outside of Provence was easy after we found Le Domaine des Carmes, located just minutes from L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Located on four acres of lush gardens, including a pool, the breakfast was served on the stone, wisteria covered terrace each morning. Pascal took great care of us. From here, we drove through the Rhone River valley seeking out wineries and the hilltop towns of Bonnieux, Roussillon, and Menerbes. This was truly a Secret to share. domainedescarmesandspa.com, pascal@lescarmes.com 1751 Route de Fontaine de Vaucluse, Le Thor.

You should explore les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france.org for the most endearing and spectacular villages in the country. Make sure you visit some on each trip to France.