Stopover or stay, it's halfway from here to there (Macon)

Member Name: grahamt

Product:	Macon
Date:	20/08/05 (109 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of places to eat; good to explore on foot; close to the Beaujolais region

Disadvantages: None that I've been able to find

This year we returned to our favourite country, France, for a holiday after missing it for far too long. We had found a Gite near Nyons, north of Provence, in the foothills of the Southern Alps, on the French Connections website (which I have reviewed on Dooyoo).

Even setting out early in the morning, to drive the entire distance in one go was clearly going to be an ordeal. Who wants ordeals when you’re on holiday? Anyway, time was not a problem so, leaving the UK on Friday morning, to reach our destination on Saturday afternoon, implied a stopover somewhere in the Rhone valley. But where?

We would be travelling via Dover and the P&O Ferry to Calais. We have no preference for ferry over Le Shuttle. It all depends on the best deal available. On this occasion the ferry won. From Calais we would take the A26 towards Rheims, continuing past the start of the A1 to Paris and on to Troyes where we would pick up the A5 and then the A31 to Dijon. Here we would pick up the A6/A7, Autoroute du Soleil that would eventually go all the way to The Med.

Calculation led us to believe that by the time we would be thinking of taking a break on Friday evening we would be in the region of Macon, in the heart of the Burgundy region. And so it proved. We arrived on the stroke of 5.00pm, this without really testing the French speed limits, a wise decision as the French motorway police are starting to take speeding more seriously.

We had taken the precaution of booking a hotel in advance. The one we had booked was the Hotel de Bourgogne. The hotel is right in the heart of the city, on the upper side of Place de la Barre, a very attractive square.

The hotel is part of the Inter-Hotel group. You can find details on the Inter-Hotel website: http://www.inter-hotel.com/ars/site/index_uk.jsp. It also has its own website at: http://www.hoteldebourgogne.com/

The hotel has parking available, which is accessed through the archway beside the entrance to the hotel reception. The entrance is a little challenging as it is on a one-way system and right on a very busy junction. The parking is cramped and cars are parked under cover but two or three deep.

You have to leave your car-key with reception in case they need to move your car to let someone else out. This it was necessary for them to do on the Saturday morning but they decided to ask me to move it as they felt less than confident with driving my right-hand drive car!

The hotel is very comfortable and offered an excellent standard of accommodation although only rated 2/3 stars. Our room was right on the top floor and on the corner opposite the square. Although we expected a lot of noise in fact we were not disturbed at all, despite this being a Friday night.

Our room had been modernised and was clean and with quite adequate space. There was a bathroom as well though, as it common with most French hotels, the shower over the bath had no bracket for the showerhead. There was also no tea or coffee making facilities but then that is also the usual situation in France.

The hotel has a restaurant, La Perdrix, and a separate breakfast room. There is also a bar but we did not make use of it during our stay, neither did we choose to eat in the hotel restaurant though not for any reason other than wanting to explore the opportunities that the city had to offer. The restaurant’s menu looked very good and on another occasion, if we pass this was again, we may well eat there.

There were a couple of other UK visitors staying there as well. This hotel is clearly very popular and deservedly so. I would have no hesitation in recommending it for an overnight stop or an extended stay.

The night, including breakfast and the charge for parking, came to less than £60, a bargain.

Macon is not a large city. The total population is less than 40,000. The centre if the city is very attractive with plenty of pedestrian areas and cobbled streets. We only had one evening to explore the place but it was clear that it deserved more time than we were able to give.

There are a number of attractions if you have the time; museums, a cathedral and all the usual things you would expect in a city with as ancient a history as Macon.

However, our primary objective for the evening was to find somewhere to eat. There was a lot of choice. There are dozens of good places to eat in Macon, all within easy distance of the hotel. The one we finally chose was the Restaurant Pierre on Rue Dufour. Here we had an excellent meal in an unusual setting.

The part of the restaurant in which we were seated, at first glance, appeared to give a view over the River Rhone, that flows through the city, across a courtyard outside of the windows. However, it soon became apparent that what you could see was a huge mural painted on the opposite wall! Very well done though.

The restaurant offers a number of set menus at different prices. We chose the Menu Gourmand at around £30 per person, it consists of 4 courses, including both cheese and a dessert. Their wine list is quite comprehensive and consists of both local and international wines.

Our meal was excellent and I would be happy to recommend this restaurant who wants something a little bit special. You can find the restaurant’s website, in English, here: http://www.restaurant-pierre.com/english/index.htm l

If you decide to stay here for an extended period then Macon will provide an excellent base for exploring the delights of the local Beaujolais region. All the pleasures of Morgon, Chenas, Julienas, Moulin a Vent, Chiroubles and my own particular favourite, Fleurie, are on the doorstep.

It was with some sadness that we left Macon the following morning, to continue our journey south. To be sure, if we pass through this area again we will stay here again. Perhaps, next time, we will stay a little longer.

Summary: A delightful city for a stay or a stopover