Hotels on the Lake in Dordogne

This was a great find. The hotel is in a quiet area, not far from the railway station and a short walk from the town centre. The staff were very helpful and friendly and obviously used to dealing with foreign guests. There is a choice of basic or full buffet breakfast for a fee (about €7 for the basic one, about twice that for the full breakfast). This is available from 07:00, which is helpful if you have an early flight. The hotel has a nice pool, with a shady garden and sunloungers as well as outdoor seating, and you can get drinks from the bar to sip while relaxing. The room was airconditioned, which worked very well, and which we very much appreciated in the 37C heat! We felt it was a good price, especially compared with hotels in La Rochelle at the same period. Bergerac itself is fairly small, but has a good range of restaurants and other amenities. It is easy to walk around and there is a regular free shuttle bus that goes between the station, the centre and the waterfront, if you don't want to walk. There is a large tourist information centre close to the waterfront, with a wine centre offering free tastings. You can also get a boat trip on the Dordogne in a replica gabarre (flat-bottomed boat). We watched the solar eclipse from the old bridge, which was spectacular, but obviously a one-off event. Overall, highly recommended. We look forward to going back!

We had a wonderful stay despite the weather being mixed. The spa was a lovely treat when sitting by the pool wasn’t appealing - although make sure you book your hour as it fills up quickly. We had a lovely evening in the bar with music and tapas - it was meant to be in the rose garden but equally lovely. Unfortunately didn’t manage to have proper dinner as didn’t book in time - the restaurant is only small. Breakfasts were a highlight already though! We had a lovely family room which was a great size for a family of 4 with 2 teenagers. Plus a lovely large terrace. My only complaint would be for a family of 4 , giving us 2 double beds wasn’t practical. The sofa bed was too small for 2 teenagers of different sex! Or even a teenager + parent. We ended up requesting an additional camp bed which I don’t think we should have had to pay for. Overall a lovely stay though and we will definitely be back!

On my first evening there to check in, I was given an entry code with instructions on how to self check in. The steps provided were exactly as explained to me on the phone. I would have prefered if someone were there to greet me but at least I had access. At the hotel I stayed at before Naad Hotel, was in Arles and the front desk personnel over there kindly allowed me to use his phone to reach Hotel Naad. He knew that I was in a quandry, and helped me. When I entered my room, it was a bit cramped and the dark colors of the room did not help. The interior lights had awkward placing so that was not that convenient. The bedside light fixtures reminded me of extendable desk lamps that engineers use. The town of Sarlat la Caneda itself is very charming and lovely, so that helped.