Halfway between Bordeaux and Provence! Rodez, France - July 2014

Rodez, France
Rodez was not a destination that we had originally sought out. While planning our trip with a week in the Bordeaux region and a week in the Provence region, we looked at our map.  Rodez was the city close to the midway point.  For first-timers,  I would recommend a one night stay in Carcassone, a unique medieval city on a picturesque hilltop. In 2007, we stayed at Hotel de la Cité (http://www.hoteldelacite.com/ ) and would definitely recommend that over Rodez but this time we wanted to stay somewhere different. Rodez is a busy city that has the huge Rodez Cathedral at its center.  This large Roman Catholic cathedral is a national monument of France and is the seat of the Bishopric of Rodez. The closed west front once formed part of the city wall of Rodez.  It is similar to many of the Roman Catholic cathedrals found throughout Europe.


Where to Stay:

Hotel Mercure Rodez Cathedral
http://www.mercure.com/gb/hotel-7013-mercure-rodez-cathedrale-hotel/index.shtml

 Gar and I planned our vacation for one week in the Bordeaux region and one week in the Provence region. We needed a halfway point to stop in so that we wouldn't be driving for so long. Rodez met this perfectly! We had stayed in Carcassone before so we wanted to try somewhere else. This hotel is literally right next to the huge, beautiful cathedral of Rodez. The room we stayed in (311) was on the small side, like most French hotels, but the bathroom had a full shower and we were only there for one night.

Easy elevator access for schlepping our bags was a real plus. The parking is off site in a not so nearby garage. Very safe but you must enter your parking ticket number to access the locked door. This took us a long while to figure out as the speaker message was only in French and our French is very limited! The rooms were quiet. My only complaint is there was no mirror in the room other than in the bathroom. This made it difficult to dry my hair while my Gar showered and shaved. A small inconvenience is all. The breakfast was not included but was a very good value. The standard meats, cheeses, cereals, yogurts and pastries along with scrambled eggs and Canadian bacon filled us up quite nicely. If you are looking for an interesting city to stay in between those two regions, we would definitely recommend this one!

Room Tip: If you are staying longer than one night, a larger room might be preferable but our room was quiet and the bed comfortable and the wi-fi free!

Where to Eat:

Le Carte Blanche
https://plus.google.com/111100276306237133450/about?gl=us&hl=en

It's no wonder why Le Carte Blanche is a favorite on TripAdvisor.com. Upon our arrival in Rodez, we walked around checking out the hotel recommendations for dinner. Took pictures of the menu and went back to our room to translate. We then saw the great reviews on TA so we quickly made reservations (a must!) for 8 o'clock. We were the first to arrive but the restaurant filled up quickly a bit later. People were turned away as it is quite cozy (small) inside. The owner helped us with the menu and although our French and his English were not the best, we were able to communicate just fine. He shared that the house specialty was duck and it was indeed, special. Very moist and tasty. The chocolate lava cake was to die for and the service was very personable. We enjoyed a local wine and a leisurely evening! Definitely eat here if your travels take you to Rodez!