solarberg wrote:
In Reply To:
I was thinking a nice hotel with nearby biking might be a much better and less expensive choice. I'm looking for deserted roads, great scenery, and great food. There was a story on Ironmantalk's podcast about a hotel in the French Pyranees called Pyranees multisport that looks pretty cool. My internet search found a bunch of hotels in Italy that call themselves bike hotels. Anybody ever do anything like this?
Any other suggestions?
Thanks for any help.
Some suggestions in the French Pyrenees (from a French rider) if you want to go on your own:
-
http://www.relais-des-pyrenees.com/: this hotel is well located, near the best Pyrenees roads and passes (excellent location if you like high mountains roads: it is at the bottom of Tourmalet (the most famous Pyrennes pass, over 2.000 meters high)); it has specific facilities for riders (under the supervision of ex-pro French rider, Laurent Fignon): you'll get massage, trainer, training buddies, etc....There is traffic especially in the Summer.
-
Argel�s-Gazost: this little town in very well located as well in the Pyrenees: it has plenty of relatively cheap hotels: the surroundings are just gorgeous for hiking and biking: you have some of the best Pyrenees passes and scenery around (excellent location as well if you like tough mountain roads). There is also traffic especially in the Summer.
- if you like deserted roads, I suggest you go on the
East side of the Pyrenees (south of Carcassonne for instance) or in the
Ari�ge region. I do not have any hotel recommendations but I am sure you can find very nice hotels in the region at moderate prices with excellent food and wine. I do not think you need "bike hotels" to enjoy your vacation there. Any nice hotel will do the job!
Enjoy!!
PS: visit my blog:
http://frenchcols.canalblog.com/ Your message inspired me to create it and I will keep working on it!
Strongly agree on the Ariege region.Some friends own
https://bedbreakfastbikespyrenees.com/ based 5 minutes out of Foix and it is affordable and fantastic. There are dozens and dozens of categorised climbs in the area, with Plateau de Beille, Ax 3 Domanes, Col de Pailheres just a few of the well known climbs less than an hours drive away. There's also some great historical towns in the area like Carcassone (absolutely stunning ride there too) and Mirapoix while Toulouse is just over 1 hour away by train. They also have a selection of good rental bikes if necessary and are more than happy to do day trips with notice.
If you're thinking French Alps, look at
https://www.morethan21bends.com/ based in Bourg d' Oisans. They are slightly pricier, but have several holiday apartments available that can also host more than one couple if you need. They do can also do organised day trips and bike rental (they're also a bike shop). You'll be at the base of Alpe d'Huez and the Col de Sarenne, with the Galibier, Croix de Fer, La Berarde and plenty of others right on the doorstep.
In Italy I recommend looking at
https://www.italybikehotels.com/, they are just about everywhere there is good riding, and also do bike rental and half board accommodation. I've stayed at
https://www.dolcicolli.com/en which is one of their hotels and it was excellent - 5 minutes from the shores of Lake Garda, within riding distance of Verona and Bergamo, and just over an hour by train to Milan. You have the option of riding with a guide, as well as bike rental (I rented a Cervelo C3, which was perfect for the 3-4 hour rides on often poor roads). The rooms were very good and the meals were excellent.
Hope this gives you some good ideas.