If you are EVER in Blaye, the single best place to go (with one amazing restaurant exception) is…read morethe Cave wine store. Talk to Julian. He is one of the most knowledgeable, friendly and amazing people we met in France. The store has an incredible selection of rare special Bordeaux wines in the back of the store and the prices are good. Summer and I were the first Americans to have a special late night tasting and several of the locals basically adopted us into their family. (It did help that we openly shared some very nice bottles that we bought. Julian threw in some VERY special tasting treats. We loved our time in Blaye and we actually miss the people we met and the evening we spent at the Cave. It was probably the best evening Summer and I had in 2015. It was like we had been long friends for years. Go to the Cave. Ask for Julian. Share your wine with them. Spend time tasting. And enjoy. Bonsoir!

Chateau Kirwan is a beautiful vineyard in Margaux with a friendly staff and an interesting tour. I…read morehave no real reason to not give 5 stars other than I didn't love both wines. They were good-the 2016 was much better-but I wasn't impressed enough to bring any home. Since the premier grand crus are so hard to get into, I would still recommend Kirwan. Just because I preferred some other wineries doesn't mean you will agree. You may think I have terrible taste and will love these wines. That's what's great about wine. From a vineyard and tour standpoint, Kirwan is worth your time.

Chateau Kirwan is a lovely setting but this rating is for Viking River Cruises, who catered the…read morewhole meal and did everything. I think the company probably rented this lovely facility. It was about of 45-minute bus ride from Bordeaux, all through incredibly beautiful countryside. This fulfills everything you imagined the French countryside to be. The first course was a nice lobster bisque which was not as thick or creamy as I have had before but it was delicious. The second course was three little pieces of terrine (duck and campagne) which were also quite tasty. The main course was filet of beef, which was quite good although I am not a big beef eater. The dessert was a very tasty little cake of cherries and cranberry. The portion sizes were perfect and two nice Bordeaux wines were served. Viking Cruises are not cheap but they surely do deliver unbelievable service. It is amazing how much emotional labor the staff delivers to guests and this dinner at Chateaux Kirwan was no exception. If you have a chance to go here, take that chance.

Did a wine tasting here today. We were luckily at the winery during the harvest and the collecting…read moreand sorting of the grapes. We were taken through the entire process from grape sorting to entry in the vats to walking through the barrel room and the bottle storage area. The wine was excellent. We tasted 3 of the same wines from 3 different years. It was a wonderful exercise.

The third day of the wife and my tour of Bordeaux wine châteaus continued with a late morning stop…read moreat Château Prieuré Lichine. A 4th Growth château of the Margaux appellation, Prieuré Lichine offered the best overall tour experience of our trip. Our tour guide, Ulrich, was fluent in English, exceedingly knowledgeable in Prieuré Lichine's history and operations, and easily the most descriptive and enthusiastic, if not passionate, while leading our tour. He was stellar! The château property was aesthetically beautiful with an interesting, logical blend of the modern with its vintage heritage. Château Prieuré Lichine had a very nice tasting room/wine/gift shop where its wines in a wide range of formats and vintages as well as wine accessories, books, and other souvenirs could be purchased. We had the opportunity to experience a barrel tasting of its 2013 vintage Margaux as well as a barrel tasting of its pre-blend, straight cabernet sauvignon. Our tour culminated with a delicious lunch in the château's "Harvest" dining room where we were served both its white Bordeaux, a 2013 Le Blanc du Château Prieuré Lichine and a vertical of its 2003, 2005, and 2007 margaux. Tasting the wines as a vertical truly highlighted the variances of the same wine between multiple vintages. Our tour of Prieuré Lichine was an enlightening and enjoyable experience. We were made to feel very welcome. While we were on a special tour not available to most of the public, I still highly recommend checking it out. If Ulrich's the one giving you your tour, then you're in for a treat!

It will always be for me the best beach in the world, with the Atlantic pounding the sand on…read morekilometres of straight golden coast. There might not be any palmtrees, but there are waves that will rejoice any surfer or sea swimmer. The dunes are nowadays protected, but it is always possible to find a more secluded area as the place is vast.

Quite a good place to get some ice cream while dying from the heat!…read moreThe place is close to the ocean drive and the beach and the prices are as everywhere else €3 approx for two balls of ice cream. The rage is wide and quite original sometimes! You'll find some flavors such as pistachio, almondy, cherry... They taste quite good but are lil bit too sweet for me :)