Here’s the proposed itinerary again:
Tue. Sept 6 Dep. RIC 229pm / via Charlotte - US Air
Wed. Sept 7 Arr. Dublin 650am / dep. DUB 1215pm/ arr. Biarritz 320pm – RyanAir; rent car & drive to Pau
Thu. Sept 8 Pau / French Pyranees
Fri. Sept 9 Pau / French Pyranees
Sat. Sept 10-17 Dordogne Valley – Beynac Hotel
Sat. Sept 17 Drive to Carcassonne; return car
Sun. Sept 18 740am train dep. Carcassonne – arr. 1148am Barcelona
Mon. Sept19 Barcelona
Tue. Sept 20 dep. BCN 1045am / arr. RIC 512pm – US Air via PHL
Pau Hotel – Sep7-10 / Novotel Pau Lescar - $323 USD / 3 nts. Double/single std. room
This is the good 4-star hotel we all liked when I first sent it to you in early January. High guest ratings on TripAdvisor. Photos below –
Carcassonne Hotel – Sep17 / Le Donjon Hotel - $187 USD / 1 nt. Double/single std. room
Good 3-star hotel member of Best Western chain (better in France than USA). Just outside the ancient town walls. Photos below –
Barcelona Hotel – Sep18-20 / Hotel Caledonian - $362 USD / 2 nts. Double; $259 USD / 2 nts. Single
Excellent 3-star with perfect location on Gran Via, and just a block from Catalunya Plaza and the start of Las Ramblas – the wide pedestrian boulevard leading down to the harbor, that’s so beloved by tourists in the old Gothic section of central Barcelona. Gets much higher TripAdvisor ratings than most 4-stars in the city! Photos below –
Rental Cars – pick-up Biarritz Airport Sep 7 4pm / drop Carcassonne Sep17 4pm
VW Passat with Manual Trans., AC, Unlimited miles - $477 USD
Ford Focus with Automatic Trans., AC, Unlimited miles - $597 USD
How many people want to rent cars? Last time Tish, Nancy and I had such fun that I’ve got first dibs on them again!!
Train – Sep18 dep. Carcassonne 740am / arr. Barcelona 1148am - $108 USD / pp first class
US Air Flights – $1,084 pp + baggage fees
Sep 6 dep. RIC 229pm / arr. CLT 345pm; dep. CLT 620pm / arr. DUB 650am (Sep7); Sep20 dep. BCN 1045am / arr. PHL 145pm; dep. PHL 4pm / arr. RIC 512pm
Ryan Air Flight - $63 USD pp + baggage fees
Sep 7 dep. DUB 1215pm / arr. Biarritz 320pm – (Sorry this means we’ll sit in DUB for 5 hours, but it’s the fastest/cheapest way to Biarritz from RIC)
Cost Recaps – Single Couple (rental car not figured in here/because of multiple users)
Flights - $1,147 $2,294
Train - $108 $216
Paul Hotel - $323 $323
Dordogne/Beynac Hotel - $401 $536
Carcassonne Hotel - $187 $187
Barcelona Hotel - $259 $362
SubTotal - $2,425 $3,918
