"I highly recommend the nine-day, small group tour, which is operated by a very nice British couple. In fact, you could easily spend another couple of days in the area to see all of the possible sites. The Loire Valley is a beautiful and historic area to visit and the various chateaux are all different and many have lovely gardens. At no point did I feel that there was too much duplication in the local sights. Another thing that I enjoyed was being based in one place for the whole time, except for one night in Amboise. So this is not a ‘relocate every one or two days tour’! Jacqui and Graham were very hospitable hosts and will also accommodate your food preferences. The experience was like staying with new friends, rather than dealing with a large and inflexible travel company. My accommodation was very spacious and well decorated. The food at the house and the picnic were very good. The other mid-day meals and a few dinners were at restaurants. I had a particularly special experience because they agreed to host me as a single person on the tour, with no single supplement, although the usual group size is up to six. Because this turned out to be a private tour, I was able to make a few changes to the itinerary to accommodate places I wanted to visit most. They will be similarly accommodating if a small group agrees on changes as well. In addition to the six and nine day tours, they operate a bed and breakfast if you want a shorter stay in the area. In short, this was one of the best vacation experiences I have had. "