BEST TRAVELER'S CHOICE 2026
BEST TRAVELER'S CHOICE 2026
Eight days. One French valley. Writers’ workshops by morning, châteaux, bastide towns and hanging gardens by afternoon, all from a single boutique hotel base that cultivates a quiet, distraction-free environment for a small-group writing retreat in the Dordogne.
Once a year, a small group of writers gathers in Sarlat, France, for eight days that unfold at the pace of the Dordogne itself: unhurried, richly layered, and built around a single boutique hotel base, Les Cordeliers, our 1870’s maison de maître in the heart of the medieval old town.
Mornings mostly belong to the writing workshops. Afternoons move through the region that inspired it: the Saturday market beneath Sarlat’s stone arcades, the bastide town of Domme, the Hanging Gardens of Marqueyssac, Château de Beynac and the replica cave paintings of Lascaux IV. A craft talk from your workshop instructor and a full afternoon with a guest author round out the week’s writing side.
Every evening returns to Les Cordeliers, where wine and grazing boards precede dinners at Sarlat’s gastronomic tables.
– Arrivals at Les Cordeliers throughout the afternoon (transportation available from Sarlat’s train station)
– Opening reception and dinner at Les Cordeliers
– Morning Writers’ Workshop
– Lunch at La Crémerie
– Sarlat city tour in the afternoon
– Wine and grazing boards at Les Cordeliers
– Dinner at Le Présidial
– The Sarlat market
– Lunch at Les Cordeliers
– Afternoon Writers’ Workshop
– Wine and grazing boards
– Dinner at Au Comptoir
– Morning Writers’ Workshop
– Picnic lunch and visit at Château de Fénelon
– Domme in the afternoon, a bastide town and one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France
– Wine and grazing boards
– Dinner at Le Coin Coin
– Morning Writers’ Workshop
– Lunch at Les Cordeliers
– Afternoon at the Hanging Gardens of Marqueyssac or Château de Beynac
– Craft talk from the workshop instructor
– Wine and grazing boards
– Dinner at Gueule & Gosier
– Morning Writers’ Workshop
– Lunch at La Poste
– Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère and a Lascaux IV cave tour
– Wine and grazing boards
– Dinner at Les Cordeliers
– Final morning Writers’ Workshop
– Lunch on your own
– Afternoon with the week’s guest author
– Wine and grazing boards
– Dinner at Aux Trois Sens
From 11:00 am.
– Breakfast
– Farewells and departure at your own pace
Your hosts, Susan Buchanan and Stephen White, fell for Sarlat on a brief visit in 2025 and never looked back, trading their inn and restaurant in Vermont’s ski country for this 1870’s maison de maître in the heart of the medieval city. Stephen, a chef and certified wine educator, loves sharing the region’s history and gastronomy; Susan, a professionally trained baker and near-native French speaker, has a gift for making a stay feel like home. One or both of them will be with you for every part of the week: on the outings, at the table, and back at Les Cordeliers each evening.
Before Sarlat, Stephen spent nearly two decades in wine and spirits sales in New England, later earning his Certified Spanish Wine Educator credential and WSET II. Susan spent over twenty years as a professional fundraiser for leading medical research institutions, including Massachusetts General Hospital and Johns Hopkins Medicine, and holds a law degree and a master’s degree in French, with a fellowship year in Strasbourg.
Together, they ran Tucker Hill Inn & Restaurant in Vermont’s Mad River Valley, and now bring that same hands-on hospitality to every signature trip they host. One or both of them will be with you throughout the week.
Typically, no fewer than 6 and no more than 12 participants (not including guides and support team).
Single occupancy requests require a supplemental charge, considered on a case-by-case basis depending on availability. Request a quote from Les Cordeliers.
Should it be necessary to cancel, the reservation may be transferred to another person following their acceptance by Les Cordeliers. Otherwise, the following charges apply per person:
Final itineraries may vary slightly; inclement weather may also necessitate alterations.
All trips are conducted in English
