Bordeaux

Accommodations

• Hotel de Seze: 4-star hotel not far from the Place de la Comedie. I had a pleasant stay and would come here again. Check out my TripAdvisor review. 

Sites/Tours

• Place de la Bourse: Fun in the sun, play in the water and at night, look at the gorgeous mirror reflections of the building in the water. 
• Bordovino Wine Tours: I did two tours with this company; the "Bay of Arcachon Morning" and "St Emilion Bordeaux Afternoon". I loved both of these tours as they were great small groups (small enough for us to all fit in a van) and you get to see such beautiful areas outside of Bordeaux...oh and most importantly - drink wine! The ticket price may seem steep but consider it includes all the wine, food and hauling your rear end back to Bordeaux after all the wine tasting.
• Bordeaux Bike Experience: I did the Bordeaux essentials tour and it was lovely as you were able to ride through both old and new Bordeaux getting to feel the difference of history contrasted by the other side of the river, with fun food gathering areas and street art. Most tour companies also do bike tours in wine country but in the summertime these can be a bit grueling, especially after wine tasting.

Nice

Accommodations

• Mercure Nice Centre Grimaldi Hotel: 4-star hotel not on the water but very walkable to the promenade. Obviously part of the Mercure chain, it's a solid place. Room was updated and clean. I would consider it functional and decent location but personally I would look for something with more boutique character next time.

Sites/Tours

• Promenade des Anglais: Um, it's the French Riviera, is there much else needed to say?
• Castle Hill: The views of the riviera walking up here are amazing and you even come across a bit of a hidden waterfall halfway up!
• Sainte-Marguerite Island: Take a relaxing boat ride to the island which isn't far from Cannes. The island is home to the fort where The Man in the Iron Mask once resided, additionally you'll find many trails to stroll through to take in the scenery and coast line of the island. Make sure to bring a beach towel and make a day of it.

Paris

Accommodations

• Le Relais Du Louvre Hotel: 3 or 4-star hotel depending on what site you look at. Personally I would say it's a lovely 3 1/2 star boutique hotel. I've stayed here on two different occasions. If you need lots of space this isn't the place for you. The rooms are small but cozy with a "non" modern Parisian decor, and the staff is always super friendly and helpful, willing to assist with looking up the weather to getting Eiffel tower tickets. Although it doesn't have a restaurant on site, it partners with a nearby restaurant which you can order food from to have delivered to your room. The hotel is literally a stone's throw from the Louvre.
• Hotel Atmospheres: 4-star boutique hotel in the Latin Quarter. The decor is updated and modern. Rooms are nice but some may consider them small, I think they are just fine. Located by Saint Germain des Près and Notre Dame, I think it's a great location while not being on a super noisy street. Service was always kind and helpful giving good food recomendations and securing reservations.

Sites/Tours

• Everywhere: It always amazes me how controversial Paris is with travelers, you either love it or you hate it, and I love it! Those who hate it say the people are awful and rude, yet 99.9% of my experiences have been great. It's like any other major city and we certainly have our own fill of rude and obnoxious individuals in the good ol' USA. If you at least attempt the language you will have a far more friendly response than the assumption everyone speaks English. There are more than enough guidebooks to cover what's in Paris and I don't need to regurgitate, but I will say this:
  • Walk as much as possible and get lost! Paris is full of surprises, the best delights are not in any guidebook. In 2013, I spent an evening dancing off the river Seine with hundreds of locals, it is one of my favorite memories to this day.
  • The Eiffel Tower should be seen a dozen times in every different light, it has a different sparkle with each view across the city. It never gets old to me. I do think you should go all the way up to the top at least once. Once you've been, you don't need to do it again.
  • The Mona Lisa in the Louvre is very small and there will be a hundred people standing in front of her with their selfie sticks. Get your expectations in check.
  • The Orangerie is underrated, the panoramic paintings that span wall to wall, are mesmerizing.
  • Versailles is wonderful and easy to get to. From my experience, if you go in summer, spend all your time in the gardens, they don't disappoint and it is full day experience. Going inside Versailles during the summer is a crush of people, I found it suffocating with the exception of the Hall of Mirrors. It was still rush hour in the hall, but it was the only room large enough to withstand the summer mass of people. However if you go inside in the winter, it's perfect. You can actually see the rooms and enjoy them because there are so few people there.

Food

• La Petite Périgourdine in the Latin Quarter. A wonderful non touristy place for French cuisine, come here for dinner (make a reservation) and someone must get the mashed potatoes. These are a cheesy specialty here and they even bring the pot of them to your table to serve them on your plate, so good! All the food is delicious and service is friendly.
• Joséphine Chez Dumonet. Known for traditional French dishes, I went here to try the boeuf bourguignon, as I heard it was good and I'm always looking for the best boeuf bourguignon in France. The dish was pretty darn good but be prepared to make a reservation and open your wallet, as it's not cheap so you have to consider it a splurge on your trip. The service was great and very friendly, they were more than happy to entertain my poor French speaking skills.

Southwest France
 

Argelès-sur-Mer, Carcassonne, Collioure, Gavarnie (Pyranees) Lourdes, Toulouse...

Accommodations

• L'Hostalet: Lovely five room bed and breakfast in the old village of Argelès-sur-Mer. Rooms have a local, old world charm feel to them. Start the day on the Le “Côté Place” terrace outside for breakfast and then pop outside the front door Saturday for a stroll through the weekly market lining the streets. The owner is hands on at the property and super friendly!
• B&B "Mirage": Go for something different on this floating barge B&B down the canal du midi. There are three cabins inside and extremely well done and comfortable. The interior of the lounge area has a lot of rich tones to it and you can see beautiful nods to the owners aviation background in the woodwork and furniture. Take a break outside to watch boats going through the locks.

Sites/Tours

• Argelès-sur-Mer: Check out the old village and wander around the Saturday market. My French family and I picked up an antique table that ironically used to belong to the owner of our B&B.
• Carcassonne: Check out the full medieval walled city and castle. Outside the fortifications head towards the canal du midi and enjoy a picnic watching boats pass through the locks or do some biking off the cancal.
• Collioure: Spend some time swimming, sun bathing and walking the promenade towards the waterfront church and lighthouse. I also saw a windmill in the distance overlooking the beach but not sure how long it would take to walk to it.
• Gavarnie (Pyrenees): Absolutely wonderful place to do some hiking through the Pyrenees. The views are gorgeous of mountains, waterfalls and snow caps. In June, my French family and I hiked up and got to a portion of all snow and ice. We ended up stopping there and turning back as we weren't sure how stable the ice was at that point but it was awesome to see.