Good for you. You'll have a blast.
As I've said elsewhere we've had great luck with gites from the gites de france web site.
http://www.gites-de-france.com/gites/uk/rural_gites It is best to rent by the week (in terms of value), but that time of year everything should be open and you could probably just schedule it for whenever you're there. I'm talking about rural gites, these are basically apartments or houses in a more rural/town setting. They are cheap and generally pretty basic but we've yet to have one we didn't really like. They have kitchens, which is a huge bonus as eating out every meal even in France just gets to be too much. Here for example is a search of Villie-Morgon, which lists seven gites in and around town.
http://www.gites-de-france.com/gite...NBJSEJ=0&DEBSEJ=JJ/MM/AA&CAPMIN=1&CAPMAX=none
They are stupid cheap by the week (as low as a couple hundred Euro for a week) and we don't even consider anything else. Not in the luxe category though if that's what you're looking for.
The main hotel in Morgon is ok but not great.
You will absolutely want a rental car. A nice way to go is to take the TGV to the Macon station and rent from there. Incredibly quick and convenient.
Depending on whether you're mainly there for wine or more general touring influences where to stay. If you're there for wine, definitely stay somewhere in the cru Beaujolais. If it is secondary, the Terres Dorees in the southern Beaujolais is very beautiful, mainly due to the buildings being built out of this beautiful golden granite. But, all of Beaujolais is really nice so you can't really go wrong.
Another consideration is that the Maconnais is really lovely and staying in the cru Beaujolais provides quick access there, esp. to the area around Fuisse and Pouilly, which is gorgeous country.
I have heard that Auberge du Cep in Fleurie is superb and I can't believe I haven't been there.
I think John Gilman's Beaujolais write ups are informative and it is worth subscribing just to read his back issues. Once you subscribe he'll probably be happy to forward you the applicable back issues.
The Auberge du Col du Truge is not to be missed, way up high above the vineyards. According to Marcel Lapierre, the best coq au vin in the universe. Primal stuff.
The coop wine store in the basement of the Morgon town hall has tons of Morgon, like at least 100 Morgons. There are often older vintages, which can be a lot of fun to try. Every time I've been there I've bought way too many bottles and usually we just do a big tasting.
Walking in Beaujolais is fantastic. On the first day you get there, go to the librarie and buy the local blue IGN map and go crazy. The GR76 runs west of the cru B and it is in very cool country; worth the drive over.
Renting a bike for the visit would also be worth it. Excellent riding.
The Emile Henri factory is pretty close over by the Loire and the tour's supposed to be cool.
Jean Paul Brun is a great guy and would certainly welcome you, he's down south in Charnay, conveniently close to Eric Texier.
We spent two weeks in Fuisse in 05 and just had a blast. A couple years ago my brother and I rode from Lyon to Auxerre and went right through the heart of Beaujolais south to north.
It is definitely one of my favorite places in France and we're planning on spending a couple weeks there this summer.
If you search under "Tomes" here you'll find photos from our bike tour, and there's some good Beaujolais shots in there.
