Overnight stop in Formule 1 / novotel / other hotel in France

[fedupwithdeployment]

We (me, DH and 2 DSs (4 and 6)) are off to France on Friday night, the plan being to have a motorway meal on Friday night, and then drive until about 10 or 11. Stop in motorway hotel and carry on to the Alps in the morning.

When we have done this before we have stopped in a nice b&b and had a nice time. This time, we want to get there asap, but with a full night's sleep (we will be tired as both of us have been working quite hard), and my question is, what is the best option?

We don't want to spend loads, but want somewhere clean, comfy and on the motorway (probably near Dijon). I had been thinking Formule 1, but reviews of their (grubby) communal loos / bathrooms have put me off. Also, it seems that you only get a double bed and one bunk.

Does anyone have advice?

Many thanks!

marking place ready for mammouth journey to the south of france in August

Ooooo bold! lovely...

We stayed in a couple of Novotels driving through France last summer. We chose them over some of the other chain options because they state on the website that they can accomodate 4 in a room (F1 and Ibis only say 2 adults + 1 child).
The rooms were pretty standard travelodge style rooms - double and a sofa bed, ensuite bathroom and buffet breakfast in the morning. It'd be cramped to stay there for a long period but ok for an overnight stop. Some of the Novotels are advertised as 'family friendly', which actually meant a play area outside and some building blocks in reception.

Thanks Cake - that's really helpful. Sounds like novotel will fit the bill on this occasion. I think we will try and find nice b&b on the way back to soften the blow of the end of the holiday...

I can't help with your hotels question, but remember to pack high factor suncream!
My DH and DS2 came home from a skiing trip in the Alps today ( Les Arcs ) and are very tanned. Said it was hot and sunny at resort level.
If you are planning to ski, conditions are ok up high, but very poor on lower slopes - slushy, wet and muddy. Some now completely bare. We found the same in La Plagne three weeks ago.

Formule 1 is cheap and pretty horrible. And yes, no good for four.

Etap Hotel is the next stage up from Formule 1, you get your own shower room but it's tiny, a bit like showering in a cabin on a ferry.

Ibis is in between Etap and Novotel.

I find the food in Novotel very expensive, it really hikes up the overall bill. There's loads of choice but it's the kind of breakfast you want to linger over rather than rush so that you can get onto your destination.

And if you are heading to the ski resorts leaving Dijon area on Saturday morning, you really want to get cracking early because the Parisiens start their holidays that day. The motorways closer to the Alps and the mountain passes will be quite congested late morning/early afternoon.

We recently stayed at the novotel in troyes
It is in the airport area of Troyes and not too much of a detour from the motorway.
It's functional and they do 2nd room for 1/2 price and kids get free breakfast, as well as a gift when you check in. I agree that the food is expensive and will add that the decor is very dated.
However overall this works well for us, ds is 3 and dd is 6 months. We get a good nights' rest at a reasonable price.

I find camponile hotels to be far better than either formula 1 or Ibis.

Try www.campanile.com/en/default.aspx

Like otheres have said, I think you will need a Novotel sized room - Ibis doesn't do family rooms and I wouldn't want to rely on interconnecting rooms. DC1 is on the way and I have accepted that for our overnight stop just off the French motorway in the summer we will have to stop going to the Ibis we usually use and trade up to the Novotel next door.

I keep the food cost down by packing breakfast in a cool box (along with other cold drinks and snacks for the journey) and eating it in our room. Some orange juice, yoghurt, bananas, chocolate spread sandwiches is quite easy to do.

For dinner I like the Courtepaille which is sometimes found next to a cluster of Etape / Ibis / Novotels. It's a bit more family friendly and cheaper than the restos inside Novotels.

I have stayed in the Novotel at Dijon Sud. It was absolutely fine. You can get some good all in deals with dinner included if you book in advance. My favourite of all the Novotels I have stayed in is Macon Sud, which is a bit further south on the A6. Nice pool, playground, secure parking - and the house wine is pretty fab and cheap!

We were pleased with the Hotel BB (another chain) last year - the family room had a double and then a mezzanine floor with two single beds.

We stayed at the Novotel in Rouen. It was clean, perfectly ok for a stop over. It was totally set up for the UK market and full of Brits. But the standard of hotels in France is lower than in the UK. So I would stick to a known brand if possible.

I agree that Courtepaille is great too.

We are going to the South of france this year but we are going on the train from St Pancras and hiring a car. It's a 5 and half hour direct train in summer.

I've done this trip a few times with DC. I always drive overnight, getting a crossing around 10pm, arriving in resort in time for breakfast. The kids get a decent kip and I share driving with the other half. It is tiring, but some red bull helps.

This Saturday will be a particularly busy day on the French roads - especially Parisians travelling for their hols.

Formule Un is grim - avoid.

Very useful advice - thanks all.

Amateurish - we did that at Christmas after a couple of days off (well, got the 10pm from Newhaven which gets into Dieppe at 2am - so you get a bit of sleep), and it was ok - just. I am not great at night driving (eyesight is a bit dim), so DH takes the strain. I also feel desperate and jet lagged - while I would love an extra day on the piste, there are too many cons for us.

I secong Patricia www.hotelbb.com are really great. Their family rooms are for four with a double bed and two singles either on a mezzanine or in a linked space - depends on which model. They are clean and do good simple breakfasts. They normally have a good eatery nearby such as Courte Paille, Buffalo Grill.

TBH I think attempting to drive through the night is highly dangerous. We have a strict rule of only driving during the day and swapping drivers every 2 hours max. There is just too much risk otherwise.