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Original poster

Do you pre-book a 'cheap' 'en route' motel in France or just turn up and hope for the best?

40 replies

LittenTree · 13/04/2012 11:55

I mean if you go Dover/Calais but are heading for the South of France, say, thus need to break your journey.

Which names are 'good'? Which to avoid? ON the motorway or a few miles off in a small town?

Bit of a Europe virgin, here, sorry! I could tell you how to find good lodgings in rural Thailand, mind!

OP posts:

GnomeDePlume · 13/04/2012 16:30

Weelll.... my first booking at a hotelbb place was done over the phone. Now that was hairy as we were arriving late and had a code number which had been read out to me very slowly.

Never have I been so grateful to hear a door unlock!

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 13/04/2012 16:47

Gnome - things just aren't such an adventure any longer! You can arm yourself with info so well.
I hope my kids still get that feeling - hopefully they will because they won't know how prepared DH and I are

Today I have told DS1 (3.9) that we are going on the ferry when we go on holiday. 'Mummy I have never been on a ferry before - are you sure we can drive the car on?' while looking at me like this

Can't wait to see his face

GnomeDePlume · 13/04/2012 16:53

That sounds wonderful Alibaba. If it would keep the suspense up can you make out like you arent absolutely certain? (Obviously dont stress him out with the worry though!).

I think some of the adventure comes simply from taking children abroad.

ivykaty44 · 13/04/2012 16:54

we wouldnt use F1 again

I would rather stick hot red pokers in my eyes than stay in a F1

upahill · 13/04/2012 17:49

we wouldnt use F1 again

I would rather stick hot red pokers in my eyes than stay in a F1

Against his better judgement, knowing how dire F1's are having found the only place in France that seemed to have a vacancy one year (And soon finding out why)Dh booked him and the kids in one in Coventry about a month ago was soon reminded why he hated them!!

ivykaty44 · 13/04/2012 17:54

Coventry....

upahill · 13/04/2012 17:56

There was a reason he was there!!
It wasn't just some random place he and the boys rocked up to!!

ivykaty44 · 13/04/2012 18:04

There really can't be a good reason - it's just not possibly! Then to add insult to injury and sat in the F! on the ring road is gluton for punishment

GnomeDePlume · 13/04/2012 19:08

I agree F1s are dire. I still shudder at the recollection of the one we stayed at in Orleans. There was a conference on and this was the only room left in the city. The 5 of us were rammed into a 3 person room. It was sweltering, there was no aircon (of course) and we couldnt open the window as there was a cloud of mozzies baying to get in.

I wont pretend that the other basic chains are luxurious but they are clean and reasonably comfortable.

GnomeDePlume · 13/04/2012 19:25

DH has just reminded me. Do check out your chosen hotel on Google Earth street view. This will be very useful when you are trying to find it for real. Sometimes you can see the roof for miles but cant actually see how to get to the wretched place!

Beanbagz · 15/04/2012 16:36

If you have DCs i would book ahead as it can be sometimes tricky to get family rooms. We've used Campanile, Etap Hotel and Ibis. Some of them offer good pre payment discount.

Pre children we set off and stayed in whatever we could find. I especially liked finding the one from Alastair Sawdays Special Places to Stay.

cheerup · 17/04/2012 08:19

has anyone stayed at the hotelB&B in Calais Coquelles? I've booked it twice this summer - first for the Jubilee week - on the basis that we can pick Dh up from work on Friday 4ish, do the two hour drive to Dover, ferry and then have a night's sleep close to the port before a 6 hour drive the French side. Don't want to waste money though and if it's dreadful, I would rather do the Dover leg and crossing plus drive to a campsite about two hours from Calais setting off in the morning. One night in the B&B is costing more than a third of the accommodation budget for the whole 8 night camping trip so I will be v unhappy if I don't sleep.

Goolash · 18/04/2012 11:25

We usually use the hotelbb chain because they have family rooms for 4. Like many of the other cheap motel chains they're just off a major route and they'll be some kind of chain type place to eat near by. Usually you get a few different hotel brands clumped together. If you don't have to rush off very early then the BB breakfasts aren't bad. The free wifi is nice.

Goolash · 18/04/2012 11:35

Yes, Cheerup. It was fine, our room wasn't as spacious as we've had at other BB hotels but no complaints. It wasn't as 'nice' as the Holiday Inn Express on the UK side but it was clean and had everything we needed.

We didn't eat breakfast there because we wanted to go to moving and needed to visit the supermarket before setting off, which is just round the corner. So we picked up something there. The Bufalo Grill is in walking distance.

GnomeDePlume · 22/04/2012 23:10

hotelbb are fine, no worries there. Breakfasts are fine especially if everyone is able to manage their own tray!

As an alternative would you consider heading another hour/hour and a half further on and then heading to a hotelbb then? That way you would be hitting the hotel at proper bed time (eat on the ferry).

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