We usually get the overnight ferry and head straight for the campsite we've booked but we've decided to get a morning ferry from Dover to Calais on the Friday and not booking into the campsite near Lac de Leon until the Saturday - can anyone recommend a good place to stop over in a cheapish hotel please? We're two adults and three teenagers.
Thanks
------------- Tracey & Steven
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Calculate the route you'll be driving (there are alternatives) then how far you want to drive the first day. Look at towns at around that location. Then use booking.com because you can put in how many rooms you require, and to sleep how many people. They offer everything from the most basic budget hotels, through to the most expensive five star places, but also B&Bs and even mobile home. We always sort them by price once we've got a list up, and then go down the list until we get to one with a review score of 8.5 or more. We've only been disappointed once in a lot of years.
I did a quick search for the town of Tours (which is about five hours from Calais), and the cheapest option for two 3 bed rooms is Formule 1 at €67 euros, (but the bathroom is down the corridor), then Quick Palace which has a basic en-suite is twice that, and upwards from there. You can also select various options - secure parking for instance, or WiFi, or a restaurant on site.
The toilet in Formule1 might be down the corridor but don't let that put you off. They're huge and self-clean after each person. Having avoided motels without an en-suite we ended up in one in desperation one summer.In room terms they're not better than any other motel chain but we were very happy with the shared facilities. Just not being able to touch both walls in the shower with my elbows was a treat.
I'd definitely look on something like booking.com or hotels.com for ideas and then think about going direct to the hotel/B&B/apartment owner.
------------- pork
Remember a good wife always helps her husband with the dishes.
Sadly, France doesn't have the sort of family owned, single storey motels we found in Oz and New Zealand - where you simply park at the door and roll your luggage in.
It does however have some really cheap chain hotels which look like portacabins stacked above each other, with external staircases up which you haul your luggage. They may often be unstaffed in the night and you need to remember which bank card you booked with to get yourselves in. Ladies of a particular professional class appear to have block bookings and come and go through the night. Cries are heard. Doors bang.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Thanks all, managed to get an apartment right on the Loire in Tours for a good price. Will let us have a wander round the town and clean up before heading off again on the Saturday. Thanks
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Calais to Bordeaux direction stop over
