En route hotels in france?

deedums

Hi,

We're travelling to the Bordeaux area and wondered if anyone could recommend hotels en route please? We're thinking of stopping about a third / half way down.

This is our first time in France and we're feeling a bit apprehensive! So any help or advice would be much appreciated

TIA

RedBern

where you sailing from? what time - and so what sort of area do you envisage you'll be in?

Check out the formule1 website - rooms are 28euro for 3 persons. They are usually located close to major roads/motorways.

Generally we've found the roads in france quieter than here. Toll roads are expensive but worth doing to get you there sooner (in my opinion) but if you are happy to make the journey part of the holiday the 'A' roads are ok.

serena

I was given this website address when I asked a similar question, and found it helpful

http://www.day-tripper.net/hotels_in_france.html


You can also look at the hotels link just above this forum, where I found useful tips on how to save money when booking. Tripadvisor has reviews.

We have made several trips to France, and found it very much easier travelling by road than in the UK. Look out for 'aires' on the map, these are small stopping points/service areas on the motorways. Some are vey basic, and I would recommend sticking to the larger ones with service stations. The AA website has tips on travelling abroad as well, including details of what you must have with you to be legal in France. (Although we found our car insurance company sent us all that when we extended the insurance to cover our stay).

Google the local tourist information office for extra info about your destination.

Bon Voyage at bon sejour!

Squashy_2

There's a chain of hotels called B&B Hotels - I stayed in one to break a journey through France a couple of years ago. Basic but clean and comfortable. Really good value for money too, and the buffet breakfast was great!

kaspar

i recently drove down from Lille to Toulon.

we stayed in Formule 1 and they were very cheap but always clean and never noisy.

i disagree with the earlier posters about the motorway (often toll roads), when you are on them you see NOTHING but if you go on the national (smaller roads) you go through lots of really great scenery and beatiful villages. We did this using Sat Nav and simply choosing the 'avoid toll roads' setting. It will take a bit longer but often not a great deal longer than the toll roads.

teeb

Formule 1 is well-known as a cheap motorway stop hotel which gives you a bed for the night. I'd also recommend the toll roads in order to get there faster, and I'd also avoid the Paris ring road if I were you.

If you want help or advice of things to do in Bordeaux, I'd be happy to help (I live here), too.

MOLLYBRUSH

I regularly drive down to La Rochelle from the Midlands. I usually stop at the Ibis in Chartres. The one I go to is at Luce and it has a restaurant which is very good and most of the staff speak English. It is more expensive than a Formule but is still good value at about 50/60 euros. They can also do a pull out bed which is quite comfy if you need a room for 3. It is easy to head off the next morning on towards Tours if this is the route you are taking, as it is on the edge of the town and you don't need to mess about with a City Centre.

arealbasketcase

Chartres would be my choice too. If you can afford it there is (or at least was) a Best Western really close to the centre of the town, you could easily pop in to see the cathedral from there, truly not to be missed, and then walk down through the old town to the river, there used to be a great Italian (I know sorry but they do vegetarian better than the French) just across a little bridge.

Must go and find my maps.........

martindow

Etap are another good value chain - a bit like Travelodge.

Ibis, Formule 1, Ibis, Novotel, Etap and some others all seem to be run by the same company and can be booked from here
http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/home/index.shtml

deedums

Thanks everyone for your replies

This is typical of me, I post in a hurry and don't think it through - why would I assume you all know which crossing etc we're taking

We're arriving in Caen at about 11.00 am and thought we might stop overnight around about Le Mans / Tours and then make our way south the following day. We'll have time so it would be nice to have a look around wherever we stay.

One other question if anyone could answer this - we've been told by someone who was recently in France that he couldn't use any of his cards to pay for petrol, is this right please?

Thanks for your help

jd87

deedums wrote: »

One other question if anyone could answer this - we've been told by someone who was recently in France that he couldn't use any of his cards to pay for petrol, is this right please?

That could be due to any number of reasons. These days it's always a good idea to call your bank beforehand and let them know you are going abroad and make sure there won't be any problems.