No cooking/fridge facilities help

Peggybabcot

Thanks for all your useful replies. I LOVE the idea of going native, I'm rather partial to a French pastry lol. I never thought of our main meal at lunchtime but that makes perfect sense and hubby is on the case regarding a travel kettle. We already have an electric cool box (bargain £24.99 at Lidl a couple of weeks ago!) Loved the rice idea too as a healthy non sandwich based alternative. Keep 'em coming, I knew you'd come up with lots of things I'd never even thought of. Ta very much X

FairyPrincessk

Ah, if you have boiling water you can also do things like stuffed pasta, instant oats.

There was a thread maybe two years ago about easy meals to make when travelling although I think there was the added challenge that the food also had to be brought with them. I can't seem to find that one, but this one probably has many ideas:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1580091

SouthCoastSkies

Also, don't forget things like ready cooked lentils, quinoa etc. If you can find a nice deli that sells sundried tomatoes, artichokes, antipasti type things, it's a quick & fairly nutritious snack for the evening

kacie

If you have a kettle then porridge for breakfast is a good idea. It's worth having a look at what's around the area, as there might be little places off the tourist path that could be cheaper

THIRZAH

Some hypermarkets do hot cooked chickens. Also the restaurants in hypermarkets are often good value.

We've stayed in quite a few hotels in the UK and France which charge extra for breakfast and I refuse to pay for it. We do eat breakfast but not an enormous one. In the UK I check beforehand to see if there is a Wetherspoons or a supermarket with a cafe nearby. If not we take muesli , milk and cartons of juice.I have a picnic basket which contains plates, mugs, plastic glasses, a sharp knife and small chopping board plus a corkscrew , bottle opener, cutlery and some klippits for refastening bags.It's amazing what you can get into a small basket if you pack it carefully.

I have a friend who has a house in the south of France. She has a mini -fridge which she plugs into the car while they are travelling and then takes it into the Campinile room at night.

maman

I would check out the breakfasts at the hotel because some can be great buffets that will keep you going for hours.


Assuming you don't opt for them then probably the thing you'll miss most of all will be hot drinks so I'd definitely take a kettle. It's rare to find them in French hotel rooms. The French drink very little fresh milk, almost all UHT so you needn't worry about a fridge for drinks or cereal if that's what you'd like for breakfast.


Personally I'd go out and buy croissants/breakfast pastries and then eat them alfresco with a flask of tea or coffee that I'd made in the room.


The advice about lunchtime menus is good and if you have a large supermarket nearby they often do amazing lunches too. Evenings you can have a picnic either outside or indoors if the children need putting to bed early. I'd just buy bread, ham, pate, cheese, tomatoes, olives, crisps and maybe a few lovely cakes and eat whatever you fancy. If you do have a cool box then you could have spread but not essential.

Peggybabcot

We're staying offsite of Disneyland Paris at Bussy St George in a Travelodge type place (which we've used before) The rooms are perfect for what we need, clean, modern & comfortable but the breakfast buffet is (or at least was in the past) quite expensive for what we actually ate so although they do do breakfast I felt it was one area we could not only save money but also eat better. The option of hopping on the RER at lunchtime to the Val d'europe for lunch sounds like a good idea. It gets us out of the midday sun and is going to be much better value for money. Just burgers, chips and a drink are coming in at around £50-£60 for the four of us at Disney and not really our "bag" and whilst I know Disney offer much more than burgers the price goes up tremendously. We're planning on one blow out evening meal whilst we're there as it's our 25th wedding anniversary but thought we could save in other areas and have better, local food rather than fast food.
I think a picnic for our evening meal sounds like a great idea too and is something we can do by calling at the supermarket on our way back to the hotel. I'm already salivating at the prospect of fine cheese, ham, crusty baguettes and French patisserie mmmmm.
Thank you so much for all your replies so far. You've inspired me and whet my appetite x

maman

I'm excited for you!


I'd definitely take some picnic bits with you like sharp knife, some cutlery and disposable plates and cups and napkins. I find a tea towel handy too and perhaps a bit of washing up liquid. Wipes for when you're out and about.