 Poster: A snowHead
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Mostly likely will look to drive next year and am wondering if anyonbody would agree/disagree with the costs. I am being conservative? (I Hope)
South Wales to Les Arcs (return) 2000 miles @ 20p per mile = £400
Tunnel £160 but use clubcard vouchers =£40
Overnight stop each direction (2 adults and 3 kids 2 rooms £100) = £200
Meal for overnight stop and other food £150 each way =£300
Tolls £70 each way = £140
Total £1,080
Am I way off?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Lou, It is really difficult to get rooms for 5 in major hotel chains as fire regs limit them to 4. It is 4 hours for us to the tunnel so with a 9,7 and 6 year old in the back I see a straight drive being too much.
Thanks for ideas. 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Pick which one you like least and leave him/her behind.  Hey presto, one room will suffice...
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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thefatcontroller, The Novotel in Beaune just off the motorway has rooms for five but they have to be booked direct by telephone as the on-line system can't do it! (My Bruv in law has 3 kids so we know the problems)
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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boredsurfin, Cheers. Noted 
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thefatcontroller, it's a couple of years ago and I don't think they are still Holiday Inn but worth a call - (33) 0325438080 or commercial.holi25@holidayinn-troyes.com
At Rouilly Sacey, Piney, Troyes in Forest of the Orient
It's about 20 mins off autoroute in a lovely country setting, you almost forget you are there purely to 'stopover'  Kids disappointed now that we drive past. Was very reasonable, maybe £75 for all of us, breakie for kids included and adults only a few euros.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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thefatcontroller, 2000 miles seems a bit much? From Cardiff to those big white hilly things usually 1650 (Switzerland)-1850 (France) miles return I find. And is your 20p a mile based on fuel costs only? Time to get a more efficient car......
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Yoda, I did say I was being conservative  However I did check on autoroute and it did give 1850 miles return but we would be staying up in Arc 2000 and if we decided to go back down to Bourg once ot twice that is 40 miles return. so quite possible to hit 2,000. Getting new car, likely to be 4 x 4, with Nissan X Trail in lead over Disco 3, so 15p mile is more likely as a min.
The overall cost might come down from £1,080 ot £900+ but it was just in my mind if looking at flight costs comparing them to the 'real' cost of driving.
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You know it makes sense.
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thefatcontroller, . I think you could probably cut the food price down too. £300 seems a bit steep. I did a thread comparing flights with driving last winter, fuel has gone up since, but all costs listed are our actual ones, not estimated.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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thefatcontroller, if I can find the bleeding thread I will post the link 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Helen Beaumont, if he can afford a Disco 3 why he is worrying about a few bob spent on driving it? 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Yoda, I think his employer is forking out for it , so even more so.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Yoda, Helen Beaumont, Go easy please, the decision on Disco is not made and while the employer will pay for it if I do go for a cheaper car I pocket the difference hence the Nissan is appearing attractive.
I wasn't complaining about the cost of driving just wanting to make sure I have my budgets set right. Though it does surprisingly add up
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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rob@rar, Read the thread...cost of food on stopovers and way down to resort
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thefatcontroller, can't you take sandwiches?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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rob@rar, I think he meant for the journey. But even our most slap up dinner for four adults on the way down didn't cost us that much. Breakfast and lunch is packed in the cool box.
thefatcontroller,book a Logis hotel with dinner included in the room price. Kids usually get to share your room for nothing, and 5 people shouldn't be a problem for most of them. www.logis-de-france.fr . My chalet blog http://chamoissiere.wordpress.com/getting-there/ has some suggested places to stay too. Soulless hotels next to the motorway are not my scene. Nor are expensive ones.
Just jesting on the car thing by the way, I love driving there, or rather hubby does. We also need to add the cost of kennelling our dog into the flying price, whereas driving with her costs us £30 admin charge at tunnel, and £35 at vets.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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thefatcontroller, £1,000 will MORE than cover it, though how you manage to eat your way through £300 of food defeats me. Agree with Helen Beaumont, chuck some breakfast/lunch stuff in the cool box and you'll halve that - and COMPARATIVELY great though French motorway service are they're not that great an experience!
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Annie, except the Bourg en Bresse one, with the Poulet de Bresse. Evening meal on day one and lunch on day two will be our only expenditure that is not covered by either the contents of the coolbox (plugs in too) or the hotel bill. I think I worked out our expenditure as being around 650 quid, but I still can't find the thread.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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stevo_the_saddler,I wouldn't want to do that from Wales or North-East though, just a bit too far with kids. Too far for us when we are sharing the driving.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Helen Beaumont, Ah yes, forgot about that one- though actually purposefully avoid stopping there in order to force consumption of odd combination of pic-nic items left by then ( read - the healthy options!) Agree on the budget too - we normally call it around £500 but only live a hop and a skip from Dover, are quite prepared to slum it in a certain well known economy chain and there are only 3 of us which is generay easier to 'work' on the extra bed (space on the floor!)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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thefatcontroller, hard to fault the calculation. If you're keen to, you could save a few bob by staying in a Formule 1; I'm not necessarily recommending it, but if you're planning to arrive late and leave early, it's a possibility. You could of course save a bit by more or less picknicking for every meal, as has been said, but it's pretty depressing to be doing that when you're probably within half an hour or less of a delicious meal somewhere.
For me, driving throught France ought to be a scenic and gastronomic pleasure, but circumstances seem to conspire aganst that happening as often as one would wish, in which case one might as well slum it and save a few quid. Actually, m'way services in France can be as good and almost as cheap as a modest proper restaurant, but you're unlikely to hit the gatronomic heights in one.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Annie, our last attempt at a room share with my kids ended up with me on the campbed,as it wasn't really designed to hold a 6ft 2" teenager.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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thefatcontroller, I agree with the comments above about food. If you want to eat loads of expensive food, fine, but that's one area where you can make big savings, easily. Most of the French motorway restaurants have good value salad bars - and a plug-in coolbox with sandwiches, cartons of orange juice, fruit, chocolate etc would save you a fortune. If your family expects to eat expensively on the journey, however much do they cost you on the slopes?
Your fuel budget seems quite high - what mpg is that based on?
With two drivers, a straight-through run is no big hardship for adult, but can be a bit hard on kids. Maybe drug them? With one driver, it's a mission to drive straight through even without the extra mileage from South Wales.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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thefatcontroller, if it fits with your itinerary, you could do worse than this for an overnight. Not exactly Michelin star but pretty good and cheap and cheerful.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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thefatcontroller, I take your point, and 3 kids will be much more difficult than my 2. We set off early and dont allow nintendos until Tunnell, then DVD's come out after lunch stop, if all else fails "I spy thereafter", by tea time it is getting too dark for any more "I Spy" If doing the whole thing in one day - timing is everything, and goo dweather helps.
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FAQ
if book early and prepared to choose less sociable times (appreciate has to fit in with stopovers etc). We now opt for driving direct though we are only 2 hours from tunnel. 
He'll learn soon enough 
