 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm very excited! Thank you all for all your great advice recently. You have made this process so much easier.
So, we are off to Morillon for new year! We have a Sunday change over so that we don't need to travel on xmas day. The bit i would really like your help with now is advice on where we should stop overnight on the way down through france. We will leave s.wales early boxing day morning. Cross the tunnel at about 10.30am then hope to stop for the night at about tea time. I'd like to get as close as possible so that its only a few hours up to the resort on the sunday morning.
It will be my husband and I and our two kids who will be 9 and 7 years.
Any advice and recommendations would be great!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@breeze11, have a great time. Never been, so can't offer any advice.
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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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@breeze11, can you be a bit more specific about "tea time". A 10.30 am tunnel is 11.30 French time, so leaving Coquelles at around 12.15 - say 4 hours to Troyes is then 4.15pm (I'm guessing you'll need at least 1 stop)..., must be getting dark soon..how many hours after that are you thinking?
(I regularly do Cardiff to Alps and usually stop around Chalons or Troyes; but that does mean a fairly long next day if going to e.g. Tarentaise, not so bad for the northern alps. Having said that I have done Val Thorens to Cardiff in one go in April, when the days are longer  )
and would you be thinking chain hotel (eg Ibis, Campanile etc) or something more "French". These things might give folk more ideas for suggested places.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I'd plough on and stop near Dijon at least even from there morillon is probably another 3-4 hours with a stop.
Andy
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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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Novotel Dijon Sud tends to do family rooms at not-too-ridiculous rates if you book a long way in advance. The restaurant though is expensive - we go round the corner to the Buffalo Grill which our kids (7 & 13) think is great.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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BB Hotels are really good value for money- they do family rooms for four (We got one for €49 euros over February 1/2 term)and breakfast is not expensive for adults and idiculously cheap for under 12s. Agree Buffalo Grill is v good for supper. Also I'd recommend looking at getting a Seagate portable wifi hard drive if you have iPads to play movies on- a gadget of genius!
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I wonder if there will be a lot of Sunday changeovers this New Year? If it's likely to be a busy day driving up it would be best to get there either very early (which means getting much further south before you stop and being organised to ski without access to your accommodation) or having a more leisurely journey and leaving it till much later.
I wouldn't want to stop before Dijon and would prefer to get a fair bit further if possible. Maybe around Bourg en Bresse. There's an Ibis Budget just off the motorway.
But if you are aiming to arrive into resort at around 6 - 7 pm, which is often a good time, with the main rush over, you could easily stop around Troyes. There, depending on your budget, you could stop at the famous Val Moret - always full of British cars on ski journey days. But more expensive than some of the others mentioned here. Nice pool, though, which can be good at the end of a day's travelling. Maybe more of an adult, place though, with a nice restaurant.
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Thank you all for your replies!
Theres a few for me to check out there, thank you for the recommendations.
In answer to some of the questions, i guess we would like to stop at about 5pm - 6pm. But more importantly we would like only a few hours drive the next day, say about 3 hours? If this means stopping further on then that's what we would do.
good advice about the times to arrive in resort. I was hoping that the sunday would be quieter so we could arrive by lunchtime without too many problems. I hadnt really considered lots of others doing the same. We dont plan to ski this day, just get our kit, ski passes and let the kids have a play around and settle in.
i would also be interested to know what you all do with the stuff in your car when you stop overnight? Is it safe? Do you unload?
im off to check out a few of these recommendations now! X
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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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Is it safe? Do you unload?
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Probably. No. I just take passports and my laptop and a small back of essential overnight stuff.
I have no idea what the big tour operators are doing about the Christmas/New Year changeover. If lots of them are starting holidays on the Sunday, because Saturday is Boxing Day, then Sunday will be busy.
If you are thinking of arriving in resort around mid day, after a 3 hour drive, consider that you might not have access to accommodation till a fair bit later - it could be dreary hanging round if it's miserable weather and you're not planning to ski. And although it's a good plan to get your ski kit before the evening rush, if you are living out of your car you might find that four extra pairs of skis and boots just won't fit in. (By the way, if you're new to this, ensure that you check exactly what will be provided in the way of linen, towels etc - French places often don't provide any). Normally you'd plan to get into the accommodation, change into warm things, walk down to the ski hire shop then carry the stuff back (most places will have a ski locker, though boots shouldn't be left anywhere unheated).
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Yes that's a very good point PamW makes, leaving boots in an unheated locker makes them very stiff and uncomfortable the next morning. We take ours off when we leave our skis in the locker and then take them upstairs and put them on a tray.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Re Christmas/New Year, I think a few years ago when it fell on the weekend, many of the TOs did 6 day holidays to avoid people travelling on Christmas or New Year's Day, reverting to 7 day holiday after that.
My bet is they'll fly on Boxing Day!
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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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As I thought - just on Skiword site as we are looking at getting our hols booked for next January, and out of interest did a search for 26 December - they at least are flying on that day so expect others would be the same.
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While the large tour ops may be doing Sunday to Sunday I doubt this would affect the local road to Morillon that much, and I'd have thought that Saturday would be the busier day on the motorways.
I think if it is your first drive to the Alps, South wales to Dijon would feel a long journey in one day. Bear in mind the hour change and that if it is raining the motorway speed limit is lower. I'd suggest stopping in Troyes for the night instead. If you set off from there around 8 on the Sunday you will still make it to the resort early afternoon (allowing time for stops etc).
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You know it makes sense.
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We're going to St.Anton with Crystal, flying out on Boxing day, so Sat to Sat. I suspect most of the tour ops won't want to change days unless they really have to.
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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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Have you considered. If 2 drivers & a couple of Red Bulls then you could go straight through to your resort. I do Kent to 3V's or Tignes several times a year solo.
Leave space for sleeping in back of car for 1 to relax. Get the kids involved in the map reading & radio tuning, do regular stops for leg stretching. I know Wales adds a cpl hrs but I allow 8-12hrs from Calais to Tarantaise.
Saying all that, I am a bit of a nutta & ski as sooon as I arrive even if it's at 3pm 
I'd love to stop n see the picturesque sites & the prehistoric caves etc on route but the pull of the mountains always wins.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Driven from the Vale to Morzine about 15 times perfectly doable in 1 day. On a good day left at 4.00am and pulled onto the drive of the chalet at 4.00pm. That's not hammering it - usually sticking to 80mph and keeping ourselves limited on drinks so bladder stops are limited. With kids that might be a bit tough though but I would recommend breaking the back of it on the first day.
We've stayed at the formula 1 in Annecy which is cheap and cheerful but a 15 minute drive out of annecy. We've also stayed at the Best Western which is 3 times the price but right in the centre. Annecy is a cracking town and well worth a visit. Annecy is just over an hour from Morzine - probably less to Moriilon.
For the drive I would recommend a sanef toll tag - right hand drives are a pain in the ar*e when the weather is cr*p. Also I've had my card refused for no clear reason in some of the automated machines.
If you need to borrow snow chains then PM me with your tyre size and I'll see if one of my sets (I have 5 which I've acquired over the last 20 years) fits. I work in Cardiff so you could collect.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We always drive South Wales to Morzine in one hit.
We get a ferry round about 7:30am as it makes a good break point in the journey to stretch the legs and eat.
Tend to feel quite refreshed and ready to roll for the 8hrs'ish to morzine.
On the occasion n the past that we have used the tunnel it just seemed to be an ongoing part of a long journey rather than a break.
Whenever friends have stopped for the night en route 3-4hrs away they always say they wish that they had carried on as the overnight stop just forms part of a longer journey rather than offering anything positive to the trip.
Cheers Bob
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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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There is always a point to our overnight stop. A good meal, good wine and an opportunity to visit some lovely French towns amongst them.
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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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Alex rider audio book
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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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We stayed here http://www.lagrangedurelais.fr/colombey/en/Lhotel/ the last few times we've travelled (& booked again for journey down in July). It's about halfway down between Troyes and Dijon so round 3.5-4 hours journey either side. The rooms are really nice and the family rooms have a separate mezzanine level so you don't have to sleep next to the kids. The restaurant is excellent too. Cost me around €50 last time I stayed.
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