 Poster: A snowHead
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We are leaving the alps the Saturday after easter, and eurotunnel on the way back is Sunday afternoon, so we are taking it easy on the way back and are looking for somewhere to stay maybe 2/3 hours away from the tunnel for the Saturday night.
Any suggestions, maybe somewhere with something to do in the morning on the Sunday might be nice. We are staying in a B&B on the way down, but it's not suitable for on the way back.
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Have you thought of skiing the quiet Saturday then getting to, say, Dijon on Saturday night leaving a leisurely drive to the tunnel? There are loads of hotels round Dijon.
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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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Reims and Laon are 2 that meet those criteria, with plenty of accommodation options
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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I frequently stay in Troyes -
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Holiday Inn Express at Dijon is fab but its still approx 5 hrs to the tunnel
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We've stayed in Reims a number of times, often at the Ibis Styles in the centre, but the Grand Hotel des Templiers was very good.
Hotel des Nations in Berry au Bac was fine, (just north of Reims); we had a good dinner and room at the Auberge Champernoise in Moussy a couple of years ago too.
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We have used these hotels near the motorways near Riems several times and really like them: Hotel du Chemin des Dames at Corbeny and the Auberge des Moissons at Matougues. Both can be booked via the Logis website. The Moissons is better if your French is a bit limited but it doesn't do food on Sunday evenings.
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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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Le Florence at St Quentin, look at booking dot com. 5 mins walk to town square for nice bars and restaurants, secure parking, and 5-10 mins off A26
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I'd second Pam's suggestion of skiing Saturday and then off to Dijon, which is what we generally did before we bought our own place. Lots of nice places to stay in Dijon, and good restaurants, too.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Loads of places on this thread. http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=28639
My personal favourite is the Auberge de Moissons just outside Chalons, and we've recently stayed in the Hotel Pot d'Etain, in Holnon just outside St Quentin which was very good. We were all rather underwhelmed by the Val Moret, but we may just have been unlucky. We were booked in rooms at opposite ends of the grounds, and there was black ice everywhere.
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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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@Little Martin, as for Sunday morning, we usually drive to Calais, and go for a walk along the beach, or in the park by the Town Hall, then have lunch at the Au Calice in Calais before catching the tunnel.
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We often only get a couple of hours down the road and stay in Beaune on the way back. Lovely town for a wander round to stretch the legs and have an evening meal - loads of hotels only 5-10 mins walk from the town centre. It does leave a fairly long drive back the next day, but we've actually found this fairly plain sailing - leaving Beaune at 8am-ish will get you to Calais mid afternoon even after stopping for a lunch stop en route.
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You know it makes sense.
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@hammerite, +1 , novotel beaune is my fav
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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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I usually stay at either Novotel or Ibis in Reims Tinquex. Close to motor way, a big Carrefour nearby to top up petrol and 2 1/2 hours to the tunnel.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Charliee,
+1 for Troyes, great medieval old city. Ibis and Ibis Styles are very convenient. But it's about 4 hours to the tunnel.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks all plenty to research.
We probably will ski part of sat, we will have the previous sat to ski too
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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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We have stayed st the Auberge de Moissons, after a recommendation from @Hells Bells, and are booked there for a night in ten day's time on our way back to Les Gets. For various reasons we can't get over to the tunnel till early afternoon, and thought that we couldn't get into our own chalet till Saturday lunchtime so not bothered about going too far that day. We stayed at the Val Moret a couple of weeks ago on our way back to the UK and had probably our best dinner ever there. That made up for the plumbing failing in our room and having to transfer to another room.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Pamski, we're booked there for a night in 18 day's time  . Haven't yet decided on our plans for the return trip.
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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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@Hells Bells, I shall be coming back around the 19th April probably just with Coco, the dog, as OH is coming back at the beginning of April to look after some building work here, go sailing, and start some medical treatment. I am sure I will break the journey somewhere as I am pretty useless at driving too far on my own nowadays. I used to do the whole trip in one go on my own years ago but just get too tired nowadays.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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if you plan to stay at the Ibis in Reims Tinqueux make sure they do not give you a room near reception. Noisy for much of the night. Good rooms and nice staff though. The Novotel next door is fine but costs about 25% more. Novotel prices have gone up a lot in the last few years.
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Always stayed in Reims, usually at the Ibis as it had a secured car parking area at the back. But the restaurant was never open, always a sign saying "Restaurant exceptionally closed". We usually went to a local pizzeria to eat, 5mins walk away (turn right out of the hotel and keep going for 5 mins). This year we're staying at the Campanile just along the same road. Underground parking and only 48 Euros for a room for two... bargain. Hopefully the restaurant will be exceptionally open
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@MikeM, seriously if you are staying in the Campanile in Tinqueux please consider walking to the pizzeria, that hotel had the worst food I have ever eaten in France. It could of course be another Campanile.
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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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Personally, we've blizted up to Calais on the last two times and overnighted there - once to spend the day around Calais, and once to just sleep, get up and head onto the train.
I certainly preferred the principle of a 10 minute drive to the Tunnel on the last day rather than 2 or 3 hours, especially as we've got 4+ hours in the UK after the tunnel, so getting the "big" drive out of the way on the Saturday makes sense to us.
And Calais is surprisingly nice - we even had some time on the beach which couldn't have been more of a contrast from the skiing we were doing just 24 hours earlier!
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| Hells Bells wrote: |
| @MikeM, seriously if you are staying in the Campanile in Tinqueux please consider walking to the pizzeria, that hotel had the worst food I have ever eaten in France. It could of course be another Campanile. |
Oh dear, that's disappointed me, I was hoping to have a meal in for a change. Maybe that's why it was such a bargain. The Campanile is in Reims itself on Rue Paul Dormier, about 10min walk from the Cathedral , opposite the sports stadium, is this the one you're referring to? Although the Pizzeria was always quite nice, very small, French and lively (full of local Uni students usually) and the pizzas cooked in an open wood fired oven were tasty and the salads enormous (give the steaks a miss though if you ever visit) after 6 hours driving I was hoping for a quieter time.. sigh.., although I think I've just convinced myself that maybe we'll treat ourselves to the short walk there anyway as it will be the real start of our holiday.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@MikeM, that's a different one. This was on the industrial park out of town.
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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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The Ibis at Tinqueux together with the Courtpaille restaurant next door, good basic room, nice breakfast , good basic food in the restaurant and a secure carpark. If you only fancy a snack then Flunch in the nearby Carrefour is cheap and cheerful. Novotel is also there and for some unknown reason gives you a 10% discount card for the Courtpaille.
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@Timc, I don't think The Courtepaille was there when we visited, although as we often stop off for lunch at one on our way home, we probably wouldn't have wanted to eat dinner there too. There are far too many nicer places to stay than Tinqueux in the Reims area, that are just as convenient.
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You know it makes sense.
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Just an addition to my first post about the Ibis in Reims as I think there must be two of them - and two Campaniles (thanks Hells Bells). The one I've stayed in is on the Boulevard Paul Doumer, which is close to Reims centre. It's about 2-3 mins drive from the (old) motorway so dead easy to get into and out of by car and within walking distance of the Cathedral if you want a bit of culture. Suggest asking for a room at the back overlooking their car park if you stay as it's much quieter. Cost at the moment looks to be about 55 Euros per room, but this includes continental breakfast.
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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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There are 3 Ibis and Ibis Styles Hotels in Reims. Ibis at Tinqueux, Ibis in the centre (Bvd Joffre) and an Ibis Styles in Bvd Paul Doumer. If staying in an Ibis or Mercure (or any other Hotel in the Accor group) on a regular basis it's worth joining the Club Accor and getting at least 5% off and sometimes more.
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Poster: A snowHead
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try the campanile in Laon, its about 130 miles to the chunnel, we do it easily in less than 3 hours, usually end up on an earlier transit than we book
Hotel , well rooms are pretty standard ,clean and reasonably quiet, has its own carpark which is supposed to be secure and locked overnight ( reception give you a key code to escape!)and we quite enjoy a meal at the buffalo grill 2 mins walk away!
book well ahead to get best prices campanile .fr
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It might be a bit out of your way, but we usually stop over in Ypres about 1 hour from Calais. Lovely flemish square, chocolate shops and lots of ww1 sites to visit. And, of course, they have beer menus four sides long!
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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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@Little Martin, If you want 2-3 hrs from tunnel I'd say Novotel Reims Tinqueux. However that is good for the motorway rather than city. If you want to see the centre of Reims I would look for other options and check whether they have parking as I remember it was very limited at the suite Novotel in the centre.
Ibis Styles in Troyes is further from the tunnel but a good place to stay and within 10 minutes walk of the historic town centre.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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We've always stopped in the Novotel Reims, very convenient to get straight on the motorway plus a Carrefour opposite for cheap petrol. There's also a McDonald's opposite which has a good soft play in it with a giant slide. So good if you have little ones who need to burn off some steam after being stuck in the car for ages.
Restaurant in the Novotel is very nice but slightly overpriced imo.
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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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they currently have a deal on BigMacs for only euros 2.50. I had one for breakfast on Sunday. Class.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Little Martin, Did you book anywhere? I would suggest booking soon for that Saturday if you are looking for a room for more than 3. Reims Tinqueux Novotel is showing as sold out on rooms for 4. However I have sometimes found that if you phone them up they will have a room that has been incorrectly advertised as only sleeping three on the website but can accommodate four.
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We ended up changing our plans a little, probably ski a bit on saturday morning, we are going to stay south of troyes in a B&B, about 5 hours into the journey.
Le Manoir de L'Echauguette
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We have four hours this side. On the way down ....Auberge de Moissons. On the way back ...... Le Florence at St Quentin. This is less than 2 hours on a very quiet Sunday morning which reinforces the horrible feeling when we are back on the M20, M25, M3 and M4 !
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