 Poster: A snowHead
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Just how bad are these hotels ?
The website says that ;
"Toilets and showers are located just outside the room. Showers are spacious, spotless, and well equipped, with a dry area for toiletries and clothing."
Is it one shower to ten rooms and will my 13 year old daughter stamp her feet in disgust and refuse to use them ? 
Alternatively, if anyone can suggest anything, we need two rooms to the East of Lyon on the way to Monchavin for the night of Friday 9th February.
And yes I know the journey in the morning will be a nightmare, I'm happy just to get past Lyon.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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check out etape hotels (also on the accor website) - very similar to formule 1s but with ensuite. still pretty cheap
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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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bladeskier, 'Showers are along the corridor' (which can be a long corridor!) and are an odd kind of cross between a plastic box and portaloo.  My 14 year old point blank refused to stay in them ever again (at age 12!).
We now use www.hotel-bb.com which are basic but excellent value AND en-suite.
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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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bladeskier, Just found this place 40 k east of Lyon, near the village of Cremieu, which is well worth looking round. bed and breakfast
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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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My 14 year old point blank refused to stay in them ever again (at age 12!).
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I'd have told my 12 year old to pay the extra out of his/her holiday spending money or stay at home and miss the ski hol. Spoilt brats! Formule 1 hotels are OK for a quick overnight stop, though if money were no object it would, obviously, be nice to stay somewhere better. My daughter would probably have moaned a bit when she was 12, too, not that I'd have taken the slightest bit of notice, but now she is 23 and (a) spent many months travelling through Thailand etc and (b) is in charge of her own budget, she is content to stay anywhere cheap. The concept of opportunity cost is lost on 12 year olds whose parents pay for everything! 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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bladeskier, Yes, some of share facility road hotels can have 'interesting' share bathrooms. IMHO, find one with en-suite. You get what you pay for though. Formule1 €30, Ibis €60 ish... I've use F1 as a place to stay, it was OK, on that occassion. I was only there for 6 hours, and left v early next moring so I didnt encounter the shower queue! One per corridor, but Vlong corridor!
Try Villages http://www.villages-hotel.com/ ensuites available, cheap.
B&B also good. www.hotel-bb.com , also ensuites
The accor Hotel web site lists all the hotels in the group, from cheap to comfortable.
With it being school hols, availablility may be an issue. Certainly most of the roads to the alps will be VBusy! Whatever you do, decide soon. BTW, if traveling from north France, maybe try north of Lyons as a stop. Travel down the A40 and A432, bypass most of Lyons, daft juctions and the busy peages, just east of the airport. Take a longer Saturday drive. Have an early start, some places have breakfast available from 4:0am! This worked for me both in France and other euro countries.
For example:
IBIS Dole €60? 3 1/2 hrs + 230miles Bfast from 4:00am
Ibis Lyon Est Beynost a42 €49 just over 2 hrs +130 miles Bfast from 4:00am
Villages LYON ST-BONNET-DE-MURE €33 2 hrs + 115 miles Bfast from 7:00am
Let us know how you go on, good luck!
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Yes, on that Friday night I think it would definitely be worth booking; one of the peak nights of the year. And if you want to keep costs right down, don't be too bothered to try Formule 1. The ratio of showers is not as bad as suggested above, and I've always found them clean. If you don't smoke, be sure to specify non smoking rooms. If you don't like them, next time you can pay twice as much and have an en suite! If your family (like ours) is fond of good pillows, take a couple with you; nice to have in the car too. None of the cheap hotels (and very few expensive ones, for that matter) provide anything other than nasty foam pillows.
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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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skinutter, Everything is bolted down in an F1 as well.
My order of preference at the points where I usually stop is Villages Hotel then Premiere Classe then F1.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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[quote="boredsurfin"] My 14 year old point blank refused to stay in them ever again (at age 12!).
I'm not suprised - 'Surfinmanor' has got to be among the most spotlessy clean Hotels I've walked through the doors of, in 25 yrs of both working in and inspecting them.
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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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bladeskier, my family veto any suggestions of using Formule1, Campanile goes down a lot better but costs a bit more (but they aren't paying).
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FAQ
We reluctantly went back in at first light for showers etc and left. Truely THE worst experience hotel wise we've ever had. By comparisson depending on what you want out of a hotel the F1's are basic but clean and fine. Years back we had a long weekend over easter in the alps staying in the F1 in Albertville for a whopping £38 inc...ate out, up for the first lifts so it was purely a place to dump bags, sleep and wash....absolutely fine 