Poster: A snowHead
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Hoping for some advice on this...am driving to Morzine in April for first time and am planning to stop somewhere after about 6 hours (am thinking Dijon area?). Any tips? The complicating factor is that there are 4 families, including 10 kids ranging from 4 to 15 years old...
Have looked at Holiday Inn Dijon website, they look OK? Some of group won't do the Ibis/basic French chains....
I need somewhere to stop after 6 hours on way back as well. My kids have a definite cut off point at 6 hours in the car!!!!
ALSO any tips on ski classes for kids, an veering towards private lessons? Anyone used the Piou Piou Club?
FINAL question...not been to Morzine before, what is it like for snow in April? I know it is rather low down but have been infomed you can get up to Avoriaz if necessary if no snow in Morzine?
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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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shmaggle, welcome.
Haven't used Holiday Inn Dijon myself but if it follows Holiday Inn standard then am sure will be fine (as would be Ibis etc etc ). Dijon is generally regarded as a good point to break a journey but depends how far you have travelling from.
Staying in Morzine in April is fine, earlier the better as Admin says. You will possibly need to go to Avoriaz regularly but who knows. We ski Les Gets/Morzine side regularly in April and certainly for the last five years, that side has been fine around the second week (prob unable to ski down to Morzine).
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have a look at the kyriad chain, they have family rooms (some that take upto 5) and they have several around the Dijon area
also, if you go to via michelin you can look at your route map for hotels on route, so you may find something outside of Dijon that you like, also, bookings.com if you put dijon in as your destination and sub search for family rooms it will come up with about 25 or so. The thing to remember is about the car parking, some of the city hotels don't have any so you will have to unload your car
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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 suggest you try staying in Langres. It is about 45 mins nearer to Calais than Dijon. the hotel Grand Europe and Auberge des Vollier are very good and have family rooms.
I have skied in Avoriaz at Easter for many years. There has never been snow on the roads as far low as Morzine.
I have used BASS in Avoriaz for Childrens ski school. They are very good, with small class sizes. I think they may also operate out of Morzine.
There are two main links up to Avoriaz from Morzine. In the centre of the village you take the Super Morzine lift. This brings you to a series of interlinking chairlifts and runs up to north of the village. The alternative is the Les Protains Gondola. This can be reached from a ski bus in the village centre. The Gondola takes you into the heart of the Avoriaz. This is close to the main north facing bowl and gives easy access to the swiss side of the area. Its worth trying both and seeing which you prefer.
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Thanks for the tips everyone! Am getting excited now...could be cos of the snow here too!!
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Just back from driving to St Gervais with children, which is a similar distance to Morzine.
We started in the Midlands so half way was Reims - an hour or two further north. Plenty of choices there. We chose Hotel Le Bristol which was reasonably priced and in the city centre where we could stretch our legs and enjoy the Christmas market.
Your return from Morzine will take you north of Dijon if you're reckoning on 6 hours. However if you hit the awful traffic we got then you'd have had enough by Dijon anyway. Took over an hour to get through the payage near Lyon. The one near Geneva was a bit sticky too as was the double payage at Reims (queue to get off the toll section then on it again a few miles further )
Of the chains, if you need 2 rooms for the family then Novotel is probably the best chain as you get second room half price. Trying to figure out how to book it through the website is a challenge though, and I just emailed the hotel!
Stayed in a Campanile (same company as Kyriad mentioned by someone else) hotel on the return journey, which was basic but absolutely fine. Agree that Langres is probably better situated for you.
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shmaggle, BASS Morzine are very good and has a class size maximum of 6 - as opposed to 10-12 for ESF.
Having said that, ESF is particularly good value for children of Piou Piou age.
If there isn't any snow then I'll meet you in a pub and we'll get drunk. Simples.
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McWulf, was that the New Year week? an April trip would probably encounter a lot less traffic.
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Ohh, there's an offer. Pub!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hello everyone,
hopefully this is not too off topic. We're driving to Saint Gervais in the Feb half term, for the first time. Anyone know what level of traffic to expect? (assume very busy?) What would be the best time to travel to avoid the worst of it?
I was planning to reach the Eurotunnel around midnight (about 2 hours drive away for us), drive through the night (sharing with OH) and arrive in the resort about lunchtime hopefully. We have 2 kids on board, was hoping they would sleep most of the way and do it in one go (with the usual coffee, loo, food breaks) - or is this unrealistic?
Advice appreciated.
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