Planning driving holiday in France - High season... Help!

blondeonblonde

Hey there, would love to hear some advice from some of the more seasoned holiday drivers out there re planning a trip in France.

I am hoping to head over to France with my girlfriend for the last 2 weeks of August, catch the ferry over to Brittany and spin around for a couple of weeks. I've never actually driven around France before and was hoping for some tips re accommodation...

My preference would be not to tie myself down to booking too much accommodation before I go so that we can just move around and stop in places we like. However given that it's high season there I was just wondering whether accommodation would be hard to come by at this time? We wouldn't be looking for anywhere overly plush although we may book a couple of nice places in advance. What do you think? It's unlikely that we will spend more than a couple of nights in any one place and we won't be bringing a tent so what would our options be and would it be foolish not to book in advance?

Thanks for your help, would really appreciate any advice. :cool:

Davoe

You might end up in a hotel you won't like. Also prices are almost 1/4 more expensive if you walk in and book a room than it would be for booking on the internet!
If you want to save a couple hundred euros on your trip I advise that you book online!

blondeonblonde

Thanks Dave, like I say I will probably book some accomodation in advance but would like to leave the trip open enough to allow for some flexibility....

Itinerary wise, I was looking at the map and thinking about driving south from Cherbourg, around the coast of Brittany and possibly down as far as Bordeaux region before heading back up to catch the ferry back from Cherbourg. I have a feeling this may be a little too ambitious though as we only have 2 weeks and as the sole driver on the trip I would like to take the opportunity to relax as well!!

Alternatively, we may cut out the trip to Bordeaux and take a more leisurely trip back through the interior.....

Thinking I may need to invest in a travel book of some sort as my knowledge of France is limited at best! Still, any tips, ideas regarding itinerary would be much appreciated.

P. Breathnach

Davoe wrote: »

You might end up in a hotel you won't like. Also prices are almost 1/4 more expensive if you walk in and book a room than it would be for booking on the internet!
If you want to save a couple hundred euros on your trip I advise that you book online!

That's not an invariable truth, especially outside the major cities. Personally, I tend to go for 2-star hotels when rambling in France. Many, perhaps most, of them have no online presence, or a very limited website. Their online prices are the same as their walk-in prices.

In August, many of the hotels in beach resorts tend to be full. Elsewhere (e.g. the Loire Valley) you will find plenty of options.

Bordeaux is certainly reachable in a fortnight's holiday, but it might not be the best choice. For a first trip with only one driver, you can find loads of interesting stuff with a bit less driving. What to choose depends on your interests.

One option is to use Logis de France hotels [http://www.logishotels.com/en.html]. You can pick up a guide in the first one you find, and can then use it to book ahead each day. In general, whoever answers the phone will have enough English to deal with you.

On many of my trips, my first overnight from Cherbourg (about two hours' drive) is at this hotel: http://www.le-fruitier.com/. Nice enough town, good accommodation, very good restaurant.

Dr Nic

Did you ever book this Blonde on Blonde?
Thinking about doing the same...

ollaetta

At the outskirts of most French cities and big towns you will find loads of 2 and 3 star chain hotels. They tend to be grouped together near motorway exits etc.
For one and two night stays they're perfect. I've used several of these: http://www.hotel-bb.com/ (free WiFi), http://www.premiereclasse.com, http://www.fasthotel.com/.

There are loads of other chains; Campanile, Kyriad, Etap and, of course, Ibis.

If you want a real bargain try http://www.hotelformule1.com. They are unstaffed and you pay by card at an ATM type machine. Not everyone's cup of tea, though.

blondeonblonde

Dr Nic wrote: »

Did you ever book this Blonde on Blonde?
Thinking about doing the same...

Hey Dr Nic, apologies for the delay in getting back to you. I did end up booking the ferry to Cherbourg via Celtic Link ferries for the last two weeks in August. Didn't realise at the time of booking that this is when the whole of France takes their holidays!

Basically the plan is to travel around Brittany for a week or so, head south to La Rochelle for a few days then head back up through the Loire Valley stopping along the way. Accomodation, especially in the La Rochelle area, seems to be fairly booked up though it is possible to find places (albeit at higher prices). I've only really booked accomodation in a few places and am hoping we can manage to find other places along the way so that we're not tied down too much to a particular itinerary.

Hope this helps.

solerina

ollaetta wrote: »

At the outskirts of most French cities and big towns you will find loads of 2 and 3 star chain hotels. They tend to be grouped together near motorway exits etc.
For one and two night stays they're perfect. I've used several of these: http://www.hotel-bb.com/ (free WiFi), http://www.premiereclasse.com, http://www.fasthotel.com/.

There are loads of other chains; Campanile, Kyriad, Etap and, of course, Ibis.

If you want a real bargain try http://www.hotelformule1.com. They are unstaffed and you pay by card at an ATM type machine. Not everyone's cup of tea, though.

Great advise above, I drove around the south of france in peak season 2 years ago, we never booked but stayed in the Premier Classe every night. They are very basic, but we were getting a room for 3 people (3 singles or one double one single - one always up on top) with breakfast for under 40 euro per night. The breakfast was buffet style and nothing amazing but had the usual stuff, breads, cheeses, ham, yogurt, tea, coffee etc which was perfect for us. We picked up a catalog on the first night and either just arrived at the next hotel and booked in or asked the person in reception to book ahead for us if we knew where we would end up. When you arrive at the hotel there is a machine outside where you can check yourself in easily. The only thing was the hotel wasnt always easy to find (we had a nightmare in Toulouse).