So no big mountain bike holiday for me this year, well apart from 10 days in Bulgira and that’s not real holiday as I’m helping my mate who runs Bike Bulgira (honest love).

But somehow it has been suggested we take the family to Chamonix for 2 weeks in August (great idea love).

Normally when I go to the Apls we just MTFU and go straight there and feel like crap for the next day, but its not an option with 3 children and my parents in toe. So I’m after recommendations for stop over hotels about 2/3 hours off the ferry into France.

Needs to be a nice hotel, my oldest son is in a wheelchair so it has to be a good standard and also it will need to have some where secure to leave our bikes (well it would be daft not to take the bikes).

Cheers

http://www.le-val-moret.com/uk/index.php great restaurant just off the motorway also to Novotel in Reims are where we usually stay.

Reims is good. I’d be more inclined to go into the city centre as there’s some nice places to stay and most of the tourist-y bits are close by.

Yeah Reims is lovely. I’ve only stayed in cheapy places on the ouskirts but it’s nice for a day too look round and have a round one of the Champange caves. I can recommend the Taittinger caves!

Friends of ours run a company that organises this sort of thing for you:

http://www.stopoverconnections.com

Penny and her husband have stayed in all of the places on their books as far as I know and have very good taste! You could send an email enquiry and I’m sure they would have something to suit your needs. They are avid bikers too so are bound to have some bike-friendly places in their database…

Penny is lovely and very helpful so even if she doesn’t have something for you I’m sure she’d be able to point you in the right direction!

Jen

I’ve heard that Troyes is lovely if you can be bothered pushing on a little further to have a shorter second day.

I’ve never had a bad experience with Alastair Sawday’s recommendations.

http://www.sawdays.co.uk/special-places/france#hide=pub&maptypeid=roadmap&zoom=5&lng=2.2829600000000028&lat=46.817952163014276

Thanks folks, was thinking around Reims would be about right. I’ll have a proper look tonight.

Second for Le val moret, excellent little place, very reasonable, lovely staff.
Excellent position, breaks the back of the drive nicely
Never used the pool though

Amiens’ nice too – bit closer to the coast than Reims. There’s some cracking restaurants and cafes on the Quai Belu down by the river and the cathedral is well worth a visit (it’s the largest mediaeval gothic cathedral in the world and a UNESCO world heritage site), especially in summer when they do a son-et-lumiere in the evening on the West front, showing how it would have looked when it was freshly painted.

The Mercure hotel is right on the cathedral square with secure parking, or try the Novotel at Boves, about 3 clicks South-East.