Decent hotel for quick stopover near Le Mans
Discussion
Does anyone have a recommendation for a decent hotel en route from Calais to the Dordogne please? Somewhere in the Le Mans area with parking.
We have used the well known Hotel de France in Chartres sur le Loire which is lovely, but only serves a formal dinner in the restaurant making it overall a bit expensive and slightly off route for our brief holiday.
We have used the well known Hotel de France in Chartres sur le Loire which is lovely, but only serves a formal dinner in the restaurant making it overall a bit expensive and slightly off route for our brief holiday.
andygo said:
Does anyone have a recommendation for a decent hotel en route from Calais to the Dordogne please? Somewhere in the Le Mans area with parking.
We have used the well known Hotel de France in Chartres sur le Loire which is lovely, but only serves a formal dinner in the restaurant making it overall a bit expensive and slightly off route for our brief holiday.
As you brought it up, there are a number of new restaurants in the square now which offer much better value food. A manager has bought his way in to the hotel and is now trying to turn things around. Some of the locals have taken him on a walk around the other restaurants to help inform him what he is up against.We have used the well known Hotel de France in Chartres sur le Loire which is lovely, but only serves a formal dinner in the restaurant making it overall a bit expensive and slightly off route for our brief holiday.
When we visited the town last month, the two restaurants directly opposite were full. The HdF was empty. We ate in Goguette which was perfectly good, but everyone raves about B le Restaurant.
If it's only somewhere to eat and sleep with no frills, we have stopped several times at the Hotel Restaurant Campanile Le Mans Sud Arnage (to give it its full title!).
Loads of parking, lakeside setting (we usually have a saunter around the lake after dinner) and just off the D323 ring road. It has all the usual formulaic Campanile stuff so you know what you're getting and the price is usually decent too.
If I had to be critical, it's a bit close to the airport, but it's not exactly Heathrow! Also check that the restaurant is actually open on the night you plan to visit - many of them only open 4/5 or 6 nights per week.
Loads of parking, lakeside setting (we usually have a saunter around the lake after dinner) and just off the D323 ring road. It has all the usual formulaic Campanile stuff so you know what you're getting and the price is usually decent too.
If I had to be critical, it's a bit close to the airport, but it's not exactly Heathrow! Also check that the restaurant is actually open on the night you plan to visit - many of them only open 4/5 or 6 nights per week.
We did that exact journey a few years ago as part of a 5 week road trip, (ferry to Calais, then 10 days in Sarlat with family).
We actually went further than Le Mans and stayed here: https://www.lehautdeslys.com/en-gb in Villandry for 3 nights. It was beautiful, an old converted convent, and comfortably the cheapest place we stayed in (only about £120/night). Lovely village too. But from memory, it is an hour south of Le Mans as we wanted to get the bulk of the journey done before to make the arrival time in Sarlat earlier.
Another worthy diversion on the way to the Dordogne is Oradour-sur-Glane. A war time village that was decimated by the nazis during WW2, but has been totally left untouched and preserved as a museum.
A very humbling but amazing experience.
We actually went further than Le Mans and stayed here: https://www.lehautdeslys.com/en-gb in Villandry for 3 nights. It was beautiful, an old converted convent, and comfortably the cheapest place we stayed in (only about £120/night). Lovely village too. But from memory, it is an hour south of Le Mans as we wanted to get the bulk of the journey done before to make the arrival time in Sarlat earlier.
Another worthy diversion on the way to the Dordogne is Oradour-sur-Glane. A war time village that was decimated by the nazis during WW2, but has been totally left untouched and preserved as a museum.
A very humbling but amazing experience.
TheHeadhunter said:
We did that exact journey a few years ago as part of a 5 week road trip, (ferry to Calais, then 10 days in Sarlat with family).
We actually went further than Le Mans and stayed here: https://www.lehautdeslys.com/en-gb in Villandry for 3 nights. It was beautiful, an old converted convent, and comfortably the cheapest place we stayed in (only about £120/night). Lovely village too. But from memory, it is an hour south of Le Mans as we wanted to get the bulk of the journey done before to make the arrival time in Sarlat earlier.
Another worthy diversion on the way to the Dordogne is Oradour-sur-Glane. A war time village that was decimated by the nazis during WW2, but has been totally left untouched and preserved as a museum.
A very humbling but amazing experience.
We went to Oradour a few years ago. So many houses had sewing machine chassis still in the shells of the houses is one of the things that struck me.We actually went further than Le Mans and stayed here: https://www.lehautdeslys.com/en-gb in Villandry for 3 nights. It was beautiful, an old converted convent, and comfortably the cheapest place we stayed in (only about £120/night). Lovely village too. But from memory, it is an hour south of Le Mans as we wanted to get the bulk of the journey done before to make the arrival time in Sarlat earlier.
Another worthy diversion on the way to the Dordogne is Oradour-sur-Glane. A war time village that was decimated by the nazis during WW2, but has been totally left untouched and preserved as a museum.
A very humbling but amazing experience.
andygo said:
TheHeadhunter said:
We did that exact journey a few years ago as part of a 5 week road trip, (ferry to Calais, then 10 days in Sarlat with family).
We actually went further than Le Mans and stayed here: https://www.lehautdeslys.com/en-gb in Villandry for 3 nights. It was beautiful, an old converted convent, and comfortably the cheapest place we stayed in (only about £120/night). Lovely village too. But from memory, it is an hour south of Le Mans as we wanted to get the bulk of the journey done before to make the arrival time in Sarlat earlier.
Another worthy diversion on the way to the Dordogne is Oradour-sur-Glane. A war time village that was decimated by the nazis during WW2, but has been totally left untouched and preserved as a museum.
A very humbling but amazing experience.
We went to Oradour a few years ago. So many houses had sewing machine chassis still in the shells of the houses is one of the things that struck me.We actually went further than Le Mans and stayed here: https://www.lehautdeslys.com/en-gb in Villandry for 3 nights. It was beautiful, an old converted convent, and comfortably the cheapest place we stayed in (only about £120/night). Lovely village too. But from memory, it is an hour south of Le Mans as we wanted to get the bulk of the journey done before to make the arrival time in Sarlat earlier.
Another worthy diversion on the way to the Dordogne is Oradour-sur-Glane. A war time village that was decimated by the nazis during WW2, but has been totally left untouched and preserved as a museum.
A very humbling but amazing experience.
Puggit said:
As you brought it up, there are a number of new restaurants in the square now which offer much better value food. A manager has bought his way in to the hotel and is now trying to turn things around. Some of the locals have taken him on a walk around the other restaurants to help inform him what he is up against.
When we visited the town last month, the two restaurants directly opposite were full. The HdF was empty. We ate in Goguette which was perfectly good, but everyone raves about B le Restaurant.
B Le Restaurant is only open for lunch on a weds, which is a shame when we are likely to arrive late afternoon. The Goguette has the same hours. When we visited the town last month, the two restaurants directly opposite were full. The HdF was empty. We ate in Goguette which was perfectly good, but everyone raves about B le Restaurant.
Ha, typical.
If you aren't looking for a boutique place the Mercure in Le Mans centre has a secure car park. Or there's free on street parking nearby. Walking distance to the old town or the new centre for food etc. There is an Ibis budget on the same site which is really cheap, but I wouldn't recommend that based on a recent stay.
Two suggestions,
Auberge Port du Roche between Le Lude and La Flèche, https://www.auberge-du-port-des-roches-restaurant-...
Hotel La Croix Blanche at Fontevraud. https://www.lacroixblanche.fr/
Both worth the slight deviation off the motorway
Auberge Port du Roche between Le Lude and La Flèche, https://www.auberge-du-port-des-roches-restaurant-...
Hotel La Croix Blanche at Fontevraud. https://www.lacroixblanche.fr/
Both worth the slight deviation off the motorway
leyorkie said:
Two suggestions,
Auberge Port du Roche between Le Lude and La Flèche, https://www.auberge-du-port-des-roches-restaurant-...
Hotel La Croix Blanche at Fontevraud. https://www.lacroixblanche.fr/
Both worth the slight deviation off the motorway
The Abbey at Fontevraud is a must see.Auberge Port du Roche between Le Lude and La Flèche, https://www.auberge-du-port-des-roches-restaurant-...
Hotel La Croix Blanche at Fontevraud. https://www.lacroixblanche.fr/
Both worth the slight deviation off the motorway
markiii said:
MapsGoogle maps has it as 40 mins tonight - we avoided some of the unsavoury streets of that route and it took us ~50 mins each way, almost 2 miles from the centre. I wouldn't do it again, but it may be OK for someone younger and/or fitter.
Grand Hotel in Chateau du Loir is ok. Decent rooms but less character than HDF, good breakfast, dinner better than HDF, loads of parking on the square.
I am back at HDF in a couple of weeks for the third time in 3 months. I think its breakfast is awful and dinner overpriced and sub par. I do like the ambience though. I also like the Chariot de Fromage. It’s like a trip to the 1970’s.
It will be dinner and breakfast elsewhere for me.
I am back at HDF in a couple of weeks for the third time in 3 months. I think its breakfast is awful and dinner overpriced and sub par. I do like the ambience though. I also like the Chariot de Fromage. It’s like a trip to the 1970’s.
It will be dinner and breakfast elsewhere for me.
Depends what you mean by decent and budget etc
Also if you want to be in central Le Mans but stayed here before
https://www.lemans-countryclub.com/ Loads of parking about 15 mins outside Le Mans
Also if you want to be in central Le Mans but stayed here before
https://www.lemans-countryclub.com/ Loads of parking about 15 mins outside Le Mans
leyorkie said:
Two suggestions,
Auberge Port du Roche between Le Lude and La Flèche, https://www.auberge-du-port-des-roches-restaurant-...
Hotel La Croix Blanche at Fontevraud. https://www.lacroixblanche.fr/
Both worth the slight deviation off the motorway
I have booked the Hotel La Croix Blanche as you suggested. very cheap, but looks ok. It's in the town square with a couple of cafe's and bars, plus the abbey, literally over the road. All looks interesting.Auberge Port du Roche between Le Lude and La Flèche, https://www.auberge-du-port-des-roches-restaurant-...
Hotel La Croix Blanche at Fontevraud. https://www.lacroixblanche.fr/
Both worth the slight deviation off the motorway
Thanks for the recommendation.
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