Overnight recommendation?

Bill O'Rikki · Post by **Bill O'Rikki** » Mon 01 Nov 2010 18:55

Giving some thought to our holiday next summer, driving to PO. Can anyone recommend either a small hotel or comfortable B & B in the Moulins/St Pourcain/Gannet area for an overnight stop for the good lady and myself?

Away from a town would suit best but open to suggestions.

Thanks in anticipation.

john · Post by **john** » Mon 01 Nov 2010 19:41

Depends what budget you had in mind,William. You say B+B; This is a Logis hotel.

We've stayed here on several occasions and been very satisfied. Delightfully peaceful,comfy,but simple rooms,plenty parking and super food.

http://reservation-hotel.logishotels.co ... telid=3668

polremy · Post by **polremy** » Mon 01 Nov 2010 20:24

Oh, yes, John, yes, John, yees John yes!!
That looks lovely

john · Post by **john** » Mon 01 Nov 2010 20:29

polremy wrote:Oh, yes, John, yes, John, yees John yes!!
That looks lovely

Steady Pol........

With l chat like that,people will talk !

Bill O'Rikki · Post by **Bill O'Rikki** » Mon 01 Nov 2010 20:50

Concur with Pol (not sure you would be too thrilled by the Meg Ryan impression er coming from me), yes that certainly looks nice, John, just in the right sort of location too. Perhaps a little pricier than I had in mind but would certainly not rule it out at this point.

Thanks for that,

William

Any other ideas anyone?

Sav · Post by **Sav** » Mon 01 Nov 2010 20:56

Bill O'Rikki wrote:Giving some thought to our holiday next summer, driving to PO. Can anyone recommend either a small hotel or comfortable B & B in the Moulins/St Pourcain/Gannet area for an overnight stop for the good lady and myself?

Hi Bill

If you just want somewhere to put your head down & a wash
https://www.hotel-bb.com/reservation-ho ... tsNumber=1

Cheers Sav

Bill O'Rikki · Post by **Bill O'Rikki** » Mon 01 Nov 2010 21:11

Thanks Sav, will certainly consider this as well.

Marguerite & Steve · Post by **Marguerite & Steve** » Mon 01 Nov 2010 23:01

This may be the wrong direction, but we have stayed here on many occasions..

www.lavillonniere.net

Bill O'Rikki · Post by **Bill O'Rikki** » Tue 02 Nov 2010 10:49

Thanks to you as well M & S, looks nice and will put that into the mix as well.

The current plan is to come down the Loire valley to Nevers on the A77 and Magny Cours, then to Clermont F. but this is not set in stone so will consider the cost and travelling time implications.

john · Post by **john** » Tue 02 Nov 2010 11:16

That is certainly a very good route Bill. Light traffic once you've left Paris,and light on the pocket too.

Taking the more westerly route (Orleans) does however enable you to use the Abbeville, Rouen,Dreux,Chartres way that avoids Paris.

Bill O'Rikki · Post by **Bill O'Rikki** » Tue 02 Nov 2010 11:28

True John, but we are crossing to Zeebrugge. I plan to minimise the 'Paris' effect by leaving the A1 at Senlis and using the A/N104 route to Essonne and Fontainebleu.

Thanks for the advice anyway, that's certainly the way we would come if using Calais.

john · Post by **john** » Tue 02 Nov 2010 11:58

Is the Hull to Zeebrugge still a daily service,Bill? I know P+O were talking of cutting it back. Too far North for us,of course,but did use it a few times when Mum lived in Preston. Had the added attraction of a spell in Belgium where you can stock up on some great beer!

Bill O'Rikki · Post by **Bill O'Rikki** » Tue 02 Nov 2010 12:38

Yes John, to the best of my knowledge there are sailings to Rotterdam and Zeebrugge every night from Hull.

For us, obviously not all but certainly a significant part of the up front costs are offset by the 200 mileage saving each way compared with using Dover. I calculate that it is only about 15 miles further from Zeebrugge via Paris rather than Calais with slightly less in tolls. Another plus is of course we will avoid the pschological misery of the nearly five hour drive back home from Dover via the M25 and Dartford or Chertsey - always seems never ending. Now I am into bus pass dotage I will appreciate the less total driving time by having in effect two overnight stops. I have a car which is suitable for long motorway days and am personally still capable of putting in days of nearly 500 miles but we have decided that this time we will relax a bit more and spend a bit more of the kid's inheritence.

If we could find a comfortable B & B like the one Marguerite and Steve kindly suggested but in the Moulins area (say 6 hours or so drive from the ferry port) then this would be ideal. An overnight stop with meal there would cost in total slightly less than 100€, as opposed to a hotel like the one you suggested which, nice though I am sure it is, I reckon would be some 50€ more. I ain't arf tempted to use that one as a treat on the way back though!

Bill O'Rikki · Post by **Bill O'Rikki** » Wed 29 Jun 2011 12:03

As an update my wife and myself finally chose La Berthodrie for our overnight stops both going and coming back. This is a Chambre d’Hote in a 19th C small holding located in open countryside just outside Morlac, a tiny village 15 mins drive from j8 the St Armand-Montrond exit on the A71.

We had big car problems travelling South on Saturday 10th June which started just after I filled up the car (with the correct fuel) at Etampes after a drama free drive of 220 or so miles from Zeebrugge . We limped on to the Vierzon area where the car just about gave up and Green Flag arranged for the car to be taken to secure premises and paid for our onward travel by taxi to La Berthodrie. Unfortunately, as that weekend was Whitsun the car did not arrive at the dealer in Bourges for attention and neither could GF arrange a hire car until the Tuesday afternoon. Our destination was Pals but as I could not take the hire car out of France we were stuck for what turned out to be an unplanned further 5 nights in the area until the car was fixed.

I cannot praise the hosts at La Berthodrie highly enough. Marie-Christine and Dominique went far beyond the extra mile to try to ease the stress of our predicament even to the extent of (albeit unsuccessfully) trying to arrange temporary insurance so that we could drive their car. As we were a bit stranded they took us to a ox roast (known as a ‘mechoui’) in the local community on the Sunday and to a donkey fair in a nearby town on the Monday.

During our enforced stay we became very good friends. Marie-Christine especially speaks good English and the conversation flowed all the time, often in a form of Franglais which kept us all in stitches. We will make every effort to return there in the future. The accomodation is very comfortable and very good value for money - included in the deal is a four course evening meal complete with wine and an aperitif before and I can personally confirm that Marie-Christine is an excellent cook!

Their web site can easily be found using google.

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