Just wondering if anyone else has done the journey from Zurich >> London by car - did you stopover somewhere halfway and if so, where?

Last time we stupidly tried to do an all-nighter, without realising quite how dog-tired we'd be from the day to day of looking after the twin munchkins. It was a disaster.

This time, just before Christmas, I'm hoping to leave on the 18th Dec and stop over somewhere halfway-ish - probably nr Reims. Was looking for your bog-standard Travelodge/service station type of deal but can't seem to find anything like that in France. Most of the hotels I've been linked to via Google won't take 2 adults/2 babies in one room and I've been left with a motley selection of dodgy establishments.

Anyway - long story not particularly short... if anyone has any suggestions/recommendations/hints for how to do this journey without wanting to commit hari kiri upon arrival I'd be most grateful!

Here's an older thread on that very subject to get you started: Driving to/from UK: Routes, advice, discussion

Thank you VERY much for pointing me that way. And to do it without any sarcasm that I should have searched first was just an added Brucie bonus!

We have done this several times with two young kids and have stayed at the Campanile chain - you can book a two room family deal and request two adjoining rooms. We would take a child each and whoever got the most sleep drove the next day.

http://www.campanile.com/en/default.aspx

http://www.campanile.com/Hotel/en/france.htm

there are 7 in the Reims area

hth caz

You need Suitehotel. Never stayed at the one in Reims, but have used the one in Calais close to the tunnel.
Take a look at www.suitehotel.com

We tend to do our journeys to the UK like this:
Leave at 16:00 when school finishes. Stay overnight in budget hotel in St Quentin.
Get a breakfast ferry the next day and head up to Peterborough or Bath for lunchtime.
St Quentin is good because it is close enough (<90 minutes) from Calais to time the arrival time very accurately.

On the return journey we always get up early. Get a breakfast ferry again and get back to Zürich in one day.

We tend to stay in the B&B credit card motels which have rooms for 4 people. The rooms are pretty spacious compared to Premiere Classe. They have hotels in St Quentin and Calais.

On the ferry we always go with P&O so we can use the Langans restaurant which is great for breakfast and never busy.

The IBIS hotels are OK.

There are ones at suitable Belgian stopover points. Means a cheap fill up in Luxembourg and 1/2 the cost in tolls. Also pretty good if you are going in and out of Dunkirk

Unfortunately due to a family bereavement I have had to do the trip from Basel to Manchester 4 times this year with a 2 and 7 year old. Depending on how we felt we either stopped at the Novotel in Reims (5 hours drive from Basel) - barely 200 yards off the motorway and with a big garden and outdoor swimming pool in summer or the Ibis at Calais Coquelles (7 hours non stop from Basel) - right next to the shopping centre where you can go to eat/play on the merrygoround/generally wear a toddler out.

PM me if you need any more information re routes/accommodation etc. Alas I feel this is something I am actually an expert on, but would rather not be ....

Thanks all for these suggestions. The idea to have two separate rooms is a good one - the likelihood of the 4 of us sharing a room and hoping to get much sleep is minimal, or at least less than the sleep we might get by only taking a baby each.

Really appreciate the links/etc - will book in the next few days.

ecb - thanks for the offer of help/advice... may well be hitting your inbox soon! sorry you have had to learn of all these pitfalls due to such bad family circumstances.