Dover - Accommodation?

[Chris KC]

I'm finally getting to grips with summer holiday 2023 (planning ahead!!) and would appreciate any suggestions for an A7-friendly overnight stop close to Dover. 

The main requirements are (1) inexpensive and (2) a safe place to park the car, which will be loaded up and can't be locked. Ideally it would be under 1 hour drive from the ferry port. 

Thanks in advance...

[Denis Sweeney]

Hi Chris, when brother Pete, myself and our good ladies went on the Eurotour last year we stayed in a Travelodge literally 5 minutes drive from the docks, cheap and cheerful and clean. There is a decent pub for food in the evening just a few minutes walk across the road at the rear.
We used a company called Relyon Parking at post code CT17 OHL. This is about 10 minutes from the hotel but they will transfer you to the hotel when you drop your car off and will pick you up in the morning to collect your car. It is open air parking but is secure and maned 24/7. At the time we were charged £25 for one night parking and includes transfers.
I stress I have no connection with this company, but there were a number of A7’s on the Eurotour that used the same parking.
You can check the location of parking and the Travelodge on Google Earth.
Hope this helps

[Duncan Grimmond]

Have you thought about Newhaven-Dieppe?
My last few trips to sunny France have been with that route. I have found that the run to Dover feels interminable and very busy.
Newhaven is considerably nearer to me (in N Yorks) than Dover and what you lose on the ferry ticket you can save on fuel depending of course on where you're heading...
The cheapest fare is of course at 22.00h but you can doze on the ferry and you land early in the morning so can get a good way along before breakfast. The return is often(?) 10.45 ish and I can get home by 19.00h

[Chris KC]

Hi Chris, when brother Pete, myself and our good ladies went on the Eurotour last year we stayed in a Travelodge literally 5 minutes drive from the docks, cheap and cheerful and clean. There is a decent pub for food in the evening just a few minutes walk across the road at the rear.
We used a company called Relyon Parking at post code CT17 OHL. This is about 10 minutes from the hotel but they will transfer you to the hotel when you drop your car off and will pick you up in the morning to collect your car. It is open air parking but is secure and maned 24/7. At the time we were charged £25 for one night parking and includes transfers.
I stress I have no connection with this company, but there were a number of A7’s on the Eurotour that used the same parking.
You can check the location of parking and the Travelodge on Google Earth.
Hope this helps

Thanks Denis, I will feed that helpful info into the master computer which is crunching the options!

---

Have you thought about Newhaven-Dieppe?
My last few trips to sunny France have been with that route. I have found that the run to Dover feels interminable and very busy.
Newhaven is considerably nearer to me (in N Yorks) than Dover and what you lose on the ferry ticket you can save on fuel depending of course on where you're heading...
The cheapest fare is of course at 22.00h but you can doze on the ferry and you land early in the morning so can get a good way along before breakfast. The return is often(?) 10.45 ish and I can get home by 19.00h

I have Duncan, and I'd prefer that route for several reasons, but the cost is easily double that of Dover - Calais, and one of the ground rules for this trip is that the two of us are not going to try to sleep in the Ulster in a car park on the docks. If I were travelling alone it would be different... We also looked at Harwich - Hoek which has several advantages, not least that we can get there easily from Bedford and get a night's sleep on the boat, but return fares are currently edging up towards £600 for mid-summer crossings.

[Reckless Rat]

Not that I come back to Blighty very often these days but I prefer Eurotunnel. I drove up last year for a change ( I usually fly Ryanair and then rent a car but I couldn't get a boot lid for an E class in the overhead locker) so I drove it. The Eurotunnel in July cost me 240€ return. More than the ferry but there's a huge gain in time with the train, especially when you've got 250 miles ( or a lot more travelling back,) to go when you land.

[Duncan Grimmond]

It's most regrettable that DFDS stopped their overnight Hull-Zeebrugge crossing a couple of years ago. The cost of the ferry was a bit high but it included a cabin and saved 200+ miles for me being only 65 miles from home. It landed early and you could be well along the way in France before the stop for coffee...

[Chris KC]

It's most regrettable that DFDS stopped their overnight Hull-Zeebrugge crossing a couple of years ago. The cost of the ferry was a bit high but it included a cabin and saved 200+ miles for me being only 65 miles from home. It landed early and you could be well along the way in France before the stop for coffee...

I feel we are witnessing the decline of civilisation Duncan - I could go on but no-one wants to hear it.

Anyway thanks to those who have chipped in with thoughts - I now have reservations at suitable accommodation close to both Dover outbound and Calais for the return, so am nicely sorted in that respect at least. Though don't let me stifle further input, as I'm sure others must be planning trips.

[Steve kay]

Civilisation is indeed under serious threat. All this furrin language stuff, needing computer translation. Dear oh lord what it comes up with, beetle back as “Scarab Ass” or does everybody here read, and contribute to the Amicale Tricylcecariste de Francais in French?

[Duncan Grimmond]

I have to admit to reading some of the ATF via Google Translate but I do try hard until my knowledge of French idiom runs out...