R15 is planning a long weekend, 4th May to the 8th, in Brittany. We would like to open this up to members from all regions. Places are limited and filling up so if you are interested contact the organiser, Chris Rogers, asap........details at the bottom
From down here we will be taking the Plymouth ferry as detailed below but obviously there are alternative ways to cross the channel!
The rooms are reserved at the special rate until the end of this month only
These are the details:
PCGB REGION 15 TRIP TO FRANCE May 4th - 8th 2012 Fancy a long weekend in Brittany over the early May Bank Holiday weekend ? Twelve rooms at a group discount price, including four singles, have been reserved at a hotel in Benodet, a seaside resort in the Finistere region, approximately two and a half hours' drive from the port of Roscoff.
The idea is to take the Brittany Ferries sailing from Plymouth at 08.00hrs on Fri May 4th. This takes six hours, arriving in Roscoff at 15.00hrs French time. The drive to the hotel means we should arrive in time to get ready for dinner. We then have four nights at the hotel, with three full days for driving and exploration. We return on Tues May 8th. After breakfast we leave in time to get back up to Roscoff by midday so we can take the 13.10hrs sailing back to Plymouth. We arrive at 18.30hrs UK time, leaving a good margin for a reasonable drive home.
NB 1 - this is NOT a package deal and will require each participant to organise and book their own ferry trip. Brittany Ferries have told me they do not organise group trips. I have included a sample booking later.
NB 2 - we have the rooms reserved as a group until the end of JANUARY, after which any not booked will be handed back to the hotel. This doesn't stop you booking independently from Feb 1st onwards, but you will then be dependent on rooms still being available over a popular weekend and the special offer price for the Porsche group would have to be negotiated. So there's not long to make up your mind. We need at least 15 people in the group to get the discounted price.
NB 3 "" The hotel requires a 30% deposit of their total cost to secure the room. There are four doubles, four twins and four singles. "˜Left over' singles can be converted to doubles, depending on availability. There is interest already because this offer developed from a much smaller idea. The projected cost is an estimate. Why? Firstly, you settle the final hotel bill independently at the end of the stay, and that of course is in Euros. The Euro- £ exchange rate has recently been improving in favour of sterling. By May....? Secondly, the ferry cost is a sample. You may wish to add or subtract features, or even change the dates if you wanted to extend your trip elsewhere.
With those provisos I estimate a typical total cost for a couple ( ferry+hotel with B&B) of £535.00. For a single it would be £440.00 I emphasise again, these are estimates "" your final bill will definitely be a different figure. FERRY The suggested ferry details are as follows:
BRITTANY FERRIES Plymouth - Roscoff ( all times are local) OUT - Fri May 4th 2012 - Departs Plymouth 08.00 hrs. Arrives Roscoff 15.00 hrs BACK "" Tues May 8th 2012 "" Departs Roscoff 13.10hrs. Arrives Plymouth 18.30hrs I have included, for this illustration, 1 x inside 2 berth ensuite cabin on each leg of the journey. The total cost, checked on the BF website on Sat 7th Jan, is £230.00. This is for either two people and the car + cabins, or one person and the car + cabins. The costs goes up or down depending on the type of accommodation you want.
NB "" You will have to book the ferry crossing yourself and pay direct in the normal way. Unfortunately it's not possible to organise a group booking.
NB2 "" be aware that Brittany Ferries operates an "˜ airline pricing' system. This means the price I have quoted can change by the day, sometimes by the minute. If business is quiet, they can decide to drop the price. If there's an increasing demand, they can increase the price.
At the moment, things are probably quiet, but no-one outside BF can tell when the price will change. The advantage of booking your own ferry is that you could organise a longer break for yourself and book different ferry crossings to accommodate this. All I would ask is that if you do book differently, please tell me (!) so we don't worry about any organised non-appearance at the ferry port!! It's worth adding that travel and breakdown insurance is not included, but is highly advised. For anyone considering driving in France for the first time, there are some important facts to be taken on board. There are many of your fellow members who can advise you and I hope to produce a sheet of info soon for those who would like it. Generally however, France is freer, less crowded and offers a far more relaxed and rewarding driving experience than the UK.
HOTEL
The chosen hotel is the Hotel Armoric in Benodet.
http://g.co/maps/dk653
The website is : www.armoric-benodet.com The rate for B&B for two people in a double or twin with bath or shower is 91.88 Euros/ night. This includes the "˜ taxe de sejour', the regional holiday tax on all accommodation. ( The normal rate for this mid-season would be 126.88 Euros/ night. We're getting the low season rate) For one person in a room with bath or shower, it is 62.94 Euros a night. We do need 15 people in the group to get the discounted rate. This also includes free undercover parking for up to ten cars in the group, albeit with cars doubled up.
This kind of parking normally costs 5 Euros a night. There is some outside parking in the hotel grounds, which is also free. The cost of the stay for four nights, then is as follows: Couple = 367.52 Euros = £305.04 Single = 251.76 Euros = £209.96 ( @ £1 = 1.20 Euros "" Sat Jan 7th) Dinner at the hotel restaurant concentrates on local produce and costs 22 Euros ( £18.25)/person for the standard thee-course menu. Vegetarian food is an option but needs prior notice. ( Generally the French are not as tuned in to vegetarianism as elsewhere, but at least they're offering...). Other restaurants are available in Benodet for us to explore.
NB - We each have to pay a deposit of 30% of the hotel rate cost to secure the room at that rate. This will be a two-stage process with a first instalment of a personal cheque to me by the end of January. Once the group is confirmed I will personally pay the group deposit in Euros. Once that has been converted back into sterling, I will ask you for a balance of the deposit. Your cheques will be held until then.
NB2 "" If you have to cancel later on, there are hotel rules on deposit refunds. If we can get a replacement couple or person to take your place, you will get a full refund regardless, only the names will change on the booking. If that proves impossible, the refund is related to the time left to the first night. Up to 45 nights before, its 100%. From 45 - 21 nights before, it's 50%. Less than 21 nights it's 0%.
TO BOOK: Send me an email to "˜ jane2809@aol.com "˜ or phone 07887958143 and speak to me or leave a message.
At this stage only an £80 deposit (couple) or £50 (single) is required.
Or you can e-mail/pm me and I will pass it on to Chris.
Don't delay - places going fast!
]
From down here we will be taking the Plymouth ferry as detailed below but obviously there are alternative ways to cross the channel!
The rooms are reserved at the special rate until the end of this month only
These are the details:
PCGB REGION 15 TRIP TO FRANCE May 4th - 8th 2012 Fancy a long weekend in Brittany over the early May Bank Holiday weekend ? Twelve rooms at a group discount price, including four singles, have been reserved at a hotel in Benodet, a seaside resort in the Finistere region, approximately two and a half hours' drive from the port of Roscoff.
The idea is to take the Brittany Ferries sailing from Plymouth at 08.00hrs on Fri May 4th. This takes six hours, arriving in Roscoff at 15.00hrs French time. The drive to the hotel means we should arrive in time to get ready for dinner. We then have four nights at the hotel, with three full days for driving and exploration. We return on Tues May 8th. After breakfast we leave in time to get back up to Roscoff by midday so we can take the 13.10hrs sailing back to Plymouth. We arrive at 18.30hrs UK time, leaving a good margin for a reasonable drive home.
NB 1 - this is NOT a package deal and will require each participant to organise and book their own ferry trip. Brittany Ferries have told me they do not organise group trips. I have included a sample booking later.
NB 2 - we have the rooms reserved as a group until the end of JANUARY, after which any not booked will be handed back to the hotel. This doesn't stop you booking independently from Feb 1st onwards, but you will then be dependent on rooms still being available over a popular weekend and the special offer price for the Porsche group would have to be negotiated. So there's not long to make up your mind. We need at least 15 people in the group to get the discounted price.
NB 3 "" The hotel requires a 30% deposit of their total cost to secure the room. There are four doubles, four twins and four singles. "˜Left over' singles can be converted to doubles, depending on availability. There is interest already because this offer developed from a much smaller idea. The projected cost is an estimate. Why? Firstly, you settle the final hotel bill independently at the end of the stay, and that of course is in Euros. The Euro- £ exchange rate has recently been improving in favour of sterling. By May....? Secondly, the ferry cost is a sample. You may wish to add or subtract features, or even change the dates if you wanted to extend your trip elsewhere.
With those provisos I estimate a typical total cost for a couple ( ferry+hotel with B&B) of £535.00. For a single it would be £440.00 I emphasise again, these are estimates "" your final bill will definitely be a different figure. FERRY The suggested ferry details are as follows:
BRITTANY FERRIES Plymouth - Roscoff ( all times are local) OUT - Fri May 4th 2012 - Departs Plymouth 08.00 hrs. Arrives Roscoff 15.00 hrs BACK "" Tues May 8th 2012 "" Departs Roscoff 13.10hrs. Arrives Plymouth 18.30hrs I have included, for this illustration, 1 x inside 2 berth ensuite cabin on each leg of the journey. The total cost, checked on the BF website on Sat 7th Jan, is £230.00. This is for either two people and the car + cabins, or one person and the car + cabins. The costs goes up or down depending on the type of accommodation you want.
NB "" You will have to book the ferry crossing yourself and pay direct in the normal way. Unfortunately it's not possible to organise a group booking.
NB2 "" be aware that Brittany Ferries operates an "˜ airline pricing' system. This means the price I have quoted can change by the day, sometimes by the minute. If business is quiet, they can decide to drop the price. If there's an increasing demand, they can increase the price.
At the moment, things are probably quiet, but no-one outside BF can tell when the price will change. The advantage of booking your own ferry is that you could organise a longer break for yourself and book different ferry crossings to accommodate this. All I would ask is that if you do book differently, please tell me (!) so we don't worry about any organised non-appearance at the ferry port!! It's worth adding that travel and breakdown insurance is not included, but is highly advised. For anyone considering driving in France for the first time, there are some important facts to be taken on board. There are many of your fellow members who can advise you and I hope to produce a sheet of info soon for those who would like it. Generally however, France is freer, less crowded and offers a far more relaxed and rewarding driving experience than the UK.
HOTEL
The chosen hotel is the Hotel Armoric in Benodet.
http://g.co/maps/dk653
The website is : www.armoric-benodet.com The rate for B&B for two people in a double or twin with bath or shower is 91.88 Euros/ night. This includes the "˜ taxe de sejour', the regional holiday tax on all accommodation. ( The normal rate for this mid-season would be 126.88 Euros/ night. We're getting the low season rate) For one person in a room with bath or shower, it is 62.94 Euros a night. We do need 15 people in the group to get the discounted rate. This also includes free undercover parking for up to ten cars in the group, albeit with cars doubled up.
This kind of parking normally costs 5 Euros a night. There is some outside parking in the hotel grounds, which is also free. The cost of the stay for four nights, then is as follows: Couple = 367.52 Euros = £305.04 Single = 251.76 Euros = £209.96 ( @ £1 = 1.20 Euros "" Sat Jan 7th) Dinner at the hotel restaurant concentrates on local produce and costs 22 Euros ( £18.25)/person for the standard thee-course menu. Vegetarian food is an option but needs prior notice. ( Generally the French are not as tuned in to vegetarianism as elsewhere, but at least they're offering...). Other restaurants are available in Benodet for us to explore.
NB - We each have to pay a deposit of 30% of the hotel rate cost to secure the room at that rate. This will be a two-stage process with a first instalment of a personal cheque to me by the end of January. Once the group is confirmed I will personally pay the group deposit in Euros. Once that has been converted back into sterling, I will ask you for a balance of the deposit. Your cheques will be held until then.
NB2 "" If you have to cancel later on, there are hotel rules on deposit refunds. If we can get a replacement couple or person to take your place, you will get a full refund regardless, only the names will change on the booking. If that proves impossible, the refund is related to the time left to the first night. Up to 45 nights before, its 100%. From 45 - 21 nights before, it's 50%. Less than 21 nights it's 0%.
TO BOOK: Send me an email to "˜ jane2809@aol.com "˜ or phone 07887958143 and speak to me or leave a message.
At this stage only an £80 deposit (couple) or £50 (single) is required.
Or you can e-mail/pm me and I will pass it on to Chris.
Don't delay - places going fast!![
]
