Here are some useful links to get a feel for the region. There's lots of beautiful villages, old churches, wildlife parks, a casino, a spa... and the Futuroscope cinema theme park. The town of Poitiers, built on a hill with it's Roman churches and its narrow streets, is also very attractive
The tourist office web site: http://en.tourisme-vienne.com/
Monkey valley wildlife park (highly recommended): http://www.la-vallee-des-singes.fr/UK/index.html
City of the written word: www.citedelecrit-montmorillon.com
Futuroscope: http://www.futuroscope.com/eng/index.php
And lot's more besides...
dimanche 27 avril 2008
Where to stay
Rooms are not strictly necessary as French weddings go on all night, but just in case…
For accommodation, we have had a good look around and chosen a selection of places to correspond to different needs (couples, with or without children…) and different budgets. For certain places we have left a deposit to reserve rooms so if you make alternative plans please let us know so we can cancel the pre-reservations.
1) Manoir de Beauvoir
This hotel is at the local golf club and is ideally situated less than 10 minutes drive from Nieuil l'Espoir or Poitiers town centre. We have negotiated a special tariff with a 25% discount for the wedding party: 77€ per room and a supplement of 15€ for an extra person sharing the room. Breakfast at the buffet bar is 8€. There are 20 rooms reserved so please confirm rapidly.
To reserve call 00 33 549 554747 or send an E-mail (click on the address) to
resa-poitiers@monalisahotels.com and make sure you mention that you are part of Mr Thurston's group. You will be asked to provide a credit card number to confirm your reservation. Normally all the staff speak English.
2) Fawlty Towers
Well not really but there is actually a hotel in the village called "La Cloiserie du Rocher", which seems to have remained in a time warp since the Seventies. So if you fancy a "Life on Mars" experience for just 50 euros (breakfast included), this is your big chance! The web site doesn't really convey the wonderful experience waiting for you, in fact it actually looks quite good! http://www.closeriedurocher.com. But seriously the rooms are all clean and the English-speaking owner very friendly. It's in the heart of the village and is in a calm and pretty part of Nieuil. Send your reservations to Simon (see below) who will give the list to the hotel. Tariffs:
Chambre 2 (2 people) 50€
Chambre 3 (2 / 3 people) 50€ / 60€
Chambre 4 (2 / 3 people) 50€ / 60€
Chambre 9 (1 person) 42€
Chambre 10 (2 / 3 people) 50€ / 60€ /70€
3) La Petite Thimote
This is a "Chambre d'Hôte" or a French B&B part of an old house with two separate bedrooms with their own entrances. The house is set back from the road in a copse as you leave the village. The gardens are beautiful. The owner is a retired lady who will serve you breakfast in the morning. It is very calm and would suit two couples, one room has an adjoining sitting room for maybe an extra person or children. Send your reservations to Simon.
Price including breakfast around 50€
4) Chambre d'Hôte de Raboué
Another B&B in a village about 5 minutes drive away. There are two adjoining rooms with a shared bathroom on the landing. Additional toilets are available downstairs. The view is great and the rooms are spacious. There is bedding for kids and so each room could sleep a couple and 2 children. The landlady will serve you breakfast in her dining room. She is very friendly but probably doesn't speak much English. Send your reservations to Simon
Price including breakfast around 50€
5) Simon's friends can also put people up for free if you fancy getting to know the natives. Contact him if you are interested.
Simon's E-mail Click to open your mail client and write a message.
As the rooms become taken, we will update the blog. First come, first served.
For accommodation, we have had a good look around and chosen a selection of places to correspond to different needs (couples, with or without children…) and different budgets. For certain places we have left a deposit to reserve rooms so if you make alternative plans please let us know so we can cancel the pre-reservations.
1) Manoir de Beauvoir
This hotel is at the local golf club and is ideally situated less than 10 minutes drive from Nieuil l'Espoir or Poitiers town centre. We have negotiated a special tariff with a 25% discount for the wedding party: 77€ per room and a supplement of 15€ for an extra person sharing the room. Breakfast at the buffet bar is 8€. There are 20 rooms reserved so please confirm rapidly.
To reserve call 00 33 549 554747 or send an E-mail (click on the address) to
resa-poitiers@monalisahotels.com and make sure you mention that you are part of Mr Thurston's group. You will be asked to provide a credit card number to confirm your reservation. Normally all the staff speak English.
2) Fawlty Towers
Well not really but there is actually a hotel in the village called "La Cloiserie du Rocher", which seems to have remained in a time warp since the Seventies. So if you fancy a "Life on Mars" experience for just 50 euros (breakfast included), this is your big chance! The web site doesn't really convey the wonderful experience waiting for you, in fact it actually looks quite good! http://www.closeriedurocher.com. But seriously the rooms are all clean and the English-speaking owner very friendly. It's in the heart of the village and is in a calm and pretty part of Nieuil. Send your reservations to Simon (see below) who will give the list to the hotel. Tariffs:
Chambre 2 (2 people) 50€
Chambre 3 (2 / 3 people) 50€ / 60€
Chambre 4 (2 / 3 people) 50€ / 60€
Chambre 9 (1 person) 42€
Chambre 10 (2 / 3 people) 50€ / 60€ /70€
3) La Petite Thimote
This is a "Chambre d'Hôte" or a French B&B part of an old house with two separate bedrooms with their own entrances. The house is set back from the road in a copse as you leave the village. The gardens are beautiful. The owner is a retired lady who will serve you breakfast in the morning. It is very calm and would suit two couples, one room has an adjoining sitting room for maybe an extra person or children. Send your reservations to Simon.
Price including breakfast around 50€
4) Chambre d'Hôte de Raboué
Another B&B in a village about 5 minutes drive away. There are two adjoining rooms with a shared bathroom on the landing. Additional toilets are available downstairs. The view is great and the rooms are spacious. There is bedding for kids and so each room could sleep a couple and 2 children. The landlady will serve you breakfast in her dining room. She is very friendly but probably doesn't speak much English. Send your reservations to Simon
Price including breakfast around 50€
5) Simon's friends can also put people up for free if you fancy getting to know the natives. Contact him if you are interested.
Simon's E-mail Click to open your mail client and write a message.
As the rooms become taken, we will update the blog. First come, first served.
lundi 7 avril 2008
Getting to Poitiers
Hi everyone, our wedding is in Nieuil l'Espoir, a small village about 20km from Poitiers.
How do I get there I hear you ask. Easy, just read on macduff...
To get to Poitiers there are several possibilities:
By plane direct from Stansted or Birmingham on Ryanair. Reservation is easy via their web site. Normally prices are reasonable and the flight time is just 1h20. www.ryanair.co.uk
If you don't want to go to Stansted, there are flights with Flybe from Southampton and Newcastle to Limoges which is about an hour and three quarters south west of Nieuil l'Espoir. You'll need to hire a car in Limoges. http://www.flybe.com/
By train with the Eurostar from London St. Pancras. It's comfortable, takes about 6h in total and there are no luggage restrictions so you can take back as much booze as you can carry! You could also stop over in Paris. The earlier you book the cheaper it is. To book the whole journey, London to Poitiers, you must wait until 3 months before the travel date. Or book the eurostar to Paris as soon as possible to get the best price www.eurostar.com and book the French Paris/Poitiers train separately via http://www.raileurope.co.uk/ or maybe your local travel agent.
You can change at Lille for a train to Poitiers. The change only involves changing platforms with about twenty minutes between arrival and departure. However there are only a few trains per day.
Otherwise you can go via Paris which offers many more trains but means changing stations. You arrive at the Gare du Nord and must take the "Metro" to Gare Montparnasse. Allow at least an hour for buying metro tickets and changing stations. The actual time on the metro is about 30 minutes unless you arrive in the rush hour.
The metro is easy as you don't have to change. Take the
line. In Paris it is different to London. No Northbound or Eastbound, what counts is the station at the end of the line, in this case: Porte d'Orleans (General Leclerc).
By Ferry. Of course you can choose to drive down. There are many options depending on where you live. The closest ports to Poiters are Caen and Le Havre which are about 4h45, mainly on motorways which are completely free of traffic. The crossing is usually overnight and you can choose between Britanny Ferries http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/ and the new and cheap LD lines http://www.ldlines.co.uk/
If you travel from Dover to Calais, the drive is much longer in France (6h30) but the crossing is shorter and cheaper.
By shuttle. No, this doesn't leave from Cap Caneveral but Folkestone which is probably less exciting but who knows. It depends if you get out much or not. You drive onto a train with your car and within 35 minutes you are in Calais. PS. you go via the tunnel. www.eurotunnel.com
Looking forward to seeing you in September.
How do I get there I hear you ask. Easy, just read on macduff...
To get to Poitiers there are several possibilities:
By plane direct from Stansted or Birmingham on Ryanair. Reservation is easy via their web site. Normally prices are reasonable and the flight time is just 1h20. www.ryanair.co.uk
If you don't want to go to Stansted, there are flights with Flybe from Southampton and Newcastle to Limoges which is about an hour and three quarters south west of Nieuil l'Espoir. You'll need to hire a car in Limoges. http://www.flybe.com/
By train with the Eurostar from London St. Pancras. It's comfortable, takes about 6h in total and there are no luggage restrictions so you can take back as much booze as you can carry! You could also stop over in Paris. The earlier you book the cheaper it is. To book the whole journey, London to Poitiers, you must wait until 3 months before the travel date. Or book the eurostar to Paris as soon as possible to get the best price www.eurostar.com and book the French Paris/Poitiers train separately via http://www.raileurope.co.uk/ or maybe your local travel agent.
You can change at Lille for a train to Poitiers. The change only involves changing platforms with about twenty minutes between arrival and departure. However there are only a few trains per day.
Otherwise you can go via Paris which offers many more trains but means changing stations. You arrive at the Gare du Nord and must take the "Metro" to Gare Montparnasse. Allow at least an hour for buying metro tickets and changing stations. The actual time on the metro is about 30 minutes unless you arrive in the rush hour.
The metro is easy as you don't have to change. Take the
line. In Paris it is different to London. No Northbound or Eastbound, what counts is the station at the end of the line, in this case: Porte d'Orleans (General Leclerc).By Ferry. Of course you can choose to drive down. There are many options depending on where you live. The closest ports to Poiters are Caen and Le Havre which are about 4h45, mainly on motorways which are completely free of traffic. The crossing is usually overnight and you can choose between Britanny Ferries http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/ and the new and cheap LD lines http://www.ldlines.co.uk/
If you travel from Dover to Calais, the drive is much longer in France (6h30) but the crossing is shorter and cheaper.
By shuttle. No, this doesn't leave from Cap Caneveral but Folkestone which is probably less exciting but who knows. It depends if you get out much or not. You drive onto a train with your car and within 35 minutes you are in Calais. PS. you go via the tunnel. www.eurotunnel.com
Looking forward to seeing you in September.
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