Formule 1 Expeditions

[Low Roller]

I really like cycling in France. I can speak French which helps. The roads are good for cyclists, loads of them. The things I like are cheap ( alcohol and french sticks). The campsites are cheap. You can pedal along river valleys : Loire, the the Rhone and back along the Narbonne canal. Now, as my bones are starting to creak, I have been thinking about “Formule 1 “ expeditions. For those of you who are not familiar with these hotels I shall give a little explanation.

Formule 1 hotels in France are cheap. There are hardly any staff. Google them. You pop in a bank or credit card on the outside , punch in a few numbers, get a special code then wheel in your fully laden touring bike into a 3 person room. If you are in a group of two or more they are cheaper than campsites.

As an old fart, I am thinking of a Dahon folder expedition based on Formule 1 hotels in France.

Anybody else thinking on the same lines? ( Not that I want to go with you, I prefer my own company. You would too, if you knew me.)

 

[slowmotion]

I have spent some nights in Formule 1 hotels in the last few years, overnight stops on drives to the Alps in a people carrier. They are pretty good for the money. The loos are a marvel of technology when the automatic cleaning system kicks in. Usually, there is a reasonable restaurant nearby that caters for the F1 people. I give them my vote when I'm on a budget. I nearly always am, alas.

 

[mmmmartin]

The OP omits to mention that they are often on the outskirts of large towns, on an industrial estate with somewhere to eat too far for a hungry cyclist to ride with ease after a long day in the saddle. They also tend to cluster, with other hotels, in areas with much passing trade in the form of motorways and dual carriageways. They are rarely, if ever, in pretty and quiet villages much loved by touring cyclists.
I'd suggest the OP takes a comfy camping mattress and a chair, and uses campsites, but shortens his daily distance so he enjoys travelling through lovely countryside. He may, of course, love the sound of motorway traffic.

 

[steveindenmark]

I like F1 hotels. When I say like, I mean I like them if I am having a cheap trip. They are clean, warm, have a TV and lots of hot water. Luxury....no they are not that.

The best thing about them is if you stay in one for a night and then travel to the other end of France and stay in another, you wont know you have moved. The rooms are all the same. It can be confusing.

They remind me of being on a North Sea Ferry.

 

[Brandane]

I have used them too, although prefer to pay a bit extra for an Etape Hotel (now re-branded Ibis Budget), which is basically a Formule 1 but with en suite facilities. It saves queuing for a sh**'n'shower with hordes of eastern european workies!
I find most of these budget French hotels (I include B&B Hotel, Campanile, and the characterless yellow and white liveried chain whose name escapes me for now) to be good value if you just want a place to sleep and a shower on a limited budget. That happens to fit in with my requirements on a cycle tour. You get all your scenic stuff during the day.

Edit... The characterless yellow and white chain is Hotel Premiere Classe. Not very aptly named, but does the job.

 

[Low Roller]

I'd suggest the OP takes a comfy camping mattress and a chair, and uses campsites,c.

Yawn. Done the camping thing so many times. The funny thing is though For about 20 years I always used a 6 reeded ( if one collapses , you still have 5 left) airbed, about £15 and replaced it after each season ( you end up with a big collection) but last year I bought a thermarest type of thing and realised that they more comfortable. It may be that I now have more padding about me. So far as the little chairs go. they are not inexpensive, fairly heavy and if the ones I saw in display at a prominent Exeter camping shop are anything to go by, they are extremely fragile. Somebody had tested one to destruction in the shop and it had been left on display.

P.S You may also live to be an OP one day.

 

[TheDoctor]

Nowt wrong with a cheap hotel tour on a folder - I'm off to do this on a Brompton soon.
Formule 1 being a bit thin on the ground in the sticks, I'm just using whatever cheap hotels I can find, and a Premiere Class in Avignon - best choice for arriving off a TGV at 11pm and heading off early the next morning.
Problem with Formule 1 is that you end up seeing a lot of industrial areas and retail parks...

 

[Low Roller]

[QUOTE=" I'm off to do this on a Brompton soon..[/QUOTE]

Its amazing what you can do on a Brompton. Looks very interesting though, and might try it myself..

 

[Fab Foodie]

Formule 1's are fine and many are dissapearing and re-emerging as other brands.
I agree with Brandane, for a couple Euros more you can get an IBIS budget which is an F1 with cool en-suite shower and Lav.

Nice idea though. There are usually OK eateries nearby, but nothing special.

 

[BalkanExpress]

I would suggest you take some ear plugs...certain guests of .Formule 1 like to demonstrate to their clients that they are getting value for money

 

[KneesUp]

P.S You may also live to be an OP one day.

OP = original poster ...

 

[Low Roller]

OP = original poster ...

Oops. Sorry to the OP. I thought it meant " old person." ............Just another senior moment.