First time abroad
Lot of help required if possible.
We are wanting to go to Spain, preferably Alicante region for the whole of January, haven't sorted any accommodation yet but still looking, 3 adults ( 1 with disability) + 2 dogs.
Would appreciate any advice on either ferry or tunnel, if tunnel (cheaper crossing) it would incorporate staying over in France (added expense) + extra fuel or ferry ( more expensive than tunnel but no accommodation required and less driving)
Any info regards the dogs as well would be great.
Comments
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For your first visit I would book your Spanish accommodation now - campsite or apartment as you wish.
The ferries from Portsmouth to both Bilbao and Santander may be fully booked already so you may have to drive all the way. From Halifax to the tunnel is almost 300 miles, and then a further 1100 miles across France and Spain. Is that five days driving in all?
Your dogs will need rabies injections and passports - so see a local vet about that now.
Take care.
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Not that many sites open in January in France and that pesky thing called weather can intervene but we've done it before and plenty still do. You may need to drive further per day than you normally do.
If sticking to the east coast in Spain then you'll find a few more sites open but as ET says wintering in Spain is popular, especially the further south you go. Ironic that you may need to book a site in winter.
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Thanks for those replies, We are going to rent an apartment so not taking the caravan.
Trying to weigh up all the options best we can and your advice/tips are more than welcome as all will be taken on board.
Ferry = less driving but more expensive as to chunnel = cheaper but more driving and accommodation costs.
If we do ferry to Blbao/Santander I'm hoping to drive to Alicante / Malaga region in the day (with stops for the dogs)
Any more info will be great.
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The ferries from Porstmouth to Spain have a very likmited number of pet friendly cabins where your dogs can be with you. Those cabins will definitely be fully booked already - so you must decide whether you are willing to go that way where your dogs will be in cages/kennels on board for the journey of 24 to 36 hours. And with weather and the sea state as it has been today there is no way I would go on that journey by ship across the Bay of Biscay either. I don 't have dogs so I fly for my winter holidays, but you can't do that.
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Just a thought and I may be barking here (pun intended) but if you do drive through France it might still be worth looking at campsites and renting a static for a night or a pod if you can find one. Likely to be more dog friendly, plus some excercise area or staying at a farm B&B.
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Andy, I think you need to look at the map and the ferry timetables before you plan a one day drive across Spain.
Bilbao to Alicante is nearly 500 miles. Malaga is further. Your only hope of driving that distance in one day is to take the one ferry per week to Spain which arrives very early in the morning. That means two nights on board ship.for you and your dogs. Not the best of plans?
All the other ferries arrive at Bilbao or Santander in the afternoon or evening. You will need an overnight stop in Spain.
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Just spoke to Brittany ferries and as said on here "all cabins for dogs are fully booked" plenty space coming back mind.
Looks like the chunnel and a long drive plus stopovers in France, ah well it will be an adventure nevertheless.
Thanks for your time and effort.
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Andy - we live in North Yorkshire, about fifteen miles further north than you, and travel regularly down to our house in the Aude. We set off Sunday morning (traffic is marginally lighter on a Sunday) and get a mid-afternoon crossing on Eurotunnel. We can then be at our first stop around Rouen, at anyone of the many pet-friendly hotels we've found over the years. We use booking.com,where you can use 'pet-friendly' as one of the search criteria.
From Rouen we can be down at our house in the Aude (near to Perpignan) by around 7.00 pm - and again plenty of pet-friendly options for an overnight stay. From there it's a six/seven hour drive to Alicante - so effectively you could be there on Tuesday after a Sunday start!We have paid as little as 26 euros per night for a perfectly acceptable overnight stop........... especially in low season when hotel prices are low.
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You could always consider Portsmouth/Caen or le Havre. Crossing time around six hours. I've done the trip to Alicante in two days driving solo using this route. I did do the drive via Dunkirk once but it adds another half day. I used to have an apartment in Gran Alacant, just south of the airport so if you are looking for accommodation then try https://www.alicanteholidayvillas.com. Mark & Haidee Smith manage quite a few properties in the area.
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Much appreciated
Just sent an email to the website at Gran Alacant and are looking at pet friendly hotels for a stay.
Once again, many thanks.
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Val, how long does it take you from Calais to Perpignan roughly, or do you stop overnight en-route ?
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I can't speak for Val, but ViaMicheln says the direct route from Calais to Perpignan via Paris, Clermont Ferrand and over the Massif Centrale is 704 miles, and suggests 10hours 37 minutes of driving time, excluding stops.
But you are going in January and that direct route may be closed by snow, so many people going to Spain at that time of year go via Bordeaux instead.
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We used to live near Beziers (about an hour from Perpignan). Whilst it is possible to do it in one day we always broke the journey somewhere in the Chartres/Orleans area (depending upon the time of tunnel/ferry) making it 2 easy days driving. And, as Val says, there are plenty of cheap overnight hotels (Formula one, Premier, Campanille) en-route and so long as you stop not too late (by 5pm) you will have no problems and it is not necessary to book so long as it is not a holiday. The hotels are usually all in the same area near the main access roads to the main towns/cities - you will find them easily. Re crossing the Central Massif (A75) in winter; it is normally open but you do not need to make your decision until you are on your way then either Rhone Valley or the west route are your options (was Rhone Valley for us the one time when I thought the A75 would be closed - it wasn't!).
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I've added a few bits which I obviously missed to my original post quoted below.
We set off Sunday morning (traffic is marginally lighter on a Sunday) and get a mid-afternoon crossing on Eurotunnel. We can then be at our first stop around Rouen, (should have said by about 6.30 pm) at any one of the many pet-friendly hotels we've found over the years. We use booking.com,where you can use 'pet-friendly' as one of the search criteria.
From Rouen we can be down at our house in the Aude (near to Perpignan) by around 7.00 pm - and again there are plenty of pet-friendly options for an overnight stay if you choose to stay near there.. From there it's a six/seven hour drive to Alicante - so effectively you could be there on Tuesday after a Sunday start!
We've tried different timings, but this works for us, and we do approximately the same journey coming home. This September we stayed in a Chambre d'Hote in Louviers, just south of Rouen. From there we drove to Calais and got a lunchtime crossing, then home in North Yorkshire (theoretically) by 6.00 pm. In fact it was 8.30 as we were stuck on the motorway both in the Fens due to an accident (but we did a cross-country run eventually and stopped for a coffee and a cake in a lovely tea room), and again around Doncaster due to flooding.0 -
Hi Andy
We live about 30 minutes away from Alicante and my advise would be to choose very carefully were you stay in January because you may end up in a really nice apartment block in a Ghost town with no bars/restaurants open. If as you say it is your first time I would go for Benidorm, Albir, Guardamar or Santa Pola all of which have campsites so most things are open in these towns, Benidorm is ok at this time of year and if its not your cup of tea the near by resort of Albir is quite lively with out being over the top. Just make sure any apartment you rent has aire conditioning with heating because it does get bloody cold here with the stone walls/floors.
Going back to work at Brighton for Jan/Feb and will be using the Caen ferry which we prefer to the longer crossing and we do it in four stops two in Spain and two in France and there are plenty of motels in both countries.
Hope you get sorted
Phil
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Hi Andy
As this is your 1st trip may I make a suggestion?
I would suggest you leave the dogs at home this trip and get the ferry Portsmouth to Bilbao-(5hrs with a stop Halifax-Porstmouth) Get the Sunday night one (Vacancies at present on 6th Jan) which is 2 night one but arrives in Bilbao 7.45am Tuesday. From there you can easily make Alicante in 1 day-(we do Valencia overnight but towing caravan with reduced speed etc) driving solo but with adequate stops for disabled passenger etc. Motorway all the way-part free, tolls about €50 total
If you fancy Benidorm area there will be plenty of apartments available for 3 people and not too expensive.
By doing this you can gain a lot of experience of what it's like without any hassle of dogs, pet cabins, pet passport, pet freindly accom etc etc and then if you enjoy it you could plan for 2020 early with the family & dogs and know the limitations of travel accom etc before you set off and plan accordingly.
I would feel a lot happier knowing of any pitfalls etc in advance rather than struggling with unknown journey/times, pets etc & a disabled passenger to look after on my first venture-food for thought?
If you do take this advice and want to go via Britanny Ferries, let me know I have a discount code for friends & can get you 10% discount.
Mike
PS I am in Huddersfield so if you want to discuss it anytime feel free
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Looks like we will be stopping in Limoges & Perpignan on way down, also looking into Albir / Altea region as its not as far down as Malaga where it could be a little warmer.
Got a reply from Gran Alacant and they don't allow pets.
Cheers everyone for your input.
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