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Crossing the Channel
If you plan to travel to your villa via ferry or are using French Motorail, there are substantial savings to be made by booking the Channel crossing with Dominique's Villas when you rent your property. We have negotiated special rates with ferry operators that are not available to travellers making their own reservations. The longer the crossing, in general the greater the discount you will receive on the standard prices. As the discounted rate is often not dependent on the time of the crossing, by booking villa and ferry together with us, you will find that peak crossings are particularly good value. Also, we often still have capacity on heavily booked routes and times in each direction that may be marked as full if you try to reserve independently. Where you have an ongoing connection, for example with Motorail, we have the experience to book you on the appropriate crossing. A huge range of cross-Channel services is available from the main coastal ports. The quickest and largest ferries in general operate on the shortest routes, such as Dover to Calais, and compare favourably with cruise ships in terms of their size and amenities. Cabins are available for overnight crossings on the longer routes in the western Channel approaches. Catamaran services operate out of Dover and Portsmouth, dramatically shortening journey times.
Short Channel crossings
Prices are quoted on our website with and without a Channel crossing. Where included, it consists of one return Channel crossing for one car at any time and on any day of the week on either of the following crossings:
Long Channel crossings
Supplements apply for longer crossings and are available on request. They vary depending on the time of day and on the day of the week the crossing takes place. On-board accommodation is compulsory on some overnight crossings. It ranges from reclining seats to different types of cabins (commodore, 2-berth, 4-berth, with or without porthole).
G Folkestone/Calais via Shuttle with Eurotunnel
35 minutes www.eurotunnel.com
Brittany Ferries
via Ferry or FastFerry Durations vary Portsmouth/Caen Portsmouth/Cherbourg Poole/Cherbourg Plymouth/Roscoff Portsmouth/St Malo www.brittany-ferries.com
G Dover/Calais via Ferry with P&O Ferries
75 to 90 minutes www.poferries.com
G Dover/Calais via Ferry with SeaFrance
70 to 90 minutes www.seafrance.com
G Dover/Boulogne via Fast Ferry with SpeedFerries
50 minutes www.speedferries.com
Condor Ferries
via Ferry or FastFerry Durations vary Poole/St Malo via Guernsey or Jersey Weymouth/St Malo via Guernsey or Jersey www.condorferries.com
Transmanche Ferries
via Ferry or FastFerry Durations vary Newhaven/Dieppe Newhaven/Le Havre Portsmouth/Le Havre www.transmancheferries.co.uk
PLEASE CALL FOR A QUOTE ON SUPPLEMENTS, ADDITIONAL CARS AND LONG CROSSINGS. NOTES
Different outward and inward routes can be combined. In certain cases they must be operated by the same company. HIGH/LONG vehicle supplements apply on most routes. Charges apply for additional passengers on some routes. Eurotunnel do not accept cars that run on LPG. Exact timings and accommodation rates are available on request. When completing your BOOKING FORM please fill in the following information as requested: Route and operator Indicate preferred timings; the closest available will be booked for you. Advise us of the overall height and length of your vehicle (including trailers, bikes, roof racks and roof boxes).
Hotels en route
Your French holiday by car begins with the journey south, and where you stay overnight on longer journeys is an important consideration, far more important than many travellers immediately appreciate. A poorly chosen hotel both in terms of location and facilities can be a serious setback and it is unwise at peak times not to book in advance. Ask Dominique for advice and allow us to recommend a suitable hotel and take care of the booking for you and any special needs you may have. Although there is no cost advantage, our fluency in French reduces the risk of mistakes by hotel reception and reservation staff and may often result in you being given better rooms in your price range than if you tried to book in English by telephone from the UK. On the return journey, you may wish to stay at a hotel with special or superior amenities to make the last day or two more interesting or exciting. A stop at or near a theme park, or a tourist location in its own right, may give your holiday an added spice and something extra for children, especially, to look forward to. Dominique will be pleased to offer advice and take care of the arrangements.
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