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Novotel Reims France Review

Novotel Reims Review – A hotel near the motorway Reims. When we told people we were driving down to Switzerland for the Easter holidays the comment we usually got back was you are brave! Or the politer just raised their eyebrows. We have frequently driven in Europe after first driving down to Lake Como when Charlie was eighteen months old. The boys are used to it and I like the freedom it gives us. However, driving from West Sussex to Switzerland in one go is a big ask. Looking for a place to stop over on the way down I aimed for someone three hours or so south of Calais. But avoiding Paris at all costs. In our experience, many of the roads around Paris are busy and gridlocked and the last thing we wanted was to be sitting in traffic for ages. Deciding on a hotel near Reims France.

Looking somewhere on the outskirts just off the motorway I chanced upon the Novotel in Reims. From the Booking.com website* it ticked a lot of boxes. With a restaurant on site, family rooms and free self parking. When we arrived there were quite a large number of English families milling around. Which made me wonder if had stumbled upon some sort of ski forum secret in the heart of the champagne region. A hotel near the motorway Reims. So how did we get on?

Table of Contents

Novotel Reims France Review

Finding Novotel Reims hotel

After waiting what felt like a lifetime at Eurotunnel Folkstone I really hoped that our drive down would be smooth. And thankfully it was an easy drive. It took us around three hours to drive down, using the toll roads. And we had rain and sleet on our drive with will have affected the time it took. Using the hotel postcode gets you within striking distance. Keep driving into the retail park area and you will spot the Novotel sign over to the right. The turning to the hotel is just before a mini roundabout and not that well sign posted. If like us you miss it you can not get into the back of the hotel so you will need to turn around and come back. It is a great location for driving south.

Arriving at the hotel – Reims hotel near the motorway

There is plenty of excellent free parking at the 4-star hotel. As you walk in there is an area to the right for kids with games and seating. The hotel was decorated for Easter with mini gold filled chocolate eggs at reception for the children. It had a lovely feel about it and the receptionist at the front desk was very helpful.

After checking in we headed to our room to drop off the bag. There is no lift in the hotel. If travelling with a baby you may want to ask for a room on the ground floor. It’s an odd design with the rooms sprawling out from the reception area, spread over a number of floors I am guessing it is easy to lose your bearings because on the back of the room key you can scan a map of the hotel. Which will help you locate your room!

Our hotel room Novotel Reims non-smoking rooms

We had a standard room type with a double bed and a double sofa bed it was a spacious rooms. The sofa bed has two single beds which was a nice surprise and much easier for the boys. They were delighted to find some Haribo sweets on the bed waiting for them. I find it’s these little touches that make the difference.

There is a large flatscreen TV, small safe and fridge with small bottles of water. The private bathroom has a large shower and a separate toilet with free toiletries. With hanging space at one end and plenty of storage for a suitcase. The rooms are functional, clean and comfortable with air conditioning and hair dryers. Exactly what you need for an overnight stay. There is little on the TV for the kids, but with free wifi, you can cast off your phone.

The on site restaurant for dinner

When we visited we did not have to reserve a table in advance. Which was helpful since you never really know when you are going to arrive. We arrived at about 8 pm and headed straight to the dining area after dropping our bags. Disappointedly the service was a little hit and miss. I am not sure if it is because of our waiter, he was friendly enough. Or because you only get what you ask for. For example, the family that sat down behind us we’re not given children’s menus despite having three children.

The children’s menu

The children’s menu is limited but you also get a drink and a dessert for 12€. The options are burger and chips, crispy chicken and chips or fish and chips. The portion sizes are good. We a came a cropper when one child asked for chocolate ice cream and got a small ball of it in a metal dessert dish. And the other asked for strawberry and ended up with a vanilla sundae with strawberry sauce in a small plastic pot. Either was fine, in fact, the chocolate looked very good indeed. But the problem was that they were so different.

The adult menu

The adult menu has a reasonable amount of food options, we opted for mains only. Expect to spend between 18-21€ on the main course. I think they do a set menu for 25€ we were not told anything about this or offered it. Likewise, there was no bread brought to the table. Although others had it. There was no drinks menu. Although we did see others asking for a wine list and it was produced eventually. My husband tried to order a large beer and somehow because he was drinking the local beer did not end up with a ‘Brock’ as the waiter later called it. Despite asking for one twice.

The food was pretty average and in my opinion overpriced. My husband ordered veal which was overcooked and I had the salmon which did not resemble the picture on the menu. We also shared a cheese plate after. Interestingly the cheese was the same as those offered at breakfast so I would personally save the 9€ and wait for the following morning. The burgers looked good though. They came in brioche buns. Unfortunately, Charlie has only offered bread as an alternative option for his kid’s menu when we discovered their burgers came in sesame buns. The waiter suggested they had no alternatives. Needless to say, no tip was left. Yet it was convenient having the restaurant in the same building after several hours in the car.

Breakfast at Novotel Reims

A buffet breakfast is served in the Restaurant and totally redeemed the questionable service from the previous evening. A self-service traditional continental breakfast with scrambled eggs, bacon, a wide choice of fruit, yoghurt, cheese, meat, cereals, crepes, waffles, bread and fruit juice. We all really enjoyed our breakfast, they also have a wide selection of different coffees and tea. Perfect if you are planning on spending time travelling the next day. We did not have a book a timed slot when we visited but I would expect that during busy periods you may want to check at reception.

Additional amenities

I can imagine that the hotel is popular in the Summer. As there is a large area outside. With a small play area, boules pits and plenty of seating. They also have a seasonal outdoor pool available onsite which is open from May to September. There is lots of seating around the outdoor swimming pool which is directly next to the restaurant and bar area. So I would imagine in the warmer months it is busy with people eating around the garden pool.

There is also a fitness center on the ground floor. Plus several areas for the children inlacing a colouring area in reception, a book nook on our floor and several interactive game tables scattered around. I was impressed with how child-friendly the hotel is with a games room. The 24-hour reception is on hand if you need anything and there is complimentary wireless Internet access throughout the hotel. There are also meeting rooms and a 24-hour business center.

Although not part of the hotel complex itself. Across the road, there is a large Carafoburs supermarket. Not only allowing you to stock up on food if you are travelling onwards to self-catering. Or like we did fill up with petrol. The pumps are easy to use, have to pay at the pump and give you instructions in English. If you opt for room only then there is also a MacDonald in the same retail park.

Conclusions – Novotel Reims

We had a comfortable stay despite the restaurant being a little on the disappointing side in the champagne wine region. We would stay again as it is so convenient for our onward journey to Switzerland. Since the Reims hotel is near the motorway. Easy to find, parking on site, good size comfortable room, good breakfast and petrol next door I can understand why it is popular with English families. Ideal if you’re looking for hotels near Reims France. Our room cost £131 which included breakfast.

Have you stayed around Reims? Any hotels that you can recommend when driving down to the Alps or Switzerland.

Booking.com