Disneyland Paris is a small community of theme parks, hotels, restaurants and shops. On site there are 6 'official' Disney hotels. These are great value for money if you plan on heading to the theme parks every day you are there - you receive a Disney ticket for each day of your stay.
In addition to these Disney hotels, there are four 'non-Disney' hotels a 5 minute bus ride away from the parks. The Explorers Hotel is one of these (the other include the Movenpick Dream Castle and the Kyriad). We opted for this hotel over a Disney one because we weren't going to the parks each day (we also planned a trip to Parc Asterix).
We (myself and my boyfriend - both early 20's) arrived at the ExplorersHotel via a shuttle from CDG airport. Having arrived in the morning, we were unable to check in for a few hours. Instead we left our luggage in the luggage room and hopped on the free shuttle bus to Disney Village. After lunch and shopping we headed back to the hotel to check in (around 3pm). Check in was quick and easy - there was no wait. We had to choose our time slot for breakfast each day (this is common in all hotels in the area) and then headed to our room.
The room was spacious and clean. It was a family room so had two double beds as well as a tv and full bathroom. The tv had quite a few channels - though not many in English. The bathroom was standard for a 3 star hotel.
We opted not to eat at the hotel our first night and instead headed back to Disney Village. Again we got on the 5 minute shuttle bus. This was a great service and there was rarely a wait for a bus. We decided to walk back after our meal - this was approx. a 20 minute walk but this was brilliant to walk off the all-you-can-eat buffet we had just devoured!
Next morning we went for an early breakfast in the hotel (included in the price). It was a full continental breakfast with the option to upgrade to a full english (at a cost of 6 euros per day). We had the continental choice each day - mainly because we didn't have to pay for it. There is no way we would have eaten breakfast there if we did have to pay for it! The offering was limited - cereals, croisants, jams, yoghurt, fruit salad, ham and cheese. OK, on paper that actually sounds like a decent spread but maybe it was the quality that let it down. The fruit salad was as far from 'fresh' as you could get - it had clearly come straight out of a tin (think Fruitini). Both the ham and cheese were processed little cubes. It felt a little like a primary school canteen. At best I would describe the breakfast as adequate!
On our second day we headed back from the parks early (we were exhausted) and decided to try the pool. The indoor pool was one average sized pool with a childrens area sectioned off. There was also a baby water slide and a full size water slide. We hit the pool when it was relatively quiet so it was a nice relax from the busy day. You have to pay 1 euro to hire a towel so don't forget to take one down from your room! Also even though the pool was very quiet, they had run out of lockers. Instead we had to leave our clothes and money with the girl behind the pool desk. This was ok, but it didn't feel particulary secure.
The Explorers Hotel provided a great base for Disneyland Paris. Though it had definate faults (breakfast, restaurant choice etc) these were relatively minor and wouldn't stop us from returning to the hotel in the future. It is very good for families and for those who are trying to do Disney on a budget.
We paid £201 (with Expedia) per person for 3 nights accommodation (including return flights with Air France from Manchester to CDG). We felt this was very reasonable for the quality of holiday we received. Park admission was 49E per day. per person.
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Explorers Hotel at Disneyland Resort Paris, located in Magny Le Hongre, is only an 8 ... more
minute, free shuttle ride to the Disney Parks. An alpine style, castle like building with 16th and 17th century exploration provided the inspiration for the hotel's ...
Information:
Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Explorers Hotel at Disneyland Resort Paris, located in Magny Le Hongre, is only an 8 ... more
minute, free shuttle ride to the Disney Parks. An alpine style, castle like building with 16th and 17th century exploration provided the inspiration for the hotel's ...
Information:
Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Apr 27th, 2006
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