My partner and I stayed at the Thomas Cook Explorers hotel for two nights at the beginning of this month. I won a trip to Disneyland Paris in a competition held by Thomas Cook so in this review I regret I am unable to comment on prices, however I intend to give my opinion of all aspects of our stay at the hotel.
Upon arriving at Marne la Vallee station on the Eurostar, we found several bus stops outside for the various hotels surrounding Disney. We spent a good 10 minutes trying to locate the right bus stop for the free shuttle bus to the Explorers hotel, but the station staff were very helpful. The bus stop is in fact the first bus stop you come to outside the station on the OTHER SIDE of the road,
and it does not have a bus shelter like the others. The bus is number 53 and it's pink so it's easy to spot, and it takes you to all of the 'outskirt' hotels such as Kyriad, Holiday Inn and Thomas Cook Explorers (which are approximately a 10 minutes drive away).
The bus drops passengers right outside the doors to the hotel, and the reception desk is found just inside. The hotel has a pirate theme throughout, and this is first distinguished in the reception area where there are various decorations. Hotel staff are also dressed in pirate style attire which makes it even more fun! The check-in process was relatively quick, and the staff were very helpful and spoke English.
Our room was a few floors up and there are lifts available if the stairs are too much after walking round Disney all day! The public areas of the hotel are what I would describe as 'open plan' and so the middle hallways overlook the floors below which gives the place a nice spacious and airy atmosphere.
The rooms themselves are well equipped - the two of us were staying in a 'crew four' room which is basically a family room for two adults and two children (one double bed and two singles). The ensuite bathroom consisted of a shower over bath, a sink, and the toilet by itself in a separate room. Plenty of towels were provided and there is a soap/shampoo dispenser for your use. The room also had a television, a good amount of clothes storage space, and tea/coffee making facilities. We found the room quiet and comfortable, and there is a daily maid service to replace towels and make the beds.
Breakfast was.....interesting! You need to get a card from reception each day for breakfast the next morning, which gives you an allocated time to arrive. We went for 8:30am the first day and 9am the next, but both times were equally busy. The hotel is large with approx 700 rooms and so to provide complimentary breakfast for this many people could only be done so in this way I suppose. Nonetheless, it was well organised in that the food and utensils were kept replenished and the tables were cleared efficiently. There was quite a wide choice of food and drink available....
Croissants, Pain au Chocolat, Bread Rolls. Real Fruit Yoghurts, Creme Caramel, Apple Puree Pots. Fresh Fruit - Melon, Pineapple. Swiss Cheese. Cereals. Hot Drinks. Juices. Milk.
The breakfast canteen is one of several food outlets within the hotel; I believe there are two restaurants and a pizzeria but we did not visit any of these in the evening because we heard they were expensive. Throughout Disney the food is expensive however, even McDonalds in Disney Village.
Due to the pirate theme of the hotel, it is very family friendly and there's a lot for children to do. There is an indoor soft play area, a pirate ship and an absolutely lovely swimming pool. We visited the swimming pool on both evenings of our stay and loved it! It is free to use for all hotel guests and there are changing facilities, showers, toilets and electronic lockers at your disposal (but you must bring your own towels). One of the hotel eateries has tables right next to the pool, separated by a glass wall, so parents can watch their children in the pool whilst they have a coffee. The pool is meant to be heated but was a tad on the cool side...however I'm not complaining - there are two waterslides, a pirate ship armed with waterguns and a huge bucket that fills up gradually and then empties (soaking the people below with a massive waterfall)! The water depth is approx a meter throughout, with the exception of a smaller pool for toddlers round the otherside of the pirate ship.
When leaving the hotel we were kindly directed to the FREE left luggage area (as we still had one day at Disney left) and securely left our case in a big electronic locker so had peace of mind all day. The shuttle bus was efficient bringing us to and fro, although we found it very crowded no matter what the time of day.
As aforementioned I cannot comment on the price of staying at this hotel, but I would guess it's probably the most fun and best value hotel in the Disney area. It's not in the direct proximity of Disney along with the official Disneyland hotels, however I still very much felt a sense of luxury at Thomas Cook Explorers due to the pool and the decor and so on. I would definately stay at this hotel again and would strongly recommend it to families if you don't mind queuing for croissants in the morning and enduring the busy shuttle bus!
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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...
Sep 26th, 2008
very helpful by (100%):
