I am planning a trip in June. Amsterdam for 5 days (with 2 day trips), then to Mont St. Michel for 2 days and ending in Paris for 6 days. I am looking for budget hotels (**) (with airconditioning) in all places. I have read numerous recommendations for each place until my head is spinning. What I would like to know is the following:

1. Any ** hotels you recommend for a family of 3 (with airconditioning).

2. How you would get from Amsterdam to Mont St. Michel? (I checked on renting a car, but it is quite expensive as they charge a drop-off fee of $350.00 (Auto Europe)).

3. Do you think I should look into rail passes or buy point-to-point tickets when I get there?

4. Does anyone know the URL's for Hotel Turenne and Hotel Muguet?

5. I am planning on traveling from Amsterdam to Mont St. Michel on a Sunday. Are the trains extremely limited on that day? Do you think I should change my travel day?

6. The web site for the Hotel Leveque says that the room for three is for 2 adults and 1 child. Does anyone know if the bed for the child is short or if a 15 year (5'6&quot will fit?

I will appreciate any information you care to give this harried planner.

You need to read the comments on Hotel de Turenne on www.tripadvisor.com

Although I have stayed there (2002) it gets mixed reviews (hotel is aging, don't think the renovation was in the rooms) and folks don't think the A/C works very well. Also mentions a 'cot' for the third person.

I can't research right now, but surely there is a hotel with 3 beds and A/C (but most likely will not be a 2-star, so you'll pay more than you're hoping).

Hi charlieg,

1. Try the Hotel Bonaparte, 6 Rue Bonaparte, Paris. It is in the 6th. They have AC.

3. Go to www.railsaver.com and enter your itinerary. They will tell you if railpasses will save money. I think that the French rail network offers discounts for families with children.

See http://www.voyages-sncf.com/dynamic/...=1057599169260

The url for Hotel Muguet is www.hotelmuguet.com.

Travelnut: Thanks for the info on Turenne. I will insuire about the cot and look at TripAdvisor.com.

Ira: Thanks for the Bonaparte recommendation and for the Railsaver website.


Coldwar: Thanks for the URL.

It's a long drive from Amsterdam to the Mont St. Michel and the autoroutes in that area are not particularly attractive. I would do it from Paris, and even then I would stay in the Mont St. Michel area overnight.

Sorry, I missed the two day comment about MSM. Still, I would break up the Paris stay. There are many hotels right near MSM but we were happy with a B&amp;B near Cancale, about 1km from the Pointe du Grouin. If interested, look at my <i>Trip Report: Ghent, Normandy and Brittany</i>.

Michael, thanks for your responses. Do you think taking the train from Amsterdam to Mont St. Michel in one day is feasible?