Nice basic campsite, very friendly people running it, toilets are clean but bring your own toilet…read morepaper. Close to the centre of the village, mainly static pitches but with room for peripatetic cyclists, about 10-12, EUR10 for two people plus tent.

Four of us each aged sixty; 2 males and 2 females from England went camping for the very first time…read moreas adults in September 2010. We stayed in a basic tent at La Licorne campsite in Dunkerque for 5 nights. We were all very apprehensive as it had been so long since we had been in a tent; but the challenge made it a very different break from the norm. We arrived at the site after by car which is a 24 mile journey from Calais; although it is possible to arrive directly at Dunkerque via the ferry from Dover. We arrived at the site after many requests for directions; the fact that none of us spoke even basic French did not help. It was after 7 p.m.; the time when the barrier comes down at the entrance to the site. However the owners house is there and they quickly made us feel welcome and told us to select any pitch we desired and call back the next morning to discuss fees etc. Our first very big mistake was not erecting the tent back at home after we recently purchased it. The next four hours were proverbial murder; but by a little moonlight and a lot of headlights we got there in the end and earned our tent pitching badges. We enjoyed snacks and wine before surprising ourselves and enjoying a thoroughly good nights sleep. Next morning we discovered there was 2 large shower blocks with endless hot water, lots of toilets and wash basins. They were all very clean and we were certainly impressed; although you do have to take your own toilet paper, which luckily we had. We went to meet the owner who is instantly likeable and she explained about the rates and security gates. The cost to each camper was only 6 Euros per night. It is a simple 4 number code and single letter for the both the front and rear entrances. While the front gives you access to the open road the rear entrance is accessible by foot only. The rear entrance is a real delight as it leads along a pleasant path surrounded by bushes and plants directly to the seafront. There are no cars running along the front; but there is a bicycle path which is well used by families. The beach is very large at low tide and stretches as far as the eye can see, probably to Belgium. There are a few cafes along the front and quite a lot of flats overlooking the sea, though not high rise. Although it was September it was still very mild and we were all in short sleeves and shorts even though we were by the sea. Dunkerque itself seems a very friendly town with a very busy large market on Saturday. Selling all types of food and goods it spreads from street to street throughout the town. There are no drinking bars as such; in fact the only one we saw, and went in to, is on the campsite itself. There are lots of supermarkets however selling good quality cheap wine and lager which was ideal for us. They are within easy distance of the front entrance and you can buy almost everything. Belgium is within reasonable driving distance and we travelled the 27 mile to Ostend. Ostend is a very clean busy coastal resort with lots of shops and outdoor cafes and bars. The seafront is a very pleasant walk with stalls selling lots of instantly eatable sea food, at very reasonable prices. I would say the campsite played a huge part in the enjoyment of our trip to Dunkerque, which incidentally, is twinned with our home town of Middlesbrough North East England. It certainly allayed our fears about camping and we are certainly going back.

We always find our crossing with Seafrance to very smooth and had not had any problems with them…read moreyet. The booking process has always been easy and their customer services are always helpful. The boat's themselves are very nice but we found the on board entertainment is lacking somewhat. We also found the food to be overpriced and quite inedible. However they do occasionally do cheap crossings and these can work out very good value for money, especially if you are holidaying in France.

Having booked a super cheap return ferry crossing between Dover and Calais, i was impressed at how…read moresmooth the booking process was, the booking confirmation via email was instant and when we called to query something the call was answered quickly and efficiently. The ferries are fairly luxurious with plenty of room to move around. The facilities on board are good, and not ridiculously over priced if you choose carefully, although i did get caught out with £1.60 for a bottle of coke.. The toilets on board were remarkably clean, but ladies take your own loo roll! There is an on-board shop and and money exchange but the rates aren't that great unless you are desperate to get your money back into sterling. If you sign up to the seafrance email, they send you special offer discounts where you can make really good savings on short breaks including offers like free nights or 50% off hotels.

We took the motorail from Calais to Nice (though not sure if Nice is one of the regular…read moredestinations) to save a long drive. For me the romance of the train was still there, I liked waking up in the morning to such changed scenery and found sleeping on the couchette fairly comfortable. There's still a bit of adventure to traveling this way compared to flying. But it is not a cheap option and only viable if there are several people and you will need a car for quite a while as it's around 500 or so each way. The terminal at Calais was hard to find. Disappointingly there was no dining car so we bought the picnic bags from the station which sounded a nice idea but the food was horrible, so be prepared and bring food along. We wished we'd realised beforehand that the top box would have to be removed-we'd have packed it better, all the stuff had to be dumped into the car and then put back at the other end. I would use the motorail again if the occasion was right but the high cost is an issue.

We stayed overnight after taking the P&O ferry from Dover. This hotel is quite convenient from the…read moreport. I would recommend taking a taxi but you can also walk it. The hotel has a nice bar and a restaurant. We enjoyed two pizzas and some wine in the restaurant that night. The pizzas were just ok but it was nice to have something warm and some tasty wine to wash it down with. The service was really great even though we were the only ones in the restaurant. They also have a room service menu. The room was a good size and we were able to comfortably stay with 4 people. The bathroom was a little bit dated but it was very clean and in good repair. Our room also overlooked the harbor which I thought was neat. We stayed on a Friday night. Be warned that few restaurants nearby are open for breakfast Saturday morning, however there was this awesome French market in the town square where we got a Nutella waffle. Otherwise you could do the hotel breakfast but that seemed a bit pricey to us. Overall this was a great spot to stop over in Calais and I would stay here again.

Holiday Inn Calais…read more Good, clean hotel right on the harbour front with views of the ferries. Very friendly welcome from the reception staff, who gave recommendations on where to park (quite a few unsavoury characters along the sea front so we were advised not to park on the street alongside the harbour out of sight of the hotel. We found a space directly opposite the hotel instead). The family room we had on the fourth floor was easily big enough for the four of us along with the hotel provided travel cot for our baby and the bathroom was equally larger than expected and clean. While Calais isn't exactly the sort of place I'd recommend for anything other than an overnight for ferry or tunnel services this hotel was a great example of a clean and modern Holiday Inn so wouldn't hesitate to stay here again.

Another beautiful chateau in Nord Pas-de-Calais!…read more This is a guest house rather than a hotel and you will be greeted with a smile by the family who live in the Chateau. They have only 4 guest rooms so its very friendly and cosy and breakfast is superb! The grounds are well kept and the chateau itself is really nice! Another ideal spot for a romantic weekend stay :)

This is a charming hotel in northern France just a few blocks from the beach and the English…read moreChannel. The rooms were nice and simple, and very clean. Nice size bathroom as well. The hotel has the flavor of a BnB but more rooms. The breakfast was amazing. So much to choose from: pastries, boiled egg, yogurt, fruit, delicious cheeses and salty meats, cereal, juice, tea and coffee. The staff are lovely and some speak only French and others speak both French and some English. The town has many restaurants within walking distance but make reservations for them if you will be there during a busy time (we were there on a bank holiday week). In the evening, they have a lovely quiet bar with wine, beer and cocktails. No meals but they do have cheese and charcuterie boards you can order to snack on. I would most DEFINITELY come back.

We've used this hotel due to its proximity to the work sites. The rooms are alway immaculate and…read morehave a heated towel bar and robes! Always a defining characteristic for a quality resort. Since we were there for work, I won't touch on the golfing. The beer is local, but a bit on the expensive side...get out and check one of the local pubs for more color. The restaurant serves a variety of food...we had a set menu every night, but the lamb with couscous and the salmon were always amazing. Also some local food line vegetarian mousse and escargot in a cheese tart. Breakfast was included with the room rate and was always Brad, cheese, meat (sausage and bacon) heavy...plus lots of fruit (fresh and as a chopped salad)... Lovely place, just lovely.