Valence arrival 0520 - suggestions?

[bryn]

My wife and I are starting a tour next weekend, being dropped off the Bike Bus in Valence at approx 0520 Saturday.  Valence sunrise is after 0700, so it's a bit early to be heading off on unlit paths down the Rhone with dodgy lights and poor night vision, especially as our next night stop is only about 50km away. 

When we were dropped off at Lyon at around 0300 I had a cheapo hotel booked, and that worked ok once I had the check-in machine figured out (not quickly at that time of the morning!). We were also fortunate that someone was coming in with a car, otherwise we might not have even got through the big site security gate without the magic code. 

I'm considering trying to get into (on spec) another cheapo hotel near the Valence drop-off after we arrive, in the knowledge that we have to get up by 10 to avoid missing breakfast, and get out of the room by 11 to avoid paying for another day.  Alternatively, book in advance and hope we can get through the security gate, and that the Bike Bus isn't a couple of hours late!

Just curious to know what other folks have done in similar circumstances.

Bryn

[Veloman]

Checked into a cheap F1 Hotel using the 24hr key code system.  I even checked into one at about 0645 expecting to do key code but it was open and the chap doing the breakfasts etc was there.  He seemed aghast I wanted to check-in but I reminded him my room was paid for and my checkout time was 1200.  Had a nice sleep and shower before setting off again!

[JBB]

When I used the bike bus it ended up running some 2 hours late so once we'd got ourselves together at Valence it was time for breakfast. On the other hand it did end up as a short day as I hadn't slept much on the coach.

[T42]

Last year I routed a flèche into an Ibis hotel just for coffee at 0315. The night staff were very obliging and didn't mind the team resting in the lounge for an hour and a half. I believe they even provided snacks.  If you phoned the Ibis Valence Sud you might be able to wangle a full breakfast for 0600.

[bryn]

Thanks for all the replies. 

Finally settled on a B&B Hotel just round the corner from the bus drop-off.  Not that cheap, especially at 1.02 to the pound, but worth it for a shower, breakfast, and maybe a small sleep. Plus there's a 50% chance of rain and strong wind gusts, so don't want to dawdle outside too much as only 50km to do by 3 p.m.

The F1 hotels are a great invention for the continent.  Not quite so good for the incontinent though Anyway, the nearest F1 turns out to be oe the wrong side of Valence, which I am  determined not to venture into.

The Ibis Sud looks attractive but a bit more pricey, and not so close to the bus.  An interesting StreetView timing effect:  circumnavigate the hotel and most of the time you see a smart hotel; round one more corner and the hotel disappears and is replaced by a bare field.  Satellite view shows the hotel still under construction. 

A similar anomaly in later routing when Google Maps is determined to send me down a railway line.  Almost all the StreetView and satellite views definitely show rails and sleepers.  There is just on image at the end of the line which shows a shiny new cycle path, but I don't have any faith that they have carted away all the rails and laid 30km of tarmac. To be continued....

Bryn