We recently did a quick trip to Disneyland Paris and Disney Studios. We stayed at the Explorer’s Hotel and it has many perks to offer for those traveling to visit Disneyland Paris. From the fun pirate theme to the free shuttles to Disneyland it has something to offer for all ages! We went for Columbus Day weekend. We drove down early Sunday, stayed Sunday night at the hotel, went to the park Monday and then drove home Monday late afternoon. It’s an easy 3.5 hour drive back to Spang.
I found the hotel to be reasonably priced and offer some great amenities. We paid $135 for 1 night for 2 adults and 2 kids which included free breakfast, free parking, free shuttle use and/or free parking at Disneyland Paris.
Upon arrival the outside is nothing special but once you step inside your transported to a pirate theme immediately. From the walls to the ceiling the theme is carried out quite nicely. The cute little sitting areas near the reception area are nice as well.
While you can arrive at anytime during the day you cannot check in before 3 pm. However you can show up and get a temporary card until check in time. We arrived early that morning around 10 am so that we could park and use the free shuttle service to Disneyland Paris area to hit Disney Studios, as you don’t need a full day in the park because it’s so small. More coming soon on the parks!
The bus is the first stop on the shuttle service for pick up, Shuttle #54, which means that you get seats and don’t have to stand. It stops at 1 hotel afterwards and then onto the park, for a 10 minute ride which is not bad at all! The shuttle is free as well. You can also get free parking at the park as well if you’d like to drive by showing your room key. We just chose to use the shuttle for the 2 days. The shuttle drops off on the bus area right by the train station, it’s about a 3-5 min walk to the Downtown Disney area or the entrances of the parks. You get back on in the same area, just look for the bus # but it’s across the street from the drop off. Ride back is also 10 mins as well.
A few of the neat things around the hotel are impressive play areas. There is a pirate ship and octopus right in the main area by the restaurants/bar. This play area is for ages 3 years to 11 years.To the left there is a Jungle Adventure area with indoor slides, ball pits, etc. This is for ages 2 years to 12 years. There is also an outdoor playground as well.
The pool area also has a fantastic themed set up as well with the mini aqua park! There is a €2 deposit on each towel or you can bring your own, last entry is at 10:30 pm, it closes at 11 pm. The guys both large and small do have have to wear speedos, there is a vending machine to buy some there if you don’t have any. We did not use the pool area while we were there but it looked fun. There was a lack of seating around the pool though for parents who may have wanted to watch their kids and not swim.
There is also a 4D cinema area for an additional fee per person, as well as small arcade area near the pool.
There are a few restaurants in the hotel which we thought was great! There is a the main restaurant, a pizza place, a bar, and snack shop with sandwiches. We thought it was fantastic to come back to the hotel and hang out and order a pizza and relax. It was €11 for a cheese pizza. Also the bar does happy hour where the drink are Buy 1 Get 1 Free, including non-alcoholic drinks. Drinks were €6 so with the B1G1F deal you were only paying €3/drink. Even the pizza boxes are pirate themed!
The main restaurant is where you get the free breakfast. I thought the best part was that you are seated as you walk in so there is no grabbing food and awkwardly looking around for a place to sit. There was a good selection of food, European breakfast style as we’ve come to love, and we left full. You can order eggs as well for an additional fee.
The room, while not huge, was adequate for what we needed. It had a Queen bed and 2 twins. The toilet was a separate room from the shower/sink area which was nice.
The biggest downfall of the hotel was the WIFI issues it was having while we were there. Something had broke just before we arrived so the hotel had NO wifi during our stay. It was annoying but since we were only staying 1 night it wasn’t a huge issue.
Overall we thought the hotel was great and I’d have no problems going back (with hopefully working wifi!) and recommending it to others. It has quite a bit to offer and it’s in a great location for those going to the Disneyland Paris area.
Know Before You Go
What: Explorer’s Hotel in Magny-le-Hongre, France – Disneyland Paris Area
How To Get There: It’s about 3.5 hours from Spangdahlem, and 3.5 hours from Ramstein. GPS address: 50 Avenue de la Fossé des Pressoirs, 77700 Magny-le-Hongre, France
Parking: There is a huge parking lot with plenty of parking spaces, parking is free.
Cost: Varies, check multiple websites to find the best deal, I used booking.com
Traveling with little kids: This hotel is friendly for kids of all ages.
How long: Stay can be as short as 1 night or as long as you’d like.
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