Shiver me timbers, this family hotel is shipshape

Looking for a hotel close to the action, but not wanting to pay top prices for Disney hotels, Bev Fearis and family checked in to the Explorers Hotel for a two-night visit to Disneyland Paris.

"I knew this family hotel had got it right when one morning, after breakfast, I overheard a mother tell her daughter ‘hurry up, it’s time to get the bus to Disney’ and the little girl refused to go because she was having too much fun in the ball pit. Indeed, my own son seemed to have just as much fun back at the hotel as he did in the parks. We joked that next time we go to Disney, we won’t bother getting him a ticket. We’ll just leave him at the hotel’s ‘Scally Wagg’s Jungle Adventure’, a maze of climbing frames, padded slides and squidgy coloured balls, and come back for him later. I doubt he’d even notice us gone.

We’ve stayed in other ‘child-friendly’ hotels but the Explorers Hotel takes the term to another level. It’s all about the kids. Let’s start with the pool – not ideal for doing lengths, but great if you want to bomb down water slides, clamber over a pirate ship, splash around in a paddling pool, and get absolutely drenched by a giant pirate who, every few minutes, tips his head and pours a huge amount of water on anyone who’s in the way.

Sticking with the pirate theme, the hotel has two big pirate ships, one outside and another serving as the focalpoint of a central atrium area where you’ll find most of the hotel’s eateries. Freddie couldn’t wait to climb aboard and get involved, swinging from the ropes, waiting his turn to steer the ship, and diving down to explore the tunnels of the ship’s living quarters. He soon made friends, which meant we could sit and enjoy a happy hour pint before dinner. Relaxing it certainly wasn’t – this area of the hotel feels a bit like the food hall of a shopping centre, and it’s as busy and noisy as one too – but the kids will love it.

The dining is completely geared towards children too. There’s Marco’s Pizza where you can order to eat in the atrium or take it to your room. Not bad pizzas, actually, although the service was a bit slow. The second night we opted for the main buffet restaurant – €23 a head, including soft drinks. Freddie skipped the salad bar and went straight for the pasta and tomato sauce, and then had three, or maybe four, deserts. We let him, just this once. I tried a little bit of everything. It was fine, for the money, but next time I’d probably give the buffet a miss and splash out on the a la carte at The Captain’s Library (€15 for a burger, €19 for the steak).

Breakfasts, in the same vast dining room as the buffet dinners, were noisy and a bit chaotic, but with so many little mouths to feed it couldn’t be done any other way. Staff were totally on top of it, clearing trays, wiping tables, replenishing the bowls of chopped melon, apple and pineapple and topping up the cornflakes, and there were enough juice, tea and coffee machines so you didn’t have to wait long. Les croissants, of course, were the most popular choice.

Breakfast is included in the room rate and on check-in guests are asked to select a time to take it. We’d gone for an early sitting, so we’d be able to catch the 9.30am bus to the parks, which open at 10am. We weren’t the only ones, but still managed to get on the first number 54 bus for the 10-minute ride to the park entrance. Buses run every 15-20 minutes from 8am to 11pm.

Like most Disney guests, we didn’t spend much time in the bedrooms, only for baths and bedtime, but they were clean, modern, bright, comfortable and fun. Freddie loved his cabin-style bunk bed and we appreciated the bath and the clever use of storage space. It was a treat to have courtesy tea, coffee and hot chocolate too. Our room slept four (double and bunk) and inter-linked with another bunk room, which in turn was linked to another room, which means rooms can cater for a family of up to 10. Surprisingly, there are also rooms for two people, designed for executives, and the hotel has four meeting rooms which can cater for up to 180 people. The hotel even organises team building stays which include park entrance and other ‘explorer’ themed activities such as tree climbing and rafting.

From the sail-shaped bedheads in the bedrooms to the Blue Lagoon cocktail in the bar, the explorer theme runs throughout the whole hotel, but personally I think it’s better suited to under 12s than corporate executives. I’m not sure I’d want to come here for a business meeting, but as a good value  alternative to the ‘official’ Disney hotels, it’s ideal for families and Freddie is already asking when we can go back again.

Rooms from €83 a night, including breakfast.