La Rochelle is a nice place. Is there more specific information on the exact date(s) and where to stay as well as on activities available?
The dates are on the banner above the thread (hopefully).
18/19 May, with 25/26 May as a backup.
I am not aware of anybody as yet organising activities, or even a "partner programme"
But La Rochelle is a nice place with plenty to do. So it won't be an airport cafe meeting - especially as many will have come a long way.
Maybe we should organise something...
Well I would trust we would meet up for a pint, perhaps a meal, having travelled 650 miles to say hi!
Is there a preferred hotel to book in La Rochelle or do we all book our own hotel and meet for diner and maybe some other activities?
If I look on booking.com it seems that many hotels in the old centre of La Rochelle are filling up. I have made a booking in one of them which I can easily still cancel and count me in for the first weekend option only.
I've heard good things about these two hotels, but haven't stayed there myself:
La Rochelle is nice (I picked up a 74ft catamaran from there which was sailed to the Red Sea). It just has the same problem as many great destinations for me: there is a high speed train connection bringing me there for a fraction of the money, completely relaxed and much safer.
I still haven't given up looking for that one time where my airplane actually allowed me to do a trip that would have been very difficult otherwise.
And even though it's a democratic vote, it's a bit awkward. The two largest nations here are the UK (by a large margin I guess) and Germany. It's not the typical Le Touquet hop but a bit further and in a direction that also means further away for Germans and almost everybody else, too. A typical Euro-compromise thus
What preferences do people have on the location of the hotel?
There are some nice ones on St. Martin on the Ile de Ré, but the taxi cost may be significant.
My suggestion would be to fly in on the Saturday morning, as early as possible. Then we can have Sat pm and Sun am to "do stuff".
If I come flying (which still seems little likely) I cannot arrive before 4pm or so. Especially if an early arrival is important, I might well come driving, which makes hotels a non-issue.
But actually, I should think the invitation applies to flying pilots and their passengers only? That would only seem normal.
I would also suggest a final list, after checking weather, that week, with mobile numbers, of those that are still going.
Means if only two turn up, they can at least meet up.
The scenario of the only two to have made it, sitting in a bar at either ends, not knowing each other and departing thinking, shit............A long way to have a drink by myself.