· Travel Lodge and Travel Inn both have family rooms. Book as a family of four and take a camping mat with you. When you check in, do not present all the children at once! Alternatively, the Dover Youth hostel has family rooms.
John Mercer
· Join the YHA. The association has worked very hard over the past few years to become more family-friendly, and almost every hostel now offers family rooms. Dover has two six-bed rooms, so it should be a good option. Evening meals are served, or you can cook your own. E-mail for Dover YHA is dover@yha.ork.uk, tel: 0870 770 5798. As a life member since 1976, I can recommend it, so would my children.
Tim Hogan
· The Youth Hostel in Dover has five family rooms for six. Canterbury (14 miles distant) has four five-bed rooms. We have stayed at both before crossing to France. The Browns can visit their nearest hostel to home, join and book there (www.yha.org.uk), stay at other wonderful places throughout the year and break their journey home, too! (In France, the budget hotel chains, e.g. Premiere Classe, Mister Bed, Nuit d'Hotel, are only about £17 to £20 for a three-bed room).
Rob Harris
· I read the Browns' letter with interest, having had similar problems. We have opened a B&B between Dover and Canterbury geared towards families. We have two rooms exclusive to one booking. The rooms have two doubles, one single and a cot, with a bathroom between all within a private wing. Set on a farm, with garden and toys and horseriding, our hotel is ideal for stopovers or longer stays. We recently rated 'four diamond' and we offer babysitting. Horseriding Holidays.
Judith Hawarden
· This year, I stayed at the Dover youth hostel - not the main building, but the annexe up by the castle. There are small rooms suitable for families, and a hearty cooked breakfast can be ordered. The ferry ports are approximately 10 minutes from the hostel - ideal for a last-minute rush.
Wendy Woodall
· Faced with a similar problem, we found that the best solution was to cross to France in late afternoon/early evening and stay in or near Calais. There's a greater choice of better and less expensive hotels and food, plus you'll get a flying start south in the morning.
Hilary and Jim Connor
