Tag Archives: French lifestyle

In defence of the French

30 May

Here at FMH headquarters we sometimes hear nervous customers’ misunderstandings about at our French friends. We also get to hear and nod in agreement about the weird and wonderful practices people meet as they explore France! Having worked and lived here for some time, I have come to believe we should not be criticizing France […]

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Reviews

France Motorhome Hire

4.8

Treverva Farm

13:24 16 Oct 19

Had an awesome vacation with Apollo. Sally was so easy to do business with, she made sure that our experience was a very positive one. The camper van was perfect for our needs, easy to drive and enabled us to go everywhere we wanted seamlessly. We stayed with many France Passion hosts and got to experience the country away from all the normal tourist destinations. Highly recommend Apollo and Sally.read more

Peter Newman

15:49 07 Sep 19

The whole experience was absolutely fantastic. The vehicle was immaculate and in outstanding condition. The package of towels, bedding, cutlery, and cookware was perfect. We rented the Apollo Family Voyager, and it had loads of room and amenities. The refrigerator and Freezer worked very well, The cooktop had three burners that were fast and efficient. The oven worked great, as did the hot water heater (for the sink and shower) and the heater for the entire motorhome.The shower was spacious as were the bunks and the kitchen area. The vehicle had plenty of power and could maintain the speed limit, even on 130 kph roads.Check in and check out were fast and efficient. The staff was fantastic, and spent as much time with me as needed going over the functions of the motorhome - water levels, battery levels, how to dump waste and add fresh water, the GPS system, and more.I rented this vehicle in support of three PBP riders, and it was the right choice.read more

Phil Boswell

09:10 03 Sep 19

Wow - what can we say, this was our first Motorhome experience and we loved it :-) we travelled from Veron down the Rhone Valley to the South Coast, then up through the beautiful Lot Valley - it was lovely. The vehicle was nearly new and perfect for what we needed, easy to drive too. Andrei gave us a good handover and explained everything - Sally was particularly welcoming, friendly, helpful and gave us some very good recommendations. In particular, Sally probably deserves a pay rise for her exquisite customer service skills - from the moment we booked, answering various questions quickly, giving us tips when we arrived, sharing local knowldge and welcoming us back - she even kindly posted back some keys we had left in the motorhome.All in all a great experience - we highly recommend Apollo and Sally and are aleady planning to come back next year - Thank You :-)read more

Miss J Sandilands

18:29 01 Sep 19

Good range of Camper Vans.. Ask for Hannah.!

larraine howard-jones

12:21 25 Aug 19

I hired a Voyager for a week to follow a Paris-Brest-Paris rider so we were in for a lot of driving and unplanned stopovers. Everything about this hire was straightforward and as hoped for. Check in was smooth with no hard sell on additional insurance. We were given a full and detailed walk around the van to show us how everything worked and nothing was too much trouble. We were given helpful tips on where to stop and a book of places where we could stay and service the vehicles. They even stored a large stash of wine we had previously picked up during our week in Burgundy. The van was excellent, spacious and comfortable and everything worked really well. We needed to service it (empty loo, refill water etc) every couple of days and this was super easy as France has places to do this everywhere. Gas bottle lasted all week even though we were off electricity a lot of the time. There is a really good satnav that ensures you stay on a good route for large motor homes and doesn’t try and take you down roads with low bridges. I was really impressed with this company and would definitely use them again. Fantastic holiday and some grateful audax riders. Thank you.read more

larraine howard-jones

12:21 25 Aug 19

Graeme Caskey

16:35 06 Jun 19

Friendly understanding staff, we extended our booking by 3 days and it was no hassle and we appreciated the quick turnaround on the drop off. Will use their services again.read more

Lea Shaw

05:28 01 Feb 19

We are an Australian couple who bought a motorhome in France three years ago. The information online at France Motorhome Hire was invaluable prior to buying it. Phill and Hannah could have done the process for us but we were able to use my brother's France address so were able to do it ourselves - no mean feat ! We travel to France twice per year to explore Europe and we store our motorhome on their premises between trips for a very reasonable charge. We simply notify them when we will be arriving and our motorhome is always ready to go. It's a great service. They even look after my pet cactus, Spike for me between trips ! When we have done travelling in Europe, we will get Phill and Hannah to sell it for us. They have an extensive network of clients from all over the world, including Australia. France Motorhome Hire has really enhanced our Europe motorhome experience. Thanks guys !read more

Terry Keele

00:11 26 Oct 18

We had a wonderful experience with France Motor Home Hire. From the pick up at the train station to returning the vehicle, the people at France Motor Home Hire were friendly, informative and were genuinely committed to our journey. The vehicle was clean, well maintained and contained everything need for our adventure across the French countryside. We are already planning our next excursion and will be renting from France Motorhome Hire again.read more

Matt Williams

23:29 25 Oct 18

We recently hired a Euro-Traveller Motorhome for a month long adventure through the northern regions of France and a little bit of Belgium. After an inauspicious start to our trip (let's never talk again about getting off at the wrong train station!), Phil and Hannah went above and beyond to pick us up and deliver us to the FMH Depot. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that this was late on a Saturday afternoon as well! On arrival at the depot, we were shown to our van. It wasn't the white one that we had seen online, but it was a fancy metallic blue chariot waiting for us at the front gate. Not only had they picked us up from the wrong station, but we had been given an upgrade to the Euro-Traveller Prestige model. Winner Winner Chicken Dinner....or should that be Winner Winner Duck for Dinner?? After being shown through the van in detail by Hannah, answering all of our questions, it was time to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road again. That was never a problem, as the vans are modern and very easy to drive, even through the narrow streets of the many French villages that we passed through.Being fully self-contained, with plenty of water storage on board, we didn't make use of a commercial campground during our month on the road. Instead, we made use of the France Passions network where available, stayed at a couple of Aire de Services along the busy western coast and wild camped beside some of the most beautiful waterways and forests one could imagine.Plenty of storage on-board, along with a decent sized fridge meant that we could stock up for three or four days at a time, even allowing for the amount of wine and champagne bottles that we seemed to accumulate whenever we stopped! The permanent bed set-up at the rear of the motorhome is just perfect too, as you don't have to worry each day about packing anything up before hitting the road. Also perfect at the end of the day, as it is just waiting for you to collapse into your food and wine coma.Included in our hire were a pair of mountain bikes. We've motorhomed several times before, but never with mountain bikes. I can honestly say, that I will never hire a motorhome again without ensuring that there are a couple of bikes hanging off the back. Riding into the villages and grabbing a couple of fresh croissants for breakfast has to be up there with one of the best ways to start your day. All in all, the motorhome performed faultlessly during our hire and the service from all of the team at France Motorhome Hire is second to none. When we save up for our next trip, we know who we will be hiring our van from.Thanks heapsMatt and Marianneread more

Karen Strickley

14:02 18 Oct 18

This is our second trip with France Motorhome, and we will be back again!The team are friendly and efficient and the motor homes clean, reliable and great fun.For anyone who loves to explore France, or further afield.....we went to Switzerland this time.....then this is the way to do it. Highly recommended.read more

James Fraser

12:18 07 Oct 18

Fantastic company to hire from. Van was in perfect condition and the staff were helpful and full of good advice. Will definitely hire from them again. Thank you to all at France Motorhomeread more

Tom Clancy

11:28 01 Oct 18

As a first timer to camper van travel, Sally and her team made the experience run very smoothly from collecting us from our hotel in Sens and dropping us back to the train station (its the little things that make your holiday more enjoyable) The van was very clean and had all the equipment required for camp site living.read more

Paul Griffin

17:53 27 Sep 18

Very professional and well run company. Staff were friendly and welcoming, and the camper van was clean and well maintained. We stayed the first night in a hotel in Sens and were collected promptly in the morning to collect the van and start holiday well relaxed. The company is in a perfect location for travelling anywhere in and around France.read more

Craig Tattersall

06:48 09 Sep 18

Excellent staff, clean and reliable vehicle, supplied us with all information on the “housekeeping”..allowing us to have a fantastic holiday.ps. If you don’t hire a satnav from them make sure the one you take with you works in France.read more

PeeDee

00:46 01 Sep 18

What a fantastic experience, from beginning to end!! From our initial enquiry everything was made easy, with all questions answered promptly and clearly by Sally. Arrangements were made and perfectly kept, the motorhome was spotlessly clean and as described. We were warmly greeted by Hannah, and thoroughly schooled in the motorhome life by Phil before being set loose.The trip itself was a wonder, with surprises around every bend in every byway we could find - didn't use a highway or motorway in 18 days. Great food and wine from markets all over, and friendly, informative greetings from all of the farms we visited courtesy of France Passion (check out the link from the FranceMotorhomeHire website - recommended). Even in peak season, our haunts were totally free from the expected hordes of tourists. Sally and Simon met us on our return, and we're eternally grateful for their assistance.All in all, can't think of a better way to explore rural France. Thanks to the entire FMH team! We'll do it again!Pete & Jen - Denmark, Western Australiaread more

PeeDee

13:25 29 Aug 18

What a fantastic experience, from beginning to end!! From our initial enquiry everything was made easy, with all questions answered promptly and clearly by Sally. Arrangements were made and perfectly kept, the motorhome was spotlessly clean and as described. We were warmly greeted by Hannah, and thoroughly schooled in the motorhome life by Phil before being set loose.The trip itself was a wonder, with surprises around every bend in every byway we could find - didn't use a highway or motorway in 18 days. Great food and wine from markets all over, and friendly, informative greetings from all of the farms we visited courtesy of France Passion (check out the link from the FranceMotorhomeHire website - recommended). Even in peak season, our haunts were totally free from the expected hordes of tourists. Sally and Simon met us on our return, and we're eternal grateful for their assistance.All in all, can't think of a better way to explore rural France. Thanks tot the entire FMH team! We'll do it again!Pete & Jen - Denmark, Western Australiaread more

Jennifer Hoare

05:29 10 Aug 18

We had such a fantastic experience with this company. They were very helpful and responded quickly when we had questions related to making a booking and were very accommodating. The pick up and drop off service from the train made getting there easy, the van was well explained by staff and the camper van itself was brilliant. Everything you needed to be self sufficient and we loved getting to utilise the France Passion network that France Motorhome is a member of and getting to meet some of the lovely wine makers of Southern France and enjoying their wine with our camp dinner! Would definitely recommend and hope we get to go back soon!read more

Eduardo Rodrigues

09:03 08 Jul 18

A successful, fun trip starts long before boarding with the choice of the right suppliers and vendors: airlines, hotels, tour operators, etc. All I can say is we hit the nail in the head when we chose France Motorhome Hire to rent the "house on wheels" that would be our home for 2 weeks.These guys are absolutely amazing! Their communication and customer service is second to none. They are extremely friendly, caring and proactive to ensure their clients will have an outstanding trip.As an example, months before our hire, Sally (who is an awesome lady, by the way) wrote me an email advising that train strike actions were planned for the day of our pick up. This allowed me to work on a B plan to get to Sens.The fact that the pick up location is about 1 hour out of Paris is actually a pretty positive thing. Driving and parking a normal car in Paris is a nightmare, and I wonder how much worst would be to drive a motorhome in and out of town. If you are not used to driving a camper like myself and my wife weren't, Veron is great because it is small, quiet and near the highway. You can take your time, drive slowly and get acquainted with the vehicle.Our motorhome was beautiful, looking almost like brand new. Very comfortable, spacious and clean. We had 2 wonderful weeks driving, eating and sleeping in it every single night.I could spend many hours here writing all the great things about the company and the vehicle, but will limit myself to say this: highly recommend. We will definitely come back for more (I hope pretty soon).read more

Derek Clarkson

19:08 02 Jul 18

A very organised company; with excellent communication prior to our hire. We worried about having e-mail contact and not being local french speaking. But in all honesty this has turned out to the be a trustworthy and friendly company to hire with. The camper was new, clean, cared for, fully equipped and an excellent option for our holiday. The insurances and deposits can seem daunting; but the formula is simple, do not damage the van, and bring it back clean; we did exactly that and had all our refund. As i say; the internet is full of unscrupulous people; but not this company, AAA++ rated from my experience. Big thanks from the Isle of Man.read more

Ross Martindale

11:49 02 Jul 18

I just rented a Euro Prestige Motorhome to take to Le Mans 24H and had a wonderful experience. The team at France Motorhome Hire were delightful and the vehicle itself was well prepared, clean and made great accommodations for the 3 of us. Although it accommodates 6, it worked well for 3 adult males; all with our own beds and no need to use dinette bed configuration. Check in and out was a simple process and they provided a wide range of books and maps to help with local camping and exploring. All the systems we're explained carefully and any questions I had we're answered with ease. It's easy to drive, very comfortable to eat and sleep in and when connected to electricity, lasted 5 days without using all the fresh water and hardly any of the gas. Our campsite happened to have showers and toilets so that helped reduce the burden a bit on the motorhome. The full size refrigerator was a pleasant surprise and after about 24H was keeping a weeks worth of groceries and beverages perfectly cold. The small freezer portion kept bags of ice frozen the entire time too.Highly recommend to use for an auto sports event : you get to stay out of the rain, are warm when needed and get some relief from the drone of the race cars. Were looking forward to our next rental, exploring the Loire valley.read more

Sue Beckwith

16:13 17 Jun 18

All round excellent from the "van" to the team - first motorhome holiday and would highly recommend using these guys!

Gwen Martin-Beckett

15:06 15 Jun 18

From the moment we booked our Euro Traveller with FMH our experience was amazing. The booking was easy, the FMH website (and staff) gave us all the relevant information we required to plan our journey, which was a 4 week tour. Picking up the traveller was easy, it was clean, comfortable and had everything we needed, including the invaluable 'French Passion' and 'Aires' books, that we used extensively. The traveller was enjoyable to drive (and we certainly tested it!) and the left hand driving position certainly made driving in Italy and France a lot easier. Highly recommended if you are considering this lovely way of seeing Europe.read more

Garry McConnery

02:40 27 Mar 18

This was the first time we used France Motorhome and it almost certainly won't be the last. Everything was as advertised, the unit was in excellent condition and spotlessly clean. The whole experience was better than expected and the only regret we have is it couldn't have lasted longer!read more

William Bergman

00:49 17 Mar 18

This was our second time renting an RV from France Motorhome Hire. They have been extremely easy to work with, and their RVs are beautifully maintained and easy to drive. I would highly recommend this company to anyone considering renting an RV in Europe.read more

Richard Ling

19:05 19 Nov 17

We've used France motorhome hire 3 times & had 3 fantastic holidays. I can highly recommend this company. The vans are spotlessly clean, mechanically perfect & come equipped with all the necessities. On arrival the friendly team talk through the running of the van, then you're off to explore, it's by far the best way to explore France. Thankyou again FMH.read more

Ajay Viswanathan

18:24 08 Nov 17

If you don't want to read through the entire review, do yourself a favor and make the booking right away!!! I was planning a surprise honeymoon for my wife and we both love road trips, so I figured a road trip through some part of Europe would be fantastic. I stumbled upon FMH while doing research online and decided to reach out to them given their great reviews and it was the best decision/highlight of our trip!From the very beginning, the staff was extremely helpful, especially Hannah. I explained to Hannah how this was a surprise trip and Hannah was patient enough to listen to what types of activities my wife and I like to do and helped us create an itinerary for the week through Loire Valley, suggested a company for hot air balloon (highly recommend!) and even offered us a free upgrade to a more luxurious campervan! The entire process was seamless - filled out the necessary documents online and made the payment via my credit card. I recommend coming into Sens (a nearby town) the day/night prior to get situated. We opted for the shuttle pick-up and drop-off service, totally worth the extra charge. Iva came and picked us up at the hotel we were staying in Sens and was right on time. She was super nice and courteous. The entire check-in process was seamless and straightforward. We hadn't purchased the excess reduction insurance and Iva suggested we do (and glad we did - more on that later). The staff provided us with the contact information to purchase the insurance right on the spot, which we did and gave us the peace of mind in case anything happens. Jose/Jesus, can't recall his name who helped inspect/check-out the vehicle was super friendly and shared the excitement given how much we were looking forward to it. My wife was completely surprised and couldn't stop smiling and taking pictures! FMH does an AMAZING job maintaining their vehicles. J made sure to show us all the dings/dents/scratches already on the vehicle, gave us a tutorial of the ins and outs of the campervan and tips as first-time campers. The van itself is PERFECT for two! FMH does an excellent job of providing all the necessities including utensils, pots, pans, bedding, chairs, tables, extension cords, water pipe etc. We stocked up at Auchen (Walmart equivalent of US), which is nearby the depot for all your food, supplies and other essentials. Although we took a couple detours from the recommended route by Hannah, but we stuck to majority of it and it was PERFECT. We primarily used France Passion, local service where local farmers, wine and cheesemakers allow you to park your campervan and you get a local experience. This was absolutely amazing as we got to interact with local wine makers etc. This is a great way to save costs on fees for parking, refilling water and getting a local experience. Overall, can't say enough how truly amazing this entire experience was. The size of the campervan is ideal for parking and driving through the low-height, narrow streets of Loire Valley. The only unexpected/disappointing experience was a small scratch on one of the wheels upon returning the vehicle. It probably happened during a sharp turn/running over a curb, but hey that's what insurance is for right? Hannah, Iva, and the rest of the FMH staff - sincere thanks for making this such a memorable trip for my wife and I. We hope to do it again to explore another part of beautiful France in the future!read more

Les McMaster

21:34 23 Oct 17

We spent a wonderful two weeks in their camper...great company to do business with. Highly recommended

Ricki Brideoake

21:40 10 Oct 17

motorhome was in great condition and the france motorhome staff were super helpfull. Had everything you needed in the motorhome and france is so well setup for motorhomes with places everywhere to stay for free or very little, such a good trip, now planning on when we can come back and do it again.read more

Jerome Edgington

12:59 09 Oct 17

Désolé, mais mon français est très mauvais. (Used that phrase a lot, actually)Almost everyone in Paris spoke some English, even if they didn't admit it. Couldn't rely on that while camping in Burgundy. Turned out we didn't need to, people were friendly, or at least patiently tolerant, sometimes amused, but I don't mind. Who knows what I was trying to say in French actually translated to? Google translate is of limited value, especially the text reader, which was hilarious. Going into a giggle loop in a restaurant makes them think you've had enough wine for one day.But this is supposed to be a review of FMH, so let's get on with it. First off, they speak English, and the instructions are in English. Secondly, you can pick up the camper on a Saturday afternoon, which is rare in France, and important if your catching a red eye in from America. We had an Explorer Compact Prestige model, with a very comfortable bed. Researching campers in France, we noticed many companies say they can be up to 5 years old, sometimes more. I don't think FMH uses them more than two, and it shows, the machine was spotless. Ours was small enough to easily navigate some tiny roads in tiny towns, (although we were impressed by how good regular French roads were), and it shifted effortlessly. Not bad on diesel either, we went from Sens to Cote D'or and back on €60.While it comes with full kitchen kit, we mostly used the French press and the corkscrew. Didn't go to France to cook. Unlike America, French campgrounds have decent restaurants. We used France Passion and Aires as well, but in a campground you'll meet people from all over.Note for Americans: European campers don't use the same plumbing systems as ours. Instead of a large black water tank, it has about a 4 gallon "cassette", like on a portable camping toilet. But there are places to dump these in almost every town at the Aires de Service, so it's painless.Returning it at the end of the week was easy, we arrived clean and prepared to pack our bags. Trickiest thing was balancing the weight of the wine in each suitcase.So, couldn't be happier. Had so much fun camping in France that we're feeling motivated to do it again, taking a different direction next time. Thanks Hannah, Phill, et al! We'll be back!read more

Manuel Trigo

09:33 01 Sep 17

GLAD TO DECIDE TO HIRE WITH THIS GUYS!When we decided to enjoy France on a motorhome I contacted several companies looking for a complete offer. France Motorhome Hire was one of the few ones including bed linen, towels, outdoor furniture, etc., this is what really matters to customers like us that come outside France.Motorhome model from this year 2017 in perfect conditions.We definitely recommend this company.Thanks to Hannah and Ina for their kind attention and support, appreciate it!read more

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