Summer holiday 2006
le Cap D´Agde − France


Friday, 21th July

It is around 8:00 AM in the morning, and I am loading our luggage into the car. We are well rested and we have just finished our breakfast. We now leave Beaune behind us and make our way to Lyon. At the entrance of the turnpike road I pull an admission card an off we go. After about an hour or so I can feel the sun burning on my arm again. The outside temperature is rising quickly but with the cars air-conditioning switched on, inside the car the warmth is hardly noticeable. What a luxury! At about 8:52 AM we reach the end of the turnpike road at Ville France where we pay toll; € 9,90.

The outside temperature is still rising as we plunge into the dense traffic that populates Lyon. It is a regular tidal wave of automobiles. We have arrived at Lyon at around 8:52 AM and as we follow directions to Valence and Montelimar we are cruising straight through the impressive city of Lyon. It feels like I am driving on a three-lane rollercoaster that´s runs through the city going up and down and from left to right. We go up hill, circle right, go down hill turning left and then disappear into a long tunnel, appearing again on a point that allows you a beautiful panoramic view across the city and over the hills on which Lyon is build upon. At this point the roads are really congested with traffic. Lucky for us we don´t come to a full stop and keep on driving until we end up on the west bank of the river Rhone in the southern part of Lyon, driving further south towards the city of Montelimar where arrive at around 11:45 AM in the afternoon.

We are now a couple of miles north of Montpellier and it is at around 14:52 PM. Again we have reached the end of the turnpike road. We have to pay for the stretch of road that we covered; € 20,90. And again we are in search for a hotel for the night. Just after leaving the exit point of the turnpike road we come across some signs that direct to a hotel of the Kyriad group. Having experience with this hotel group we decide in favour for this hotel. Following the signs we drive further towards the town of Lunel. It is a town situated next to the Route du Soleil and only a couple of miles away from the Mediterranean seashore.

After only a few kilometres we reach the hotel in the quiet outskirts of Lunel. We park the car and go in to check whether or not there are rooms available, and again we are in luck. We book two rooms and together we go upstairs to bring our luggage to the rooms. These rooms are really nice and have a large bathroom. They are spacious and are air conditioned.

After having unpacked some of our luggage, we take a walk to the shopping mall that we passed by on our way to the hotel. We go to the Intermarche in order to buy a few tins of beer and some other small things for this evening, after which we return to the hotel room. Because the room is air-conditioned, remember! We all take a shower and then hang around for a while waiting for dinner time.

It is around seven when we walk into the dining room. We are presented with the option of having dinner inside ore outside on the terrace. Since the sun is still shining and the temperature is quite agreeable we option for the terrace. Dinner is quite nice, especially with a good glass of wine, and whilst eating I am really enjoying the warm gentle breeze that is blowing. Imaging this, our vacation is just starting and here we are with the full family and in good health enjoying a good meal under a setting French sun. Can one ask for more?

Dinner is done and while the kids are in the pool enjoying a refreshing swim, I myself start working on my vacation journal. I start my notebook, and just for fun I check if there is an internet connection available. To my surprise there is, and a fast one to, not to mention the fact that it is completely free of charge as well. Thank you Kyriad! This of course enables me to check my email at home and spend some time on the internet. This also is definitely a hotel worth recommending!