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 A  New Paris Family Hotel Close to Disneyland With Lots of Perks!

When you are travelling with kids, a lot more research goes into choosing your family accommodation. As a self confessed lover of sleep (aren’t all parents), if there is an option for a separate sleeping area in a hotel, that place jumps to the top of my list.

At least for a few, short hours, I can sleep before the smallest one finds me and snuggles in. The eldest doesn’t get annoyed by the youngest one stealing her duvet and everyone is a lot happier before we embark on that days adventure.

So for my wish list, hotel family room priorities include:

• A separate bedroom or sleeping area for adults and kids
• A fridge/microwave
• Play area or pool if the weather is warm
• On-site restaurant
• Location – near sites, attractions and places I want to visit
• Good transportation links
• Reasonable Price

I appreciate a separate bedroom or sleeping area for the kids, is often a luxury and usually comes at an increased rate, but it is oh so appreciated after many hotel nights spent in the bathroom with a mug of tea (or wine) with my hubby – in hushed tones so not to wake the kids up! Surely not just us?

If this sounds like you too and you are visiting Paris with kids, then the newly opened Staycity aparthotel, Paris Marne la Vallée, meets all my wish-list requirements and more.

It is a perfect blend of having a self catering option, but with all the perks staying at a hotel has, making it ideal for families. A home away from home.

Location

I know getting to and from hotels and to big attractions such as Disneyland can be a big concern when researching where to stay.

We found the hotel really easy to reach by public transport. Staycity Paris Marne la Vallée is perfectly located for Disneyland® Paris – a mere 5-10 minutes drive away (via complimentary bus shuttle) and it is really easy to reach by Eurostar or train from Charles De Gaulle Airport (just one stop away) to the Chessy Marne la Vallée station. (See the section ‘Getting Here’ below for more in-depth information.)

Nearby, the Val d’Europe RER train station is only a 10 minute drive away. This station can also take you straight into the heart of Paris to enjoy all the sights and other family attractions, including an outlet mall! (Tip: Make sure you have some space in your case for the bargains!)

If you want to see more than the Disney Parks, other attractions within 10 minutes drive to Staycity include:

• Sealife Aquarium
• La Vallée Village Shopping Outlet Mall
• Val d’Europe Shopping Center
• Megazone Lazer Games

For other family friendly attractions in Paris for when it’s a bit cold or rainy see here.

Facilities at Staycity

Whilst all Staycity rooms have fully equipped kitchens, dining, living and working spaces, flat screen TVs, 24-hour reception, free Wi-Fi, fresh towels and bed linen, on-site guest laundry, this particular property at Marne la Vallée is the chains first forage into resort style accommodation. They are all ideally situated for a city break with kids.

Staycity Marne la Vallée incorporates (as well as the above), a golf course, 4 and 5 bedrooms villas, an outdoor heated swimming pool, gym (I may have neglected to tell my husband that, or I would have lost him for several hours), an indoor play area, a small shop, an onsite restaurant plus a Staycity cafe bar which is open 24 hours.

If you are driving, you will be pleased to know that car parking is free for guests.

Sadly, with a late November visit we couldn’t use the heated outdoor pool (closed mid October til early April) but we did make use of the ‘Bee’ indoor play area as my children called it! There are plans to further develop this area with more games and entertainment for kids too. It’s a shoes off/socks on area and I was incredibly impressed with how clean it was. My girls kept their shoes of as they walked to the restaurant, and their socks were almost spotless!

Our 1 bedroomed apartment room at Staycity

Rooms are bright and stylish with accents of yellow punctuating the white and grey. Our room (233) overlooked the pool, lakes and golf course. With free wifi around the resort, our second priority was charging tablets and devices. Handily, the bedroom has plug sockets conveniently placed within the bed headboard, with storage space for your phone, wallets, book or glasses as well as ample sockets in the living area.

We stayed in the separate bedroom which was a calm, comfy respite from our busy day at the parks. The girls loved their sofa beds in the living area and actually slept in – I didn’t have the smallest person visit for two nights – unheard of!

The wardrobe houses the safe, iron and hairdryer and one of the travel cot beds

The main living area consists of a double sofa bed and a further single bed, a dining table and chairs, an extra chair, and a fully equipped kitchen – including the cutest mini dishwasher (every hotel room should have one!) and a large fridge, microwave, proper kettle (hurrah!) and coffee maker.

When guests first arrive; expect 2 dishwashing tablets, washing up liquid, some teabags and coffee capsules to be provided – with UHT milk pods in the fridge.

Side cupboards house the mop, dustpan and a further cot bed, making this apartment ideal for those with larger families and quite literally a home away from home.

There is a TV in the lounge area and in the bedroom, but no children’s programmes in English that I could find during our stay. The bathroom has a sink, a bath and shower (over the bath), the toilet and sink is just next door – which again very useful for families trying to get ready for the day. Shampoo and soap is provided.

What are the meals like?

We enjoyed breakfast and dinner at the aparthotel as we were out for the day. If you do want to self cater, a Carrefour supermarket is 10 mins drive away. Uber or a local bus can take you there if you don’t have a car.

Breakfast is a fabulous buffet affair, with delicious French pastries and baguettes, cold meats, cheese, yoghurt, fresh fruit, cucumber, tomatoes, boiled eggs and various cereal options.

For those wanting a hot breakfast expect to find bacon, sausages, baked beans, rosti potatoes, delicious scrambled eggs and a very popular DIY pancake maker. I was googling where to get one from – a very clever little device!

Dinner is a la carte, with a children’s menu plus colouring pens and an activity sheet.

The free shuttle to the parks.

This is a big perk of staying at this hotel and makes it so easy to get round if you don’t have a car. Whilst the shuttle does not run all day, the driver is so kind and will keep doing runs to and from the park if he can’t get everyone on. It was standing room only on one of our journeys from the Disney park and we saw him dropping people off, past the allocated time on the bus schedule.

How quick was the shuttle bus after the fireworks?

In winter weekdays, the Disney fireworks are on at 7pm with the last shuttle leaving at 7.40pm. We made it with a few minutes to spare and as expected it was crowded. the journey back only took 10 minutes.

When we took the same shuttle the next day on a weekend, there were a few spare seats – likely because the park closed at 10pm.

Good to Know

Although there are a plethora of ways to book hotels, do check out what deals you can get directly. If you book direct with staycity.com and join their new loyalty club, Stay Sweet you benefit from 10% off, a complimentary room upgrade, free luggage storage and free cancellation up to 24 hours before arrival, subject to availability.

Getting to Staycity Aparthotel & Disneyland® Paris

If you are arriving in France by Eurostar, there are several direct trains per week from London to Disneyland® Paris that will get you to the parks in just 2h40 minutes via the Chessy Marne la Vallée train station.

The Chessy Marne la Vallée gare is right outside the gates to the two Disney parks and very close to Staycity. You can easily get an Uber (10 minutes) or local bus (15 minutes) at 2€ per person directly to the hotel. Alternatively, you can use the complimentary Staycity shuttle bus which runs at set times to and from the parks, just outside the North bus terminal.

If you are travelling to Paris indirectly via Lille on the Eurostar (like we did), it’s a very similar journey, just a quick and incredibly easy change at Lille to Chessy Marne la Vallée.

If you are flying into Charles de Gaulle, you just need to take the train to Chessy Marne la Vallée train station, which is one stop away and take 10 minutes. Simply go to Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport Terminal 2 TGV station to catch your train. Tickets are around €17.

Last words…

If you are looking where to stay in Paris with kids, then the Staycity apart hotel in Paris Marne la Vallée is perfectly located for Disneyland® Paris and for exploring the city.

Whilst most hotel rooms in the Paris city centre are small, just staying 30 minutes outside, still puts you within easy access to many attractions, and provides you with ample space as a family, without having to share a bed or turn the lights off early whilst the kids sleep. I have a feeling this won’t be our last visit to a Staycity aparthotel.

For more photos and information, learn More about the StayCity Aparthotels Paris Marne La Vallée here.

For more hotel options in Paris for families see here and for hotels close to Disneyland Paris here.

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