The Campanile have been a pain to deal with in the past (I'm glad Rob is doing it this time) but on the other hand they're cheap as dirt while having reasonable rooms (by low cost continental hotel standards).

Rob

I'm very tempted to join you all this year - are there any rooms left, Rob?

I'm going to be in Cheshire until Friday afternoon, playing in a golf tournament which, for the third year running, is being held the week before the meet. However, this year I'd like to try and make it over.

Can anyone suggest a better way of getting there than the following:

The EuroTunnel, departing on the Friday evening and returning on the Sunday, will be £59. My estimates of time and distance from the ViaMichelin site are a total of 7hr 33min, plus crossing time, from the golf course to Amersfoort - so the bar had better still be open when I get there!

The other alternative seems to be from Harwich, but the quote I've just got from the website is a ridiculous £214, so I think I'll ignore that one!

So I know which crossing to book for, what sort of time do things wind up on the Sunday?

I'm going to have a spare seat (though not much luggage space, with my golf clubs being in the boot!), so I'm happy to give someone a lift if they're near my route from Weston-under-Redcastle to Dover, and want to return to somewhere on the way back to Reading!

Cheers,

Check out Hull-Rotterdam, sails at 7.30 each day and would save you a great deal of journey time ( I'd find you a link, but I'm just off to a meeting).

It isn't cheap, but remember the prices also include two nights reasonable accommodation and the chance to relax and have a few scoops instead of driving.

Meeting dissolved in disarray, lack of communication! Try this

Thanks for the link.

Doesn't look promising, though. The only available crossings on the Friday and Sunday were at 21:00, the cost was £337 (admittedly, that was with a cabin to myself rather than the shared accomodation), and it's an overnighter, isn't it?

I need to get back to work on Monday morning, back here in glamorous Bracknell, so I'd have to leave on the Saturday night, having arrived that morning - which (especially for the cost) barely seems worth it.

It's looking like the Tunnel is the best bet. Mind you, I don't know if I fancy eight hours of travelling after playing golf for three days running... Falling asleep at the wheel has never struck me as a particularly clever move!

A quick look at EasyJet from Luton to AMS gives £103.74 for flights at the right sort of times - anyone know how much it would then cost to get to Amersfoort? It may end up being the cheapest as well as the quickest, when fuel costs are considered.

Hmmm... still can't decide...

I'm no local (by a ocean or more), but my mapping s/w shows a rail line through AMS, and we already know the meet is within 0.5Km of the rail station at Amersfoort, so..

Cheers

Just a thought: KLM Manchester Amsterdam fri PM, return sunday PM, plenty of time to drive to Bracknell to be refreshed and ready to work Mon. AM.

I don't know what the deal is on prices or if there are alternative, cheaper flights..

True enough - that's how I was expecting to get there. I don't imagine a taxi would be a particularly cheap option! I just wondered how much it would cost, how long it would take, and whether it involved an excessive number of changes, and the resultant chance of my getting hideously lost and ending up on a non-stop train to Madrid, or something equally stupid.

Last time I was in Amsterdam one of our group got lost, got on a train, ended up somewhere out in the sticks, and had to wait for morning to get a train back to the city. Admittedly, he was rather the worse for wear at the time, but still...

If I've understood the timetable, amsterdam - amersfoort looks like a 41 minute train journey with regular services, so I don't imagine it'll break the bank!
How near the airport is to the rail is outside my sphere of knowledge!

The railway station is underneath the airport. It is extremely efficient, and fun as most of the trains are double deckers!

Rob

There seems to have been a misunderstanding.

My assumption was that the regular Campanile prices
are the ones shown on the campanile website; the
regular prices at the hotel desk apparently are higher.

In my case, the web pricing would have been cheaper,
even cheaper than the discounted prices Rob Schofield
arranged. But this difference amounts to only four euros.

Like Rob Voisey wrote, this is pocket money compared
to the costs most of us are making, and it is definitely not
worth to make a fuss about. I should never have brought
this up, and feel like a complete ass.

I'd like to make my apologies to anyone involved, especially
to Rob Schofield, who has put so much energy and money
to make this event memorable.

Pim

Stanstead - Eindhoven GBP 9.99
Eindhoven - Amersfoort via Utrecht E 13.20 /1.5 hours

Get out of plane, walk to collect your luggage (300m) walk out of Arrivals (25m) walk 10m to train ticket machines, pay with cash card/credit card, go down the escalator and you're on Schiphol station. Wait a max of 25 minutes, catch a direct intercity to Amersfoort, or wait longer for a rapid stopping train direct to Amersfoort Schothorst. If you are arriving Friday afternoon, get the train to Schothorst. If you are arriving later, go to Amersfoort and join us at the ribs restaurant (or the bar if you're very late!)

First off, without reservation, I am goiong to eat crow..

I have flown off the handle, again, in public, at Pim, for no reason. So in public, I would like to offer to Pim heartfelt apologies to my rudeness in response to his post. There was no need, and no reason for it and I hope that he forgives me. Pim, you and Gaby are without any reservations, wholly welcome to the event, as is everyone else on this board.

To set the record straight, I have just been round to the hotel and had a chat with the manager for nearly an hour about this, and here is the straight story.

Envergure owns Campanile. They also own other chains. Campanile is unique in this group in that it is franchised to owner-operators. Above a basic price, the operator is allowed to set his own prices. Hence, in the Netherlands, the basic room price at any hotel in the Campanile chain must never be lower than E55. This is what is advertised by Envergure on their website.

At each hotel, however, there are different room sizes, standards, etc. Hence, each hotel is allowed to set prices based on how they rate themselves - based on their facilities, and their location, and in competition (friendly) with other Campanile operators, and local hotels in their own areas.

In Amersfoort, the room prices are lower than Breda, even though Breda is a newer hotel. However, in Leuwarden the Campanile there charges less than Amersfoort in spite of being a larger hotel. Despite of their prices, the Amersfoort Campanile actually has the lowest room prices in the area (within a 16 km radius). You can find cheaper rooms in Nijkerk, but then you aren't at the event and your taxi costs will be quite high to get back at the end of the party (and believe me, there will be no-one sober enough to drive you back at the end of the barby, so DON"T ASK).

The local room prices are, in Amersfoort, E74. We have got, by virtue of making a group booking, the group booking rate, with a breakfast per room thrown in. So, at E66 per room (for two occupants) with one breakfast, you are actually saving nearly E15 per night, which is better off in your pocket to allow you to buy, say, 10 beers down at the Drie Ringen brewery. The manager is unsure as to why Envergure is offering the basic room price (E55) as a standard price, because as far as he is aware, there is no Campanile offering a room at that price in NL, and it is an internal company cost price required by Envergure per room per night. Hence, if he had received a room booking through Envergure, he would have accepted the booking, but then you would have been hit with a bill for E74 (his standard room price).

So, to cap it all: local price, double room, per night, E 74. Breakfast extra per person, E6.95.

empeg group booking, E66 per room per night, with one breakfast free (you pay the second yourself). Single occupancy is E33 + E19 with one breakfast free.

I hope that sorts things out for you all. I should have posted this straight off: I was totally unaware that the Envergure website was posting that price, and frankly - I don't give a toss! This way you get a room guaranteed, at an agreed price.

I hope it suits you all. Keep booking those rooms folks - you are now allowed to book until June 6th (please use the website instead of mailing me direct). Any special wishes, mail me seperately AFTER you have booked through the web site.

Thanks for the update, Rob!

A note about the website booking: there does not appear to be an obvious way for me (or others) to specify that they are coming alone but would like to share a double room with some other random willing person.

Cheers

Nor is there a way to specify which night you're staying when it's only one night.

Pim

Just email Rob Schofield or myself with additional notes.

Rob

Okay guys, a friend of mine has decided that he'd like to come to the owners meet so I'm looking at the cheapest way to get there. I looked up easyjet and it looks like it'll be about £90 per person, that's flying from Liverpool to Amsterdam. I've also looked at taking a car on the ferry from Hull to Rotterdam but that looks like it'll be about £300. Any better deals out there to be had?

You'll be glad to know that all those who have made bookings through the event website have got rooms booked for them. We have got 23 rooms booked, and are the largest single party of people in the hotel over the weekend.

Confirmation emails will be going out tomorrow (Tues 24th June). Please read and check that they are OK: they match what the hotel has got down for you. If there is a problem, MAIL ME IMMEDIATELY in order that we can sort things out as fast as possible.

There are still a number of rooms available at the hotel: if anyone wants to make a last minute booking, please do so through the event booking form and it'll go onto the same group booking with the posted discount. Don't leave it too long though - we are ordering the food in the next two days so although you can book a room, if you want feeding you have to book NOW.

It's shaping up to be a damn' good event, with nearly 50 people attending - a big increase on last year, with many more ladies in attendance.

To remind you, on the day there'll be:

- RC cars in the car park (bring your own!)
- virtual reality buggy driving by remote control
- a Bring and Buy boot sale (bring those Euros!!!) - I know one owner is bringing a Sat Nav system to sell on the day - what will you bring?
- numerous competitions, prizes
- a raffle with an Empeg as the main prize (among other goodies)
- picnic lunch in the car park
- the empeg Crew bring over exciting new, and never-before-seen products they have under development (with perhaps a special surprise or two...)
- massive BBQ with local beer
- the world-famous Feely Bag Game!!!!
- Cannon shooting (at least until the neighbours get pissed off)
- Patrick's incredible (but true) after dinner stories

...and many other exciting events.

So are YOU gonna be there?

See ya in Amersfoort!

all those who have made bookings through the event website have got rooms booked for them.

I couldn't remember if I did it through the website or just talking to you in email. Does my family have a room reserved at the Campanile?

Yep Tony, you're on the list. There's no getting out of it now

Rob

I've had a last minute schedule change and won't get in on Friday night until late(between 11 and 12). Do I need to call the hotel to guarantee late arrival? What time does the last train from Amsterdam run? Thanks!

Don't worry about late check in, I'll make sure you will be able to do so

The last train to Amersfoort, note NOT Amersfoort Schothorst (where the event is) is 12:36 AM, although I don't advise you leave it that late. We will be leaving Amersfoort on the coach back to the hotel around 1 AM, so you should try and get there before this so that you can come back on the coach with us.

I will be posting directions to the various locations closer to the date for people arriving at different times. PLEASE NOTE that after 6 PM Friday we will NOT be able to collect anyone from railway stations, airports, etc. since the alcohol will have started at this point: however, taxis are cheap and plentiful in NL and Amersfoort in particular.

This does tend to imply you will miss the ribs competition at the Kluijf - shame

I only want to point out that I'm so excited about the Amersfoort meeting. I count the days backwards, no I'm counting the hours :-).

Do we have some Stickers with names or something in this range? I'm sure I won't know who you are when I see you...

Rolf

Yeah, I'm disappointed but we'll get there eventually. I've got a meeting until 5pm on Friday which I'm hoping doesn't run over. After that, I'm on a plane to Amsterdam. Please post the details and we'll work out the timings to catch up with you on Friday night. Thanks!

In reply to:

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I've got a meeting until 5pm on Friday

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Yeah, I know how that feels

Rob S is producing some name stickers.

Rob

Argh!

Flashback to childhood...

Yes, that's some sort of what I've thought. Instread of "Hello" there could be an Empeg-Sign ;-).

Rolf