Disneyland Paris is located just outside the town of Chessy: technically a far-flung Parisian suburb, it was a village of under 1,000 inhabitants until administratively absorbed by the French capital in the early ’80s. It’s not a picture-perfect taste of rural France, but if you’re just popping over for a night or two then Chessy is an undeniably much more French experience than Disneyland itself.
The centrally-located Hotel l'Elysee Val d'Europe bills itself as a boutique hotel. This is maybe a stretch. The family-friendly rooms are comfortable and well-appointed: let’s not take Nespresso machines or a bath for granted. But there’s not a vast amount of personality or detail going on.
Still, it hits the spot, and the charm comes from the George restaurant and Diplomat bar. Both open out welcomingly to the street outside, and while a large proportion of the clientele are clearly hotel guests, there’s a pleasantly neighbourhood vibe to it, especially the cosy Diplomat bar that remains open until midnight.
The George’s grill-centric menu is undeniably pitched towards an international audience, but it never feels like it’s pandering. My kids were happy with the hefty homemade burgers on the children’s menu; I was content showing off to them by eating a punchy steak tartare washed down by a couple of interesting local beers from the bar.
Of course, there’s only really one reason why anybody’s here, and the staff are patient and knowledgable when it comes to fielding questions about Disneyland, which is a few minutes away by the free shuttle that leaves from just outside the hotel.
Needless to say, Disneyland is great – bits of it were startlingly unchanged since I went to it as a schoolboy (not a criticism, just deja vu), but the new Disneyland Studios area is a serious new addition and heaven for MCU fans – the enormously fun interactive Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure was the clear family highlight.
If it’s hardly going to upstage Disneyland itself, Hôtel l’Elysée is a comfortable and affordable family hotel that lets you make a quick trip to Europe’s most famous theme park while still getting a little taste of France along the way.
Neighbourhood
Chessy is a tiny town and Hôtel l’Elysée is right in the middle of its town centre.
Nearby
There’s a pretty good mall, but clearly Disneyland Paris is the main draw here.
Time Out tip
You can very easily walk to Disneyland, it’s honestly only about 20 minutes away.
Book tickets to Disneyland Paris here.
I travelled to Paris with Eurostar - book tickets from here.
