Leisure Tours COGO Group Hotel Breaks Group Hotel Moulin aux Draps

Exclusive Group Hotel Breaks | Opal Coast, France

Welcome to hotel moulin aux drapS, cogo's 3-star group Hotel on the stunning opal coast, France

Located in the quiet French town of Desvres, just a short hop over the channel, COGO's own group hotel, Moulin aux Draps is the perfect base for your group break in France. The surrounding area has a wealth of history to dip into and is rich in local French culture, so we are able to offer you an exciting and varied choice of visits and excursions to tailor your itinerary to best meet the needs of your group.

Our group travel experts will use their knowledge of the local area to create the perfect itinerary to suit your group's preferences and interests. Whether you want to immerse yourself in French language, explore local culture, try French local producers, or visit the landmarks and WW1 battlefields of Northern France, the Hotel du Moulin aux Draps is brilliantly located for your group activity weekend or short break.

What makes our groups trips different is that we can also provide our own local guide to accompany your group during your stay, so that travel organisers can sit back and enjoy the experience like everyone else.

Why choose Hotel Moulin aux Drap for your next group break?

Three-star hotel, set in 22 acres of beautiful French countryside, with its own restaurant, sun terrace and bar
Preferential half board or full board rates and packages for groups
Sole occupancy for parties of 20 to 35 people meaning that your group will have full use of the accommodation, facilities, restaurant, grounds and bar to yourselves without worrying about the other guests
Our brilliant house chef can cater for your specific dietary requirements from delicious regional French cuisine to meat-free and dairy-free options
Choice of single, double and bunk rooms all with ensuite facilities
A range of travel package options; self drive or we can organise coach pick up, travel and Channel crossing for your group
Our own local guide to accompany your group during your stay (optional)
Bespoke itineraries designed to suit the interests of your group so you can experience authentic local culture and highlights
Free places for groups travel organisers

Sample itinerary based on a 3 night stay

Day		Evening
1	Depart the UK by coach for your channel crossing. Arrive at the hotel for a tour and orientation of the grounds.	Evening activities at the hotel led in French by your guide.
2	Spend the morning in the coastal city of Boulogne, enjoying the local market, the town ramparts and the chance to book into one of the town’s excellent restaurants for lunch. Visit Desvres Ceramic Museum and the local goats cheese farm just near the hotel!	Cheese and wine night with your guide.
3	Excursion to Arras. Visit the Vimy Memorial to WW1 Battle of Vimmy Ridge. lt’s Canada’s largest overseas National Memorial to remember Canadians who died in France and Belgium and commemorates more than 11,000 members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force killed during the First World War in France, who have no known grave. Visit the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme to over 72,000 missing British and South African servicemen	French quiz night with your guide
4	Check out after breakfast. Visit the local dunes for a walk with your guide before boarding your coach for your journey home, making an optional hypermarket visit en route back to Calais.	Arrive back in the UK

We can tailor your itinerary to your unique learning requirements, please contact us for a bespoke quote.

Things to do & local highlights

Hotel Moulin aux Draps on the Opal Coast is your gateway to so many exciting things to do. Whether you want to fancy an authentic taste of the local produce, a history-themed trip of the battlefields of the Western Front, or the chance to practice French at the local market, then you've come to the best place. There's plenty to do for action-seekers too including horse riding, paint-balling, golf, sand yachting or just plain old walking, the Opal Coast has got it all.

Explore the Opal Coast

Many visitors to Le Moulin wonder how the Opal Coast (Côte d’Opale) got its beautiful name. The truth is plainly out there on the pearly blue ocean for you to see. In fact, the region was given its name by the artist and writer Edouard Lévêque who lived in Le Touquet. He fell in love with the ever-changing, soft pearly light created by the reflection of the white chalk cliffs and sweeping sand dunes in the area and in 1911 gave it this romantic name.This coastal region extends for about 120 km between the border with Belgium and the French province of Picardy. During your stay, take time to watch the waves and take in the stunning coastal scenery which include cliffs, dunes, marshes and splendid stretches of sandy beach. The cliffs at Cap Griz Nez (Grey Nose Cape) reach 50 metres high and at Cap Blanc Nez (White Nose Cape) they hit 132 metres high – making these some of the high points, both literally and figuratively, of your visit!

Bring your group to explore the area's Pretty towns

Your stay at Le Moulin is an opportunity to visit some beautiful towns and cities.

The capital of the Opal Coast is the thriving fishing port of Boulogne-sur-Mer. Boulogne has been popular with British tourists since the 19th century when people came to enjoy its fine seafood restaurants and explore its glorious gardens and cathedral in the Old Town. Today, you can easily spend a day wandering the cobbled streets, stopping off at bistros, shops and visiting the historic sites of this charming city. Children will absolutely love the Aquarium Nausicaä which is the National Sea Centre and home to over 36,000 animal species.

The city of Lille is about one and coach drive from Desvres, but it’s well worth a visit for the Palais des Beaux-Arts alone. This handsome gallery has works by medieval artists through to the Impressionists and is possibly second only to the Louvre in France for the size of its collection. Traditional French cafes and bistros, Sunday markets and elegant shops add to this city’s appeal. Lille is also home to a fantastic Christmas market.

If it’s art and design you are after then you’ve come to the right place. The Ceramics Museum in Desvres is literally on Le Moulin’s doorstep and it’s the best place to discover the history of the local earthenware pottery.

fascinating visits to the area's Historic landmarks

The Pas-de-Calais area is rich in history with historic landmarks and famous battlegrounds to visit.

We can create a bespoke WW1 history trip for your group to encompass the important Western Front battle sites and memorials of the first World War in and around the Somme such as Thiepval and Lochnager Crater. Due to the hotel's proximity to the Belgium border, we can also organise a visit to Ypres to make a comprehensive World War 1 battlefields history trip.

For WW2 history buffs, we can highly recommend La Coupole at Saint-Omer. This secret bunker during World War II was where scientists planned to launch the deadly V2 bombs at Britain. Today, the ominous-looking dome has some excellent exhibitions as well as a 3D Planetarium where you can see the stars and discover the Universe!

Local produce tasting tour

The Cote Opal is famous for its local produce and we can offer a selection of guided visits and tastings so your group can learn more about our local produce and enjoy the real flavours of the region. Our local produce tasting tour includes guided visits to a local goat's cheese farm, French patiserie, and chocolate workhop as well as visits to our local microbreweries or cider farms.

If you love cheese, then Boulogne is the place to get yourself some gorgeous local cheese (29 in total, including that incredibly stinky Le Vieux Boulogne) at the fraction of the cost. Then head to Philippe Olivier Fromagerie, which has the reputation for being the most famous cheese shop in France, and ask Mr Olivier about one of his 300 cheeses on offer.

learn french in france on our French language breaks

Our experienced French-native language instructors will immerse your group in French language and local culture. Practice speaking over a ‘cafe au lait’, use your new skills at the local market, and immerse yourself in French culture on local excursions and historic visits. Our French language breaks are immersive, fun and suitable for all levels of French learner.

Lille Christmas market trips for groups

During the festive season Lille is decked out in lights and colour and the town square is covered in a huge crown of garlards. Explore the market on Place Rihour with 90 wooden chalets selling regional arts and crafts such as traditional nativity scenes and decorations as well as gifts and festive food. Jump on the ferris wheel to take aerial photos of the festive lightshow and giant Christmas tree below. What makes Lille so popular with groups is the town's proximity to Calais, making it an easy short break.

Check out COGO's three-star Group Hotel Moulin aux Draps

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