Driving to Italy - overnight in Belgium

We stayed here last year and it was pretty good:http://www.ibishotel.com/hotel-directory/gb/europe/belgium/dinant/dinant-hotel.htm Not sure if it will work for you but it did for us.    

Thanks Tartuffa - that's only a few clicks further on and looks quite pretty right beside the river.  How was the parking situation?

Designated parking right outside the hotel, quite easy to find, decent breakfast and a choice of places to eat all within walking distance along the river.

We've done Dinant and I agree it's better than Namur - better choice of restaurants.

"........ Really want something nice that we can park at then walk around town looking for something to eat." As you 'dock' at 7pm [assume its DFDS/Norfolk Line] - the odds are you won't be at an hotel in the area of Namur much before 9.30ish, allowing for offloading etc [have you booked priority loading/unloading? - well worth it] - By the time you've checked in [let them know you'll be checking in late] it could be about 10pm before you start looking to find somewhere to eat.  Places will be closing.  So it may be wiser to eat at the hotel [again let them know you're wanting to eat late] Dinant is a nice place - much better than Namur [in my opinion], and the Ibis there serves 'light snacks' in the bar if all else fail. Personally, I'd suggest you eat on the boat - the food is pretty good if you avoid the self service areas, and if you do the priority loading and exec lounge you can have a meal served in the lounge - [so grab a window seat], then the worry about a meal later on doesn't rear its ugly head Might pay you to stop a bit earlier - but that will lengthen day 2's travel   Good Luck

Many thanks all - Dinant it is then.  Your deliberations reflect mine exactly Alan, and the tip about priority boarding is v useful.   Only prob I can see with eating on the boat is wanting to go to sleep afterwards (Yes, we have reached that time of life) May just forgo any formal meal, snack on arrival or en route and stock up on breakfast the following day.....

"Only prob I can see with eating on the boat is wanting to go to sleep afterwards (Yes, we have reached that time of life)" So have I!!! - Its a 2 hour crossing so there's time for a meal when you get on [ask the Attendant in charge of the Exec Lounge for an early meal] and an hours 'nap' afterwards Although its a 2 hr crossing, you'll be in the lounge about 20 minutes before you leave the harbour, because of the priority loading, so there's plenty of time for a meal and a nap

We always stop in a lovely family run inn - Hostellerie Des Tilleuls in Smuid, It's about 3 and 1/2 hrs from the Channel Tunnel off junction 23 or 24 - the European Space Centre exit. About 5-10 mins off the motorway. Ver reasonable - comfort rooms are the best about 80 euros. The food is exceptional and this year will be about the 5th time we've stayed on the way back from Italy. We're now treated like old friends!

Sorry didn't register that you weren't docking until 7pm but I would recommend Smiud for future trips. We go to Italy again on 8th June - can't wait.

We did Norfolk Line once and took the Exec Lounge option. Not great but probably better than the alternative. However, I would advise against having a meal, as the food was very drab and the wine options were from California or somewhere. Why would they do that to decent people? Instead, you might want to try for O Baguettes (Asian) in Dinant - I only recommend it because it was full on a Tuesday night off season, so we couldn't get in. Then maybe you could tell me what it's like. TK