Ibis Calais Car Ferry Hotel
A Hotel with a Cat
(Opinions here are my own, this is not a promotional piece and no payment was received for the review)
(Copyright CXP Media text and images)
There’s a particular honesty to the Ibis Calais Car Ferry Hotel — the kind of straightforward, functional accommodation that has quietly served cross‑Channel travellers for decades. It isn’t trying to impress you with design flourishes or boutique pretence. Instead, it offers something far more valuable on a Calais weekend: clean rooms, reliable comfort, and a staff who genuinely care about your stay.
Location: ADDRESS
2, rue Greuze, Quartier Beau Marais
62100 CALAIS
We’ve stayed here before, and returning this weekend reminded me why it works. Yes, the building is a little dated in places — the kind of late‑90s/early‑2000s aesthetic you still find in older French chain hotels — but there’s a charm in that familiarity. Everything is clean, everything functions, and nothing feels neglected. It’s the sort of place where you drop your bags, exhale, and immediately feel settled.
The staff are the real highlight. Polite, warm, and quietly attentive, they bring a friendliness that lifts the whole experience. There’s no corporate stiffness, no transactional tone — just genuine hospitality from people who seem to enjoy looking after guests. It’s the kind of welcome that makes even a simple overnight stop feel pleasant.
Food and drink here are exactly what you want from an Ibis: good value, well‑prepared, and surprisingly enjoyable. Nothing overpriced, nothing pretentious — just straightforward dishes done properly. After a day exploring Calais or the Opal Coast, sitting down to a simple, well‑cooked meal and a drink that doesn’t break the bank is a small pleasure in itself.
The location remains one of its strengths. Close to the port, close to the ferry routes, and perfectly placed for anyone making a short cross‑Channel trip. It’s a hotel built for movement — for travellers, families, couples, and those passing through — and it fulfils that role with quiet efficiency.
The Ibis Calais Car Ferry Hotel isn’t luxurious, and it doesn’t pretend to be. But it is clean, functional, friendly, and dependable — and sometimes that combination is exactly what you need. A simple, comfortable base with good value food, lovely staff, and a charm that comes from familiarity rather than design.
The Cat
And the best bit, the thing that made it- they have a cat – a stray cat that has made the hotel it’s home. According to staff they found it abandoned one day in the car park. They feed it and guests can leave a tip for the cat at the end if they wish. These tips fund the cats welfare but there is no obligation of course, a few euros keeps the cat going. My wife and I had stayed here before and were delighted to see that cat was still alive and at home in the Ibis.
Outside on a Calais Sunday morning I took in the area, not pretty, nothing special, but real. Not real in a kind of trendy earthy way, just a neighbourhood where normal people live, laugh, cry and function. For an hour I walked around the surrounding area and just took in what it was.
Then back to the Ibis, a simple check out and home. Calais I love this town and the Ibis is one of my favourite places to stay.
