Newspaper Article

DO THE CONTINENTAL!

Redwood, Fred

2011

Overview

'Coming back, i get the 5.13pm from paris that arrives at 6.29pm British time. i see the same faces every week. it's a chummy atmosphere, especially on the return journey on Friday when we are all coming home for the weekend.' The possibility of being on the Continent within two hours has made owning a property close to the Eurostar terminal at london's St pancras international station, next to King's Cross, a desirable proposition. The economics of weekly commuting to paris by Eurostar will make sense for many people. A return from King's Cross costs from Pounds 69. A return to liverpool from london can cost you more than Pounds 130, depending on when you purchase the ticket. But is the service a good one? 'Eurostar don't do a lot to reward their regular travellers,' says Mr [Alex Maitland-Hudson]. 'And sometimes things go horribly wrong. When the volcanic ash cloud floated above the country last year, everyone tried to catch the train, and it took me 11 hours to get home using the train, ferry and, finally, a cab, which cost Pounds 150.' What advice does he have for anyone contemplating commuting to paris? 'it's only comfortably do-able if you have somewhere to live mid-week in paris,' he says. 'Don't go business-class because you will be surrounded by people on mobiles talking far too loudly.

• Publisher: DMG Business Media Ltd
• Subject: Maitland-Hudson, Alex