unusual. The Chill Bus is an English bus converted into a comfortable travel hostel

Chill Bus is a hotel like no other. A hotel with 8 traveling rooms and for good reason: it is fitted into an English bus that has been completely modified to ensure maximum comfort. He stayed in Alsace this week.

The image may be surprising: an English bus parked in the middle of an Alsatian vineyard. Not red but bluish blue. This double-decker bus is the work and dream of two friends, Pierre Lebat and Cédric Blacerzak.

The Chill BusThat’s its name, and that’s what’s occupied them since 2016: a project that’s a little fun, a little crazy, and totally focused on others.

But first, why “chill”? Pierre Lebet explains: “Chill comes from English “to chill out” meaning to relax, enjoy life. Personally, it matches the atmosphere I wanted people to find on our bus.“.

A long-time Parisian, Pierre Lepat now hails from Lille. He said: “This idea was not easy in my life: I wanted to travel, I was looking for what culture I was made for, what living space, what work I was made for..

The young man realized that meetings were the most constructive way forward: “I don’t like traveling alone. I started in a van. I was broke to pay my gas bill at the time, so I rented the bed of my van and went from hostel to hostel. Then I looked bigger: why not a bus? Why, a little bigger: a double-decker bus!“

It was in Manchester that he found the object of his dream: a double-decker bus that he had to completely dismantle.

Pierre Lebet recalls this epic period: “Since I am a passenger carrier, I am a restaurant owner, I am an equipment rental company, I am a travel agency and I am a hotel operator, I had to pass all the regulatory approvals, insurance, mandatory training.“. That’s it !

Along with Cédric Blacerzak, he also wears the craftsman’s outfit: “I resold parts of the chassis, redid all the body work, paint, plumbing, electrical, heating, etc.“Everything goes, even the curtains he makes with his mother’s help on his grandmother’s sewing machine.

Finding mentors at work is difficult:”It’s too big for motorhomes and not the same equipment. As a result, I worked with boating people“Six years of effort and elbow grease, but in the end, the result is there.

Bus 40m²: cHeating, air conditioning, flushing and odorless home toilets, unlimited hot showers, comfortable bedding and guaranteed privacy.

In his blue bus, Pierre Lebat offers accommodation: Christmas markets in the Hauts de France, Brittany and Alsace.

The principle is simple:It’s the comfort of home, but with the freedom of a road trip. This allows me to reach customers who don’t need to move like grandparents with grandchildren. We even have motorhomes coming! They don’t have to manage drainage, water supply or even parking spaces“.

Pierre Lebat always manages to find exclusive dream parking spaces: “We are alone, in the middle of nature, only in private houses. Here in Alsace, we stop at the wine producers, and in Brittany, we stop at the oyster farmers“.

And it’s gratifying. Eric Augustiniak from Marticus boarded the Sil bus from his building with his wife and two neighbors: “It was our first time visiting the Christmas markets in Alsace. By far, this is number one. Surprise. Plus, we came in full of confidence. All facilities are there: shower, heat, toilets, like a hotel, but everything is warm in an English bus. It’s very convenient.”

It’s the same story with his neighbor, Catherine Octake. He is the one who invented this concept through Facebook.When I saw the ad for the Christmas Markets Road Trip, I thought to myself: You have to go. It is a luxury van. We have Pierre’s service, which offers more than we can imagine. Amidst the white flags that rose yesterday morning, there was no one. It was very good“.

At the wheel of his double-decker bus, Pierre Lebut also tastes: “It doesn’t work, It’s sharing. I feel like I have friends. A trip that takes care of everything, I’ve noticed that people let themselves be guided. They left. I have a few people who are emotionally upset. For some it is a therapeutic journey!“

Between March and June, departure and arrival dates from Lille are not fixed. On the same dates the bus departs after 6 passengers arrive. For your diaries.