Travel advice is greatly needed.
1: We will be leaving Mont St. Michel, by auto, on the afternoon of September 11, 2011 and don't need to be in San Sebastian, Spain until the morning of September 14. Will we have a problem just stopping at hotels along the way without reservations? 2: Do you think we will have any problem driving from St. Emilion to San Sebastion, Spain in the 3.5 hours google maps says it will take? Thank you so much for your help.
You won't have a bit of problem without reservations. The run from St Emilion to the freeway has no passing opportunity and, if you get behind something, could take close to an hour. The eastern bypass around Bordeaux can get jammed. If your target in San Sebastian is on the west side of the Urumea (where the larger beach is), it's going to take you longer than any mapping software thinks. I'd be comfortable with five hours which would include a quick rest stop. I'm not sure I'd take a bet on three and a half.
Thanks for the information!