france camping 1st timer

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karly

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Hi All,
I am thinking of going to France this summer with herself(who wants sun)and three kids 2,7,and 9.I believe the parks are superb and plenty for kids to do.Problem is I know nothing about France or areas or facilities etc.
Would appreciate any suggestions or hints and of course would like to get best value for money.
 
Get yourself a Keycamp (or similar) brochure, they will give you a good feel for what the areas/campsites have to offer...

Have gone to France for years with Keycamp (hence why I'm naming them, but I'd suspect their isn't a huge difference between those type of operators)...

if it's your first trip, think carefully about your journey/distance, e.g.

a) car/ferry versus plane and hire a car
b) region of France - are you sun worshippers or willing to take a bit of a chance with good but perhaps not always as sunny west coast...
c) are you beach lovers or would you prefer an inland resort
d) relaxing holidays versus close to say Paris for day trips in there...
e) Just a tip - if a brochure says 'lively site' it's probably more geared for teenagers than those of your ages...

No right answers, just things for you to consider...

Best of luck with it - I think it's a great family holiday and yes, the campsites are great for the kids.

You probably could do it a little cheaper, organising the various elements seperately, but given it's your first trip, I'd suggest a Keycamp or similar, just so that it runs smoothly for your first year, thereafter you may decide to organise yourself...

enjoy....

pjmn
 
thanks for info.Do you need a car at campsite or will you be ripped off if you buy food,drinks ect on site?Or am i too used to the irish way of doing things?
 
Campsite shops do tend to be dearer (as they have a captive audience) and depending on the campsite the range of product might be limited - having said that you have to weigh up the the bit extra you'll pay there as against hiring a car (assuming you are going to fly to destination) - if you don't hire a car, you'll probably need to organise taxi's to/from airport/campsite.

If the budget can stretch to it, I'd hire a car, just gives you a bit of flexibility, whether it be for shopping or maybe going on a day trip or two - also note that some campsites may be a few miles from a beach (which may of may not be important to you) - other campsites may be located adjacent to the beach...

hope that helps...


pjmn
 
If at all possible, I'd drive. With three young kiddies, there's loads of stuff you'll need for them (clothes, toys, books etc..) and while the campsites in France (I'd recommend the Vendee area, loadsa campsites, fantastic facilities) you'll still need to do a supermarket shop for your family for the usual toiletries, heavy food stuff, treat stuff for kiddies, drinks (soft and otherwise) and especially washing powders etc. So, research the ferry companies and go for a campsite with lots of facilities - even though you might like to be near a beach, if the kiddies find lotsa activities in the campsite, which they are bound to, you really don't need to be near a sandy beach (reduce the need to sweep out the floors, baths, showers etc. every day!). We've done this camping stuff in France and it's great, once you have transport for the basics, and the site has all the facilities for kiddies. Also, once the kiddies are happy, you'll need transport to get to the supermarkets to buy all that lovely French wine which will help the adults to enjoy the holiday as well!!!
 
Sounds good advice and ticks the boxes.Bit worried about lack of english speaking staff and others on site.Heard of one irish couple who left early due to being only Irish/English on site as the place was full of French on hols who would not speak english.
 
If your going to book a holiday with keycamp try the uk, dutch or german version of there website for cheaper prices as they have special prices for us :)


e.g.
Fréjus, La Baume France, Cote d'Azur
05/06/10 7 Grand 3 Bedroom 29 €483.00 irish price
05/06/10 7 Grand 3 Bedroom 29 £ 399.00 uk price
 
A lot of the campsites are near towns in any case. The campsite shop can be a bit dearer and also lacking in choice. Local village markets can be very good.
If you are travelling by Ferry rather than Landbridge you will probably land in France in the morning. What we normally do then is call into a local town and top up with water, buy rolls, salad etc for lunch on the road.
Don't take a big journmey on your first visit. There should be plenty options within 150/200 miles of the campsite. Four hours in the car will cover most of this. Take a few breaks. I would advise that you leave the motorway and call into local village when having your breaks. There often is football pitches/parks where the kids can have a good run around.

The advantage of having the car is that you can leave the campsite and explore the country side. You could compare the cost of flights and car hire against the ferry. If the flight option is any bit near the ferry price I would fly as it remove the hassle of travel on ferry etc
 
karly said:
Sounds good advice and ticks the boxes.Bit worried about lack of english speaking staff and others on site.Heard of one irish couple who left early due to being only Irish/English on site as the place was full of French on hols who would not speak english.
Click to expand...

yeah, those french people insisting on speaking french, in france! :eek:

:rolleyes:
 
Here is my advice, based on three great holidays in France, driving to Brittany and staying in a camp site.

Keycamp or Eurocamp will charge a lot more for the same mobile home on the same park as booking direct with the camp site
If you want to pay extra for it, you will have English speaking staff and lots of other English / Irish families and kids around, if that is what you are looking for.

Personally, I book directly . I also recommend yellohvillage.co.uk as above.

My experience is that the campsite shops are very small and expensive, but it depends on what you are looking for.
I love cooking real food and French food is so fab, I would not be happy with
the limited range in the campsite shops.

I also would recommend a car, l think that two weeks not being able to leave the campsite would be a bit boring after a while. No point in visiting a country and not seeing any of it.

If you do not bring your own, you have to rent towels and sheets, and it adds to the
price and the quality and size might not be great.
 
We stayed at les bois masson in the vendee - St Jean de Mont (years ago but it still gets good reviews) most relaxing holiday we ever had with the kids
 
I am thinking of the same holdiday this year as Karly, but i am unsure of what are the best campsites to go to and so on...
has anyone tried Canvas? i hear they are good. I will be travelling with wife and two children (5yrs & 2yrs), we all like the sun and were thinking of travelling mid June. i was thinking of the "Languedoc Roussillon" region/district, has anyone been? what are top travel tips recommended by seasoned travellers.
 
did the France thing and would never go back...my opinions, they are too rude, too expensive & too strict on their curfews on the sites.

Went to Sanguli site in Spain last year in Salou and going back again this year.
Much nicer people, no arrogance, food better & cheaper, much more relaxed and altogether a better experience.

Book direct aswell and save a bit. I fly every year with Ryanair and book a car for the duration
 
We stayed in St Jean De Monts too and in La Rochelle. Enjoyed ourselves in both locations. One thing to be aware of, in Brittany and the Vendee regions sunny weather isn't guaranteed. We holidayed in June both years and had mixed weather - was good but not great. Further south the better the weather, I'd look to see what's available in the Bordeaux region. Longer drive, but motorways are great.
 
notagardener said:
We stayed in St Jean De Monts too and in La Rochelle. Enjoyed ourselves in both locations. One thing to be aware of, in Brittany and the Vendee regions sunny weather isn't guaranteed. We holidayed in June both years and had mixed weather - was good but not great. Further south the better the weather, I'd look to see what's available in the Bordeaux region. Longer drive, but motorways are great.
Click to expand...


+1. Brittany weather can be so-so.
 
Stayed near La Rochelle...lovely place

La Sirene south of Carcassonne is one of the best camp sites in all of France and you are almost guaranteed good weather there.

Also stayed in Holiday Green in Cote D'azur. The site is not as good as La Sirene but there is a lot more to do in the area
 
This will be our 5th year on camping hols in France, and am really looking forward to it again. Going back to a campsite this year (mid june) near Montpellier. Kids clubs are fantastic, we have 2 boys 7 and 9. We fly drive as we like to do some sight seeing, Montpellier is a beautiful city and has some lovely beaches within a 15-20 minute drive. Guaranteed sunshine on the med, where the weather can be a bit iffy along the west coast. We went to a camp near Royan a few years ago and we saw too much rain!!!
 
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