[Closed] Eurocamp (or similar)

I've used this company [url= https://www.vacansoleil.co.uk/camping/italy/adriatic-coast/isola-verde/camping-isamar-2212000/ ]Vaconsoleil[/url]

Driving from North Manchester, leaving at 5am, getting the Tunnel at 12 and then stopping over in Mulhouse (7pm ish) on the way down and Reims on the way back.
We got there about 5pm on the second day.
I've been driving over to Italy for years with the kids and they are just used to it. Never had a "are we nearly there yet".

Alternatively stop over at the Premiere Inn at Dover and book an early ferry, have your breakfast on board and then tackle France. Doing it that way you can reach Northen Italy by about 8pm.

We stayed at the Eurocamp in St Valery, Picardy, about 4 years ago. We didn't want a long drive on the other side of the channel - St Valery is at the mouth of the Somme, about an hour from Calais.

We all enjoyed it despite having pretty mediocre weather. The camp was decent. The tent was well constructed and had everything we needed in terms of fridge, cooker, etc. The campsite had a couple of pools and play areas - nothing to complain about at all.

It cost us just under £500, including ferry, insurance and breakdown, for a family of 5.

No complaints!

A few years back we stayed in a tree house at Les Ormes in Brittany which was quite cool
https://www.lesormes.com/en/holidays-and-stays/accommodation/tree-houses

There are downsides though - 100m to the toilet and I was a bit twitched if there was a fire as I could not see a way of getting out.

Other than that a really good experience

We've done it last 2 years, going again this year. Drive from Leeds area to Portsmouth, overnight ferry to St Malo then on to destination. Overnight ferry is part of the adventure and breaks the journey up nicely.

1st year we stayed at a Castels site in Brittany. Was lovely, weather was kind but the sea wasn't overly warm - think Cornwall. Booked through canvas holidays, but would book direct next time.

https://www.camping-castels.co.uk/campsite/lagrandemetairie

Last year we went a bit further south and stayed in Jard-sur-Mer. Again, it was great - weather brilliant, site good and the area is great for biking etc. In my mind the sea was slightly warmer, but that's probably bollox 🙂

http://www.campinglecurtys.com/?lang=EN

You're never going to get a really warm sea like the Med, but the trade off is that you tend to get some cracking waves for the kids to mess about in.

Heading further south again this year, probably Bordeaux area. Kids manage OK in the car, we have a few stops and they have plenty of in-car entertainment.

Stayed with them in Loire a few years ago now. It was probably the worst holiday I've ever been on, but that's not really Eurocamps fault... not all of it anyway.

First and foremost we went in mid-June, we were very unlucky with the weather, based on previous averages it should have been 22c - 28c and Sunny most days, but in actual fact it was cold wet and windy, more like Oct than June, I'm no sun worshipper, but my Wife likes to lay out - but it wasn't really on for her.

Activities were limited to riding or walking along the river (also called Loire) but the eldest could only ride a short distance at best and my Wife didn't want to go out in the rain, or the Pool which was 90% outdoor bar a small one with a tent over it which was merely just cold rather than cold and windy.

Oh and they took the piss with the rentals - it cost more to rent a knackered old Dutch type bike for a day there than it did to rent a decent DH bike in Morzine. We rented a 4 seater pedal powered 'thing' for an hour, it cost £40 and the tyres were so flat it was almost impossible to pedal up hill. It wasn't too bad once I unleashed the track pump in my boot on it - but I got told off for doing that as apparently if the tyres weren't dragging along they went too fast... chance would be a fine thing.

Other than that there wasn't much to do apart from throw the kid into the kids club and drink, but there was the biggest problem - we'd gone in term time, eldest was only in reception class then so it didn't bother us. He was the only kid there, in fact, in a park of about 500 caravans and tents (at a guess) there were maybe 20 other families there.

By day 3 we were bored out of our minds, we'd visted the aquarium, the museum, the... no I think that was it. Miles of very pretty, but mostly empty farmland in every direction. I think we tried the on-site restaurant once, it was lovely but in typical French style you had a set 3 course menu, 'relaxed' service so you got 2/3 hours to enjoy it which was nice, but the kid was losing him mind by the end of it, and it was on the pricy side, on the pricy side of armed robbery, think 'Wedding Reception' prices.

On day 4. We spent a morning freezing in the pool, an hour walking down the river, slid €40 over the counter for some fried crap for lunch, worked it off with the €40 45 min ride on the flat-tyred moon buggy and I slid another €40 over the counter for more fried crap in the evening and was starting to wonder what organs I would have to sell if we really wanted to do anything remotely fun the next day or heaven forbid go back to the restaurant for something green and it dawned on me we were all pretty unhappy, so we left.

Oddly, and the reason why I remember all this so clearly, my Wife has been looking at Holidays since boxing day, we don't have a huge budget but £1500 should get you something fun if you don't want to fly yeah? No really, not in Summer Hols anyway - Eurocamp has come up again, I might go again if:

1) We stay in a caravan, we did last time, and I'm glad we did, the tents would have be hard work in the cold/wind/rain.
2) Go in the Holidays, the eldest is 12 now and makes friends easily, he'll be happy if threes another YouTubeVollger / minecrafter / Hollister fan to hang out with, we've got another one too, she'll be 4 by then and loves a kids club.
3) I'll take my bike.
4) And this will annoy a lot of people, I'm taking a TV (SHOCK HORROR), The caravans don't come with them, there's no wi-fi away from the pool area but by dam it, if I've got to hang out in a caravan from 9pm (when smallest goes to bed) I'm going to drink beer and watch (pre-recorded) crap on TV.

Hmmm, I was vaguely considering a Eurocamp holiday (though it needs to be vaguely dog friendly)

I think I might end up going the standard self catering or AirBnB approach

We have used [url= https://www.yellohvillage.co.uk ]YellowH[/url] a few times and find them very good

Picking up on the post above, they have Vans with TV and the WIFI has improved a lot over the last two years

Lots of variety in sites, but the cleanliness and friendly staff seems to be 'standard'

Another big plus for us is that we camp and they rent a fridge - Yup a real, full sized fridge, which can pay for itself in a couple of days of hot weather (drinks/cheese/butter from the supermarket and not the campsite shop)

Last year we went to [url= https://www.yellohvillage.co.uk/camping/lous_seurrots ]this one[/url]

Admittedly really bad weather would not be great, but a river and the sea within walking distance. Miles of dedicated cycle track through the forest. choose of restaurants and cafes in walking distance and good onsite facilities

Lastly, the website makes sensible recommendation if it cannot precisely match your requirements, something some of it's competitors needed to learn from last year (no I don't want to stay month earlier or 250 miles away, 1 day earlier or 50 miles is ok though)

thanks for the replies mates. must admit to having second thoughts now after many of the reviews ive read today. very hit & miss. im pretty sure the mrs will hate it, especially if there is no sun! maybe if we went in a bigger group it would be less of a risk...

We've done one in Spain, Cambrils. Flew to Barcelona, had a week in an apartment there sightseeing and being mega busy, then rented a car for a week and off to the campsite on the beach to chill for a week. Loved it.

Slightly further afield than you were looking at but we've just booked here again

http://www.eldelfinverde.com/en/

Kids were 4,6 and 8 and loved it. Clubs are good but more suited to slightly older I'd say. Loads of pools dotted about as well as the big main one. Accommodation is available for all budgets, we stayed in the bungalows and they were superb.

Had a fantastic holiday 4 years ago at Le Clarys Plage with Eurocamp. Great park, great weather, enough to do elsewhere as well. It is on the Bay of Biscay, so weather could be great for a whole week or vile for a whole week - it's not somewhere where the weather is changeable I don't think.

Nice timing! I'm in the process of searching for a suitable campsite in France for our summer hols. What I'm after is a toddlers club for my youngest. Not many advertise them. There are about 8 eurocamp sites that do these and have found 1 in Brittany that is also offered by BrittanyFerries. Now if we book through BF, its basically a free crossing (£600!). Not sure if the kids clubs are only for eurocampers though? Would it be a campsite offering or the holiday operator?
Anyone got recommendations for suitable toddler campsites? (we wont be camping, would be in a static home)

We used Eurocamp for a few years. They're good but all you're paying for is the on-site rep and the fact you're using a company. If you book direct with the campsite then you can often get better accommodation (if you're using one of their chalet/static caravan things) for a lot less. We now book direct. The trick is to get a good recommendation on what campsite to book at.

Eurocamp or Canvas at Vic sur Aisne is good. About 2.5 hours from Calais. The park is great has a fake beach and filtered pool outside. A decent size pool complex including a toddler pool. They have stuff like soft play and laser quest as well and a large fishing lake if you like fishing as well as lots of grass for playing on. It is about a 90 minute drive for euro Disney if you fancy that and depending when you go you can get a family ticket for about £100 with offers. It is close to the champagne region although little ones might not appreciate that!

Always enjoyed our eurocamp holidays
Last few years we used siblu instead which was cheaper

Bit of a veteran here. We did Normandy and Brittany when the kids were toddlers, but as they grew up we ventured further afield. The Vendee is about as good as it gets weatherwise unless you can battle all the way down to the Midi or Basque region.

Whoever mentioned Castels sites above, has it about right. You can book direct with the sites and sort out your own ferries/chunnel crossings. Be aware that if you book with a UK based operator most sites will have a sort of "Nationality cluster" effect, so you'll be surrounded by fellow Brits,whereas if you book direct you'll take potluck with your neighbours.

We never really ended up on a naff site, all of them have pools, entertainment, kids clubs, onsite supermarkets, restaurants and takeaways. You can be self-contained onsite if you want to, but we always enjoyed shopping in local towns and supermarkets for proper fresh stuff and spending the evenings cooking (mostly BBQ) and enjoying supermarket priced beers and wines while the kids played on their bikes and skateboards or whatever.

Sites are safe for the kids, and remarkably well-disciplined. Most if not all of them have a geezer on a bike that goes round at 1030 or so and politely reminds you that you need to keep the noise down for your neighbours.

Great fun. We made a lot of good friends as did the kids.

Try https://www.lagrandemetairie.com/en/ for starters. Ferry to St Malo or Caen. Southern Brittany, bit of history, great beaches at Carnac, and loads to explore.

Or here if you fancy a bit more of the coastal history and some adventurous stuff for the kids
https://www.irisparc.co.uk/camping-le-ty-nadan/

I went to Normandy last year with Siblu. It’s a French company so as a Brit you’ll be in a minority once on site but the site and facilities were excellent . Pretty reasonably priced to.

we've done [url= https://www.sandaya.co.uk/Camping/France/brittany/les-2-fontaines/ ]this[/url] in Brittany - very nice. Lovely area, but kinda weather dependant. Stay in a cabine, and book direct. Much better. Walk past a Cidre farm on the way to the beach. Used to go to Port Manec'h when I was a infant.

Also of course, there's the Il de Re - lovely, but further and more pricey. [url= http://www.la-grainetiere.com/campsite-france-island-re.html ]Here[/url]'s good, and you get to stay in lovely little BnBs en route. Like [url= http://www.langeaisreveur.fr/en/home/ ]here[/url], or [url= https://www.chateaumonfreville.com/gypsy-vans/ ]here[/url] with its gypsy van and moules night

Surely the best thing would be poole/portsmount to cherbourg, rather than calais.

We'd be driving from the North West with two young kids so as much as id love to crack on down to the Alps i think were probably restricted to Brittany or Pays de La Loire.

Alternatively, you could take the overnight ferry to St. Malo, which is less than 4 hours' drive to Ile de Re. We've been camping there twice and love it: cycle paths all over the island, great beaches, good weather, good food. It's pricey there but you're saving a fortune by camping.

I should warn you that school holiday time ferries are expensive. last time we went via the tunnel and stayed overnight in a hotel in Normandy. Worked out about £400 cheaper.

If you book direct with the campsite then you can often get better accommodation (if you're using one of their chalet/static caravan things) for a lot less. We now book direct. The trick is to get a good recommendation on what campsite to book at.

+1.
We were chatting to a guy on holiday last summer who'd booked through Eurocamp and he'd paid £800 more than us for the same holiday.

We've never booked through Eurocamp but stayed at a couple of sites they use.
Last two years we've been here -
[url= https://www.lesalicourts.com/en/ ]Les Alicourts[/url]
Our kids (aged 10 and 6 last summer) loved it.
it is around 6 hours drive from the Eurotunnel terminal.

This summer we are going a bit further South to here -
http://www.saint-avit-loisirs.co.uk/

We regular go to Duinrell (just up form the Hague in the Netherlands. It's about a 25 min cycle to the fantastic beach if the weather is nice (all on cycle path, so nice and family friendly) and there loads to do even if the weather isn't amazing. The campsite has a free amusement park and you get a couple of hours use of the great waterpark (not sure how many times). There are a load of little adventure playgrounds around the campsite and if you book carefully you can be as close/far away from them as you

There's a great range of accomodation available, we book direct and they've always been really helpful.

close to Hook of Holland so you can get the overnight ferry as well - we usually just hop on the euro tunnel as we're only 45 mins away, but if I was coming from farther afield I'd prob take the overnight ferry option.

[url= https://www.duinrell.com ]Here's the link[/url]

Vendee is our usual destination, booking direct and taking own tent. Getting my bike nicked last year took the shine off somewhat though so may be going elsewhere (due to the attitude of the site owner really).

The Eurocamp prices always put me off so we bought a large tent and went to the same sites but as tourers. You get all the same site facilities but stay in your own tent.
That being said, it's really weather dependant. I've stayed in some amazing places but if the weather's bad, it makes life difficult. Although as tourers, you can leave at any time - we had one really wet year in Austria and the weather looked to be hanging around so we packed up and drove to Garda for some sunshine.
If you're willing to travel further afield, look at one of the alpine resorts. We had an apartment in Saalbach (Austria) for around £900 for 2 weeks which included Joker passes, enabling free entry to the local pool complex and lift passes along with a few other bits. Loads to keep the kids entertained.
Closer to home, we spent a couple of weeks in Camping De Lac D'orient in the Champagne region - they take camping cheques which made it cheaper slightly. Nice big site with loads of activities and a couple of pools. Opposite a massive lake with swimming/kayaks etc and a bike path.

Had a fantastic holiday 4 years ago at Le Clarys Plage with Eurocamp

We went there about 4 years ago as well, had a great time. Booked direct with the campsite rather than going through Eurocamp, saved a fair bit but you need to speak the lingo. 😀

We've just booked direct with Castel Parc de Fierbois in the Loire which is also a Eurocamp site. Our first camping trip outside the UK. Taking a tent but have our own private toilet and shower, proper glamping.
A bit concerned at reading P-jays review though (sound like same place)

Thanks for the tips! Loads to search through now. That one in Le Loire looks bloody great! Les Alicourt. Not near a beach but it has its own fake beach plus waterslides and activities + most important to us a toddlers club.

Just booked 2 weeks in summer hols at les alicourt. Didn't go through campsite website as Brittany ferries holiday to same place worked out £600 cheaper!! £2200 for a 3 bedroom chalet 2 adults, 2 kids). Inc fast crossing from ports. Bargain! 🙂

loads of great info thanks!!

Glad you made a booking from it superfli, is that during summer hols??

Yup, first week of school hols (end of july)