France Ferry & Campsite info (use Search function) mod warning post 1

talla

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

First Day back at work after the holidays

How was La Sirene this year?

BailMeOut

webpal wrote: »

Scroll half way down this page, it has links to the road closures on a stage by stage basis

thank you - this is useful.

I will probably be ok as long as the A83 is not backlogged which from your maps I do not think will be an issue.

Stone Deaf 4evr

talla wrote: »

How was La Sirene this year?

We flew into perpignan airport (lovely and tidy spot, a lot smaller than what I was expecting) landed at about 9am, and were on the road in the rental car by 9:15!. We were lucky enough to not have been affected by the Air Traffic controller strikes too, it was an anxious trip to the airport as the threat of a cancellation was looming large.

They had done a renovation job on the on site grocery shop, bakery and, souvenir shop and it made a major improvement to them, they had also revised the traffic layout and closed the road up by the pool area which was a major improvement IMO. Also, we seemed to have caught the tail end of 'low season' as the usual big productions of chicago, lion king etc weren't on for our first week there.
Still really enjoyed it, and the kids had an absolute blast, but we both felt that next year we'll do something different. Its hard to say this without coming off as a bit of a d1ckhead but the place was swarming with Irish people, heading up to the pool in the morning was like going to a match with everyone decked out in their county colours. Maybe its my own social anxiety or something, but I just prefer going someplace where I've a very slim chance of meeting someone who knows me.

Edit - one thing I did feel though - the area in general seems to have gotten more expensive, particularly for the small things - most places were looking for €3 for a can of coke, and any ice cream you buy like in the shops here (the freezers with the picture of the ice creams on the side) were all about €3 each as well.

Quazzie

talla wrote: »

How was La Sirene this year?

My review of La Sirene. I can see why so many people love it. Facilities on the site are excellent, and the shows in particular are a joy. For families with children of all ages it really is a one stop shop with plenty on site to cater for almost all needs. Beautful breads and pastries are available in the Boulangerie, and there is a well stocked shop with lots of choice, and reasonable prices. Everything you could need is on site, in fact now i fully understand why some people can go and not bother renting a car. Once you enter the gates there is very little reason to leave, and there is a road train that can bring you anywhere you might feel like venturing out for. It really is massive, much bigger than where we were in Frejus last year for example.

I think tho, for me that was partially why I didn't like it. I felt disconnected from the area when in there. Because it is so big and with so much incorporated , it literally could've been anywhere. Aside from the french names on things, I could've went to Longford on holidays. In fact it also made me aware how the new Centre Parcs in Ballymahon will work and why it's not so much important where that is, but what it is. After three days I was itching to go somewhere else to try something outside the confines of the walls of the premises. Foolishly tho, I didn't prepare for this in advance and I was unaware of stuff in the area. The pyrenees felt too far away, and while we enjoyed one good day on the beach, we didn't feel like we got to take in the area at all. The local town was nice, but very "Touristy".

Will I be back next year? I'm not sure. While the park itself is probably as good as it gets, I prefer the Côte d'Azur for the days where I want to get out and explore.

Deeman83

Bring the travel sickness tablets people. Its a little bit choppy (moderate) out in the Atlantic once you get past Lands End.
Deceiving as its so calm around the Irish Coast.
I am sailing out on Saturday, like many many others!

Stone Deaf 4evr

Funnily enough, we also spent more time that ever before at the camp, mainly cause my kids are at an age now where they want to attend kids club in the morning, then food, then the pool, then food, then the shows, and not to mention the extra stuff like trampolining and pony riding! While there's no doubt they got great value out of the facilities, everyday was jam packed and not as laid back as it had been in previous years.

10-10-20

Irish Ferries related question:
What is the average unload time for the ship on docking in Roscoff please?
It's a standard vehicle with roof-box & bikes.

Nekarsulm

Twenty minutes should see you off the ferry, and possibly through the Police check.

BailMeOut

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Twenty minutes should see you off the ferry, and possibly through the Police check.

on Brittany if you have a SUV type car and roof box they send you to the bottom of the ship with the trucks and buses and you are then always last on and first off.

Deeman83

I assume the caravans are lower down the decks with the lorries?

Munsterbhoy

Having been to La Sirene for the last 3yrs, we're going to try somewhere new next june. La Sirene is a great place but we think it's time for a change. Looking at Chateau de Fonrives near Bergerac or going back to the Ardeche region which we loved. Also we will probably try the new WB Yeates to Cherbourg after flying for the last 2 yrs.

micks_address

Hi folks,
I've seen mention to WiFi sharing devices in the thread. We are heading to domain des ormes Friday and I may end up getting a single device WiFi pass.. Is there a cheap WiFi to WiFi device can use to share the WiFi to other devices?
Thanks,
Mick

molly dolly

Munsterbhoy wrote: »

Having been to La Sirene for the last 3yrs, we're going to try somewhere new next june. La Sirene is a great place but we think it's time for a change. Looking at Chateau de Fonrives near Bergerac or going back to the Ardeche region which we loved. Also we will probably try the new WB Yeates to Cherbourg after flying for the last 2 yrs.

St Avit Loisirs in the Dordongne is a lovely site. Our favourite. (though the drive down is a killer)!

BailMeOut

micks_address wrote: »

Hi folks,
I've seen mention to WiFi sharing devices in the thread. We are heading to domain des ormes Friday and I may end up getting a single device WiFi pass.. Is there a cheap WiFi to WiFi device can use to share the WiFi to other devices?
Thanks,
Mick

you need a 'travel router'. Lots of them on Amazon.

10-10-20

micks_address wrote: »

Hi folks,
I've seen mention to WiFi sharing devices in the thread. We are heading to domain des ormes Friday and I may end up getting a single device WiFi pass.. Is there a cheap WiFi to WiFi device can use to share the WiFi to other devices?
Thanks,
Mick

It was 16 euro a week per device in Les Charmettes, so I don't blame you. Plus, as far as I can work out, they must be blocking the 3G/4G signal in the park as it's a complete dead-zone.

From Saturday this week, I'm taking a loaded Plex server and a router. :pac:
Free films for all! (who are within 20m range... lol)

micks_address

10-10-20 wrote: »

It was 16 euro a week per device in Les Charmettes, so I don't blame you. Plus, as far as I can work out, they must be blocking the 3G/4G signal in the park as it's a complete dead-zone.

From Saturday this week, I'm taking a loaded Plex server and a router. :pac:
Free films for all! (who are within 20m range... lol)

Thanks any recommendation for something I coukd pick up at argos or pcworld?

westgolf

If you're heading to Domaine Des Ormes the WiFi is not great in some areas. In the Kelair quarter there was a booster mast which gave us access to other networks as well as the main site chargeable network.

Stone Deaf 4evr

micks_address wrote: »

Thanks any recommendation for something I coukd pick up at argos or pcworld?

I use one of these, its not too bad, but doesnt use plex, had the kids ipads connected to it and had a load of films & cartoons on it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lenovo-F800-Multi-Mode-Drive-Storage/dp/B01C8GAG4S

BailMeOut

micks_address wrote: »

Thanks any recommendation for something I coukd pick up at argos or pcworld?

TPlink have a few options so check Currys or Argos for something similar.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Support-Extender-UK-TL-WR902AC/dp/B01NAYG15H/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1530709644&sr=8-3&keywords=tplink+travel+router

micks_address

BailMeOut wrote: »

TPlink have a few options so check Currys or Argos for something similar.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Support-Extender-UK-TL-WR902AC/dp/B01NAYG15H/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1530709644&sr=8-3&keywords=tplink+travel+router

That's the one I'm looking at. Seems like it can connect to WiFi and then assign ips to devices that connect to it

BailMeOut

micks_address wrote: »

That's the one I'm looking at. Seems like it can connect to WiFi and then assign ips to devices that connect to it

yep. You set it to connect to the Campsite Wi-fi and it has its own Wifi network and password you build that all your family devices connect to.

Munsterbhoy

molly dolly wrote: »

St Avit Loisirs in the Dordongne is a lovely site. Our favourite. (though the drive down is a killer)!

Looks nice but is there much of an issue with non residents being allowed to use the facilities for a fee? 8hr + of a drive wouldn't be too bad on us. Done 12hr to La sirene in one day twice... Madness..

54and56

micks_address wrote: »

Hi folks,
I've seen mention to WiFi sharing devices in the thread. We are heading to domain des ormes Friday and I may end up getting a single device WiFi pass.. Is there a cheap WiFi to WiFi device can use to share the WiFi to other devices?
Thanks,
Mick

I'm in La Reserve (a Siblu site) and their WiFi provider is https://osmozis.com/en/home-page. €39 for a one month pass which can be used on two devices but not simultaneously. They employ technology which identifies if the WiFi connection is being shared and will lock the account if they believe you are. I don't know how well Travel Routers can hide the fact they are being used.

BTW, in my experience the quality of the WiFi can be very hit and miss. At times it's been as low as 40Kbps (like dial up 25 years ago!!) but mostly I'm getting 2.5mb which is just about good enough for YouTube but not quite good enough to run IPTV without stuttering etc.

Like 10-10-20 I just bring a MiBox with a portable 1TB USB drive full of content which we hook up to the TV in case there are rainy days and for evenings when we want to stay in.

Modern Family has been a big hit with everyone this year!!

This looks like a good value 1TB air drive with Wifi so everyone can connect and stream or download content to their own devices.

darragh o meara

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

I'm in La Reserve (a Siblu site) and their WiFi provider is https://osmozis.com/en/home-page. €39 for a one month pass which can be used on two devices but not simultaneously. They employ technology which identifies if the WiFi connection is being shared and will lock the account if they believe you are. I don't know how well Travel Routers can hide the fact they are being used.

BTW, in my experience the quality of the WiFi can be very hit and miss. At times it's been as low as 40Kbps (like dial up 25 years ago!!) but mostly I'm getting 2.5mb which is just about good enough for YouTube but not quite good enough to run IPTV without stuttering etc.

Like 10-10-20 I just bring a MiBox with a portable 1TB USB drive full of content which we hook up to the TV in case there are rainy days and for evenings when we want to stay in.

Modern Family has been a big hit with everyone this year!!

This looks like a good value 1TB air drive with Wifi so everyone can connect and stream or download content to their own devices.

Best route I found was to get a Vodafone pay as you go sim and go on the plan with the most data for €20 and use this for tethering. We had 12gbs for €20 this year and it was loads. BTW. Vodafone seem to be the only network that allow you to use all your data while roaming, the likes of Three only allow you to use 6gb of your allowance while roaming.

As for the WiFi hard drive, these are great. I usually have one charging in the boot of the car so anyone can pair up and watch movies on the road/ferry.

wall

Hi,
Does anyone know of a good sized Decathlon near Serignon? There’s one in Béziers not far from here but it’s not as good as they get. Has anyone been to one in Montpellier by any chance?
Cheers.

molly dolly

Munsterbhoy wrote: »

Looks nice but is there much of an issue with non residents being allowed to use the facilities for a fee? 8hr + of a drive wouldn't be too bad on us. Done 12hr to La sirene in one day twice... Madness..

Not not at all. The pool is on two levels, good slides. Bar is good at night. Decent cover bands. Play area is good Great area too, lots to do and see. Its the only site we've done twice and we're off on our9th trip.

Tigerandahalf

Re the wireless storage drive - can you use netflix to download stuff to it and will they expire after a while? Netflix allows you to download to the app but often the titles expire after a time.

micks_address

Anyone have experience of the wifi in the cabins in domaine des ormes? We are staying with eurocamp, 3 bed one. Not the end of the world if its rubbish.. I think in 3 player you can download for offline watching so might download in bar and watch back in the cabin if stuck..

darragh o meara

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Re the wireless storage drive - can you use netflix to download stuff to it and will they expire after a while? Netflix allows you to download to the app but often the titles expire after a time.

No, I’ve not heard of anyone doing that. The Netflix app controls where that content is stored and it’s not configurable.

darragh o meara

micks_address wrote: »

Anyone have experience of the wifi in the cabins in domaine des ormes? We are staying with eurocamp, 3 bed one. Not the end of the world if its rubbish.. I think in 3 player you can download for offline watching so might download in bar and watch back in the cabin if stuck..

I’ve not been at that particular campsite but my experience of other sites WiFi is that it’s good for general browsing but they usually have a bit of throttling around streaming sites ie. YouTube and the various TV players. Sometimes it works and others it’ll buffer like mad.