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

Trumley29

Hello, was looking for some recommendations. Have stayed in Camping Acapulco in St. Jean de Monts for the past two years. However, was thinking of heading a bit further south next year? Anyone any recommendations? I know this sounds unpatriotic but would prefer somewhere where there's not too many other Irish people?! Have read about mosquitoes being a problem in some campsites further south? Is this the case? Thanks for your help!

BailMeOut

Trumley29 wrote: »

Hello, was looking for some recommendations. Have stayed in Camping Acapulco in St. Jean de Monts for the past two years. However, was thinking of heading a bit further south next year? Anyone any recommendations? I know this sounds unpatriotic but would prefer somewhere where there's not too many other Irish people?! Have read about mosquitoes being a problem in some campsites further south? Is this the case? Thanks for your help!

Île de Ré is great and very popular with Parisians. We have been there 3 of last 4 years and absolutely love it. Do not however think about going unless you like cycling as that's how you get around on the Island. Eurocamp are in two campsites on the Island - Interlude and Loix.

ger664

ger664 wrote: »

We have not qualified yet.

So can we talk about it now? :pac:

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

From previously looking in to it no company in Ireland would rent me one that I could leave the country in for insurance reasons on their standard cover plans.

If there's say 4 lads if you were to buy one here for say €10k and then bring it back in one piece you should be able to sell it on for a good 80% plus of more with little hassle. You won't be able to park within a good 10 miles of each stadium so factor in parking at an official site and transport to and from.

Yeah I think this would be the best option, Have to keep an eye out for some good deals now

j_mo

Hiya,

Me and my family stayed over at La croix du vieux pont last year but we just got a phone call yesterday morning saying that a part of the camp was probably going closing down next year so I just wanted to know if anyone had any recommendations for any other good sites with on-site entertainment and amenities for a 6 year old and two teenage girls. Thanks in advance.

fdevine

We stayed there last July. Fantastic site.

Very surprised to hear that part of the site is going to be closed, especially as it's so popular. Nothing on their own website about any closures.

I would try to find out more. Is it possible that they are closing the annex site across the road which would affect some of the companies renting plots?

Are you set on Northern France? We did a fly drive into Nice a few years back and stayed in Camping Esterel in Fréjus. Great site with great facilities.

We also did Union Lido near Venice a couple of years ago. Not France but easy to get to and probably one of the best sites we have ever stayed on.

j_mo

Hiya Fdivine, the partner got the call yesterday morning saying that they were closing down the activity area where the small go carts and bouncy castles were. She said that they may be opened up by another of the operator's so that's why we just wanted to explore some other options. It's a lovely place and we had a great time there last year also. I'm afraid flying is definitely out of the question but we wouldn't mind driving to another place. I've been told we've got to go to Parc asterix and disneyland but they could be got on the way back. Venice sounds great but I don't think the kids would be too happen with that length of a drive ☺

fdevine

j_mo wrote: »

Hiya Fdivine, the partner got the call yesterday morning saying that they were closing down the activity area where the small go carts and bouncy castles were. She said that they may be opened up by another of the operator's so that's why we just wanted to explore some other options. It's a lovely place and we had a great time there last year also. I'm afraid flying is definitely out of the question but we wouldn't mind driving to another place. I've been told we've got to go to Parc asterix and disneyland but they could be got on the way back. Venice sounds great but I don't think the kids would be too happen with that length of a drive ☺

TBH if that's all they were closing I wouldn't be put off. We had our 3 year old with us and she barely used that area.

Parc Asterix is fantastic. Preferred it to DLP. Speaking or reading a little French helps as the place is apologetically French and there isn't an English language sign in the place. DLP is great too, especially with younger children. We prefer to go there off peak though and stay in a park hotel. Madness going in high summer if you ask me.

We generally fly-drive and book everything independently ourselves. Union Lido (Venice) is very doable even without a car. We have done the ferry in the past and just did not enjoy the experience. Last year we got flights and car hire for 12 days for half what the ferry would have cost with cabins.

tonic wine

As per title, looking to find a few sites to review family holiday campsites in France before booking something for the summer.

Thanks.

NIMAN

There used to be a good site called holidays unlimited that had thousands of user reviews of every possible sun resort.

I used them in the past to check resorts and hotels. Had ni use for the site over recent years, but you could search for it, see if it's still up and running, and if they cover the camping sites.

huntsman77

Hi we have been to Wales past 3 years to haven sites love the whole setting and package the give. This year we were thinking of trying France we have a 4 year old girl so need kids club.would likely fly rather than ferry option so could anyone recommend a site they have been 2 or heard good reviews about near airport as won't be hiring car thanks in advance.

useless

huntsman77 wrote: »

Hi we have been to Wales past 3 years to haven sites love the whole setting and package the give. This year we were thinking of trying France we have a 4 year old girl so need kids club.would likely fly rather than ferry option so could anyone recommend a site they have been 2 or heard good reviews about near airport as won't be hiring car thanks in advance.

Have a look at La Sirene, in Argeles near Perpignan.

huntsman77

I will thanks have you been there.

oinkely

Hi All,

Booked the ferry to France in June (4th to 23rd) and given that I am not much of a sportsing fan didn't realise that the euro championships are going to be in full swing around then.

Was planning on sticking in the north west region, where there doesn't appear to be any stadia in use for the champs. Will it be mental there anyway? Chose June as not mad on going during the busy season of July and August!

Any opinions on how the competition will effect campsite availability etc. Bringing the caravan and was hoping to just tour around and stop when we find a nice site, worried now that we will have to start booking etc.

Cheers

Oink

54and56

oinkely wrote: »

Hi All,

Booked the ferry to France in June (4th to 23rd) and given that I am not much of a sportsing fan didn't realise that the euro championships are going to be in full swing around then.

Was planning on sticking in the north west region, where there doesn't appear to be any stadia in use for the champs. Will it be mental there anyway? Chose June as not mad on going during the busy season of July and August!

Any opinions on how the competition will effect campsite availability etc. Bringing the caravan and was hoping to just tour around and stop when we find a nice site, worried now that we will have to start booking etc.

Cheers

Oink

I'd say with a little route planning you'll be fine. There might be a more boisterous atmosphere on the ferry on the way over (usually not too many football fans that time of year!!) but so long as you give each match location a wide berth at game times you should be fine.

If I was in your shoes I'd list all the match venues (http://www.stadiumguide.com/tournaments/uefa-euro-2016) then assign match dates to each ( http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/competitions/General/02/31/36/21/2313621_DOWNLOAD.pdf) and make sure I'm no closer than 100km from any stadium where a match is being held for 3 days before the match and one day after. If you plan your route according to that criteria I'll bet you encounter very little campsite congestion and pretty much avoid having to spend any significant amount of time within earshot of visiting football fans, the French excluded of course!!

BTW, we were on a French campsite during the infamous final Vs Italy where Zidane was sent off in 2006 and I can tell you the atmosphere in the campsite for days beforehand and especially the evening of the match was electric, really good. Even if you aren't a football fan immersing yourself in an evening when France are playing an important match is definitely worth doing if only to hear the locals rendition of La Marseillaise beforehand- absolutely spine tingling.

Allez le Blue!!

oinkely

Merci Je_suis_jean.

I'll give those links a thorough going over tomorrow.

Cheers

oink

jimmyging

We drive+ferry every year for the last 5-6 years
we love france and bringing the bikes and half the house with us...
best campsite and area we have been to is sylvamar near biarritz
les charmettes is ok,nice area
clarys plage v average loads of irish ,would be great craic in June during the soccer
parc albatros in Italy excellent site
just our tuppence ,people's experiences are v subjective

BailMeOut

jimmyging wrote: »

We drive+ferry every year for the last 5-6 years
we love france and bringing the bikes and half the house with us...
best campsite and area we have been to is sylvamar near biarritz
les charmettes is ok,nice area
clarys plage v average loads of irish ,would be great craic in June during the soccer
parc albatros in Italy excellent site
just our tuppence ,people's experiences are v subjective

How is that drive? Googled and Sylvamar is nearly 10 hours from Roscoff. Do you do in one shot of break up journey on way down and up again?

First Up

BailMeOut wrote: »

How is that drive? Googled and Sylvamar is nearly 10 hours from Roscoff. Do you do in one shot of break up journey on way down and up again?

You would want to be some glutton for punishment to try that in one shift. At least one overnight somewhere nice. You could even stop for a second night somewhere further on and enjoy a bit of France as you go. The trip through France should be part of the holiday - not an endurance test.

Stone Deaf 4evr

BailMeOut wrote: »

How is that drive? Googled and Sylvamar is nearly 10 hours from Roscoff. Do you do in one shot of break up journey on way down and up again?

I drove from cherbourg to monte carlo in one whip with only stops for food and bathroom breaks. but that was back before myself and herself were married and there were no kids in the back seat getting bored.

heading to la sirene this year, going to break the drive up over 2 days. go as far as La Rochelle on day one and the rest of it on the following.

First Up

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote:

I drove from cherbourg to monte carlo in one whip with only stops for food and bathroom breaks. but that was back before myself and herself were married and there were no kids in the back seat getting bored.

Bloody hell, that's a long stretch. 1300 kms and at least 12 hours according to AA Route Planner. I think that would fall outside safety parameters.

Stone Deaf 4evr

First Up wrote: »

Bloody hell, that's a long stretch. 1300 kms and at least 12 hours according to AA Route Planner. I think that would fall outside safety parameters.

ah twas grand, we were 21, and took turns driving, and stopped for a bite to eat here and there / refuel.

I wouldnt chance it in a fit now though. :eek:

First Up

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote:

ah twas grand, we were 21, and took turns driving, and stopped for a bite to eat here and there / refuel.

Fair enough. When you said "I drove", I took it to mean only you drove.

oinkely

I was a passenger once on a non stop trip from cherbourg to tarifa. I recall sleeping a lot of the way, with the driver stopping every 400 miles for a double espresso and a tank of diesel. I was young and stupid and thought it was a great plan at the time. Took a little over 28 hours if i recall correctly. Same driver all the way. Wouldn't even consider anything more than 2 or 3 hours at a stretch now, I'd be lynched by 3 kids and an irate wife ;-)

oinkely

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

I'd say with a little route planning you'll be fine. There might be a more boisterous atmosphere on the ferry on the way over (usually not too many football fans that time of year!!) but so long as you give each match location a wide berth at game times you should be fine.

If I was in your shoes I'd list all the match venues (http://www.stadiumguide.com/tournaments/uefa-euro-2016) then assign match dates to each ( http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/competitions/General/02/31/36/21/2313621_DOWNLOAD.pdf) and make sure I'm no closer than 100km from any stadium where a match is being held for 3 days before the match and one day after. If you plan your route according to that criteria I'll bet you encounter very little campsite congestion and pretty much avoid having to spend any significant amount of time within earshot of visiting football fans, the French excluded of course!!

BTW, we were on a French campsite during the infamous final Vs Italy where Zidane was sent off in 2006 and I can tell you the atmosphere in the campsite for days beforehand and especially the evening of the match was electric, really good. Even if you aren't a football fan immersing yourself in an evening when France are playing an important match is definitely worth doing if only to hear the locals rendition of La Marseillaise beforehand- absolutely spine tingling.

Allez le Blue!!

Thanks a mill, had a look through those links and all the stadia are pretty far from where I am planning on visiting. Going to stay north west along the coast, unless the weather is really bad then we will head as far as Ile de Re, which is still a fair hike from the closest stadium in Bordeaux. It was very nice of the organisers to leave a decent sized section of the country free for those not so interested in the sportsing ;-)

54and56

First Up wrote: »

You would want to be some glutton for punishment to try that in one shift. At least one overnight somewhere nice. You could even stop for a second night somewhere further on and enjoy a bit of France as you go. The trip through France should be part of the holiday - not an endurance test.

Agree, we're heading to La Reserve this year which is about an hour and a half north of Sylvamar and we're stopping in La Rochelle even though it's only 7.5 hours from Roscoff direct via Rennes -> Niort -> Bordeaux. We prefer to do a 5 hour spin to La Rochelle, chill out for the evening and then next morning the 3 hour spin to La Reserve will be a piece of cake.

We'll do the trip back in one go but we've two drivers and the two kids are old enough to be happy watching movies on tablets and sleeping etc.

useless

huntsman77 wrote: »

I will thanks have you been there.

Yes, been there a couple of times. About 15-20 minutes drive from Perpignan airport. Campsite is nice, mobiles/chalets are clean & relatively modern. Shop onsite has everything you need, it's a bit expensive (but you're saving by not hiring a car). Onsite "restaurant" is fairly grim though.
There is a kids club with daily activities, shows every night, shuttle to the beach etc.

Good few Irish there judging by car registrations and accents, but a lot of English, German and Dutch as well. If you'd consider Spain, look at Cambrils Park near Salou. Ive been there too & it's a better site, but more expensive.

average_runner

We go to les charmettes most summers, love the place and the kids love the new splash zone.

Taine

Just booked our first ferry plus car trip to France for late July early August. Myself, herself and 4 kids..... We're getting the boat to Cherbourg and then driving about 4 and a half hours to a place called Domaine de kerlann in Brittany. Has anyone stayed there before? it seems to be fairly good on any reviews I've seen. Hopefully it all goes well as its a type of holiday I'd love to do every year. Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated. I know there's probably loads of tips on this thread already but there's alot of pages and as I've already mentioned the 4 kids I don't have much time to go through hem all! :-)

average_runner

Taine wrote: »

Just booked our first ferry plus car trip to France for late July early August. Myself, herself and 4 kids..... We're getting the boat to Cherbourg and then driving about 4 and a half hours to a place called Domaine de kerlann in Brittany. Has anyone stayed there before? it seems to be fairly good on any reviews I've seen. Hopefully it all goes well as its a type of holiday I'd love to do every year. Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated. I know there's probably loads of tips on this thread already but there's alot of pages and as I've already mentioned the 4 kids I don't have much time to go through hem all! :-)

Most of the stops I found in France were McDonalds, so be prepared for that. They have a machine where you can order your food, it has an english menu so simple to use, just sit down in a zone.

Find a big super market, save yourself a fortune.
Dvd players for the car, computer tablets etc and a sat nav for yourself.

For the boat, avoid the steakhouse its not that good. The fancy restaurant is very good but maybe not ideal for kids.
Just use the bistro for ur meals.
Get some travel sickness tablets for the boat, just in case.
Whatever bags your planning to bring on the boat, keep accessible easily in the car.
Get roof carrier, they are great., especially for the wine on the way home.
Don't buy the wine by the boat as its expensive, find a local coop where your staying, you get a great bargain

Stone Deaf 4evr

Taine wrote: »

Just booked our first ferry plus car trip to France for late July early August. Myself, herself and 4 kids..... We're getting the boat to Cherbourg and then driving about 4 and a half hours to a place called Domaine de kerlann in Brittany. Has anyone stayed there before? it seems to be fairly good on any reviews I've seen. Hopefully it all goes well as its a type of holiday I'd love to do every year. Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated. I know there's probably loads of tips on this thread already but there's alot of pages and as I've already mentioned the 4 kids I don't have much time to go through hem all! :-)

That was our first campsite in france as well.

its a nice spot, about 2 to 3 miles from the village of pont-aven, which is a fairly quiet place, but very scenic, The shop on the campsite has infrequent opening hours and is pretty expensive with a small selection, but thats pretty much par for the course with any campsite shop.

not too far away is the town of quimperle, where there are massive E. Leclerc and Aldi / Lidl store which will make thing much handier for you if you're doing a big shop, but you can exit the campsite, and turn right to find an intermarche about 2 miles up the road that should be pretty good for anything you need in a pinch.


we never really ate in the restaurant (the weather meant bbq most nights) but the bar was a nice building with sky sports available if you asked at the counter.

The campsite is a very nice layout, the mobile homes aren't right on top of each other like in some campsites and there are plenty of open grassy areas and trees around the park as well.

enjoy!

oh, and if you like it enough to return, its only 1.5 hours of a journey from roscoff if you'd rather do your driving on this site of the sea by getting the ferry from cork.