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

Munsterbhoy

dobad wrote: »

How far is the actual journey from roscoff to la sirene??? Its defo somewhere I'd like to try out, but would one wk be enough to do this in, especially when it would be our first time in France?

Hi we are doing this journey in early june 2+2(12,8). We drove to Le Brasilia in 2014 and we made it in the one day, it took 11 hrs with a couple of short stops,Le Brasilia would be quite near La Sirene.We prefer to do the long haul in one day and the kids are well used to driving in France. We have all the usual things to keep the kids entertained dvd,ipad etc. We always go out with Brittany Ferries on the saturday and this gets in very early sunday when you really have the roads to yourself.You would really need 2 weeks min in France when going so far south. We usually break up the journey in the Loire Valley on the way back up for 3 nights. We always take the car to France and next year we re hoping to take in Switzerland/Italy and then France .

dobad

Thanks for that. Might look at venturing further south next year. Just booked our hols for The Vendee Region Delighted and this thread defo spurs you on to do it. Cant wait

SusanC10

More advance planning here

Can someone explain how Landbridge works and specifically the fares ? With Irish Ferries

So for example we want to leave Dublin on a Tuesday in June and sail to Holyhead, drive across the UK spending 3 nights there and then on a Friday get the Ferry from Portsmouth to Cherbourg / Caen / Le Harve. We would rather avoid Calais. And then Return from France from Roscoff or Cherbourg to Rosslare on a Saturday in July.

I have read this link http://www.irishferries.com/Documents/France2016/LBG_BrittanyFerries2016.pdf

So for a car with a Height to 2.25m with a Driver, 1 Adult Passenger and 2 Kids as outlined above is it €454 ? Do I then add in the Sailing from Dublin to Holyhead ? And then the Return journey Direct from France to Ireland ?

Am a bit confused so all advice appreciated ! And any other tips/advice from someone who has used the option.

Thanks in advance

Munsterbhoy

Go on to Stena line then europe by car and put in where you want to go, just had a quick look and it would be the bones of €600 (200 IRE-UK 400 UK-FRA)then your FRA-IRE ferry. Give them a ring for more accurate prices.Did u look at using the tunnel which is way cheaper but depends on your final destination in France.We used it one year going to Disney and it was so fast n easy.

munchkin_utd

SusanC10 wrote: »

<snip>
So for a car with a Height to 2.25m with a Driver, 1 Adult Passenger and 2 Kids as outlined above is it €454 ? Do I then add in the Sailing from Dublin to Holyhead ? And then the Return journey Direct from France to Ireland ?

Am a bit confused so all advice appreciated ! And any other tips/advice from someone who has used the option.

Thanks in advance

well, I calculate that (a car over 1.9m, so assuming you have a van or something like that) is €449

But, thats land bridge which means Irl->UK plus UK-Continent all on one ticket at one price.
You ring them up (its only do-able by phone) and they can confirm the Irish Ferries crossing on the spot, and you then give them the preference for the date and time of the Britanny Ferries crossing(which they then organise within the next 24hours)

I've done it a number of times via Dover or Dunkirk and never a problem, and can be great value.
Many give negative comments about it as to them France=Britanny/Normandy so OBVIOUSLY a ferry arriving in Britanny or Normandy is good for those destinations, but if you are driving to the south then strangely enough its a similar distance from Cherbourg as from Calais.

BTW, for you that is looking to get the Britanny ferries from Southampton/ Portsmouth area, should you have small kids you might consider a visit en route to Peppa Pig world which is near Southampton, and Stonehenge is no distance from there either .

Stone Deaf 4evr

A bit off topic, but bear with me.


Just gotten a notification to let me know that there won't be any wifi facilities at camping la sirene during our trip.

I have an old android phone that supports tethering of connections, is it possible to buy a pre-pay sim with a data only package that I can top up online? I've seen other posters mention dongles etc in the past, but I'd ideall like something that i can connect multiple devices to.

any help appreciated.

SusanC10

@ Munsterbhoy and munchkin - Thanks for the replies.

I am just doing advance research at the mo for 2017 as we have booked our 2016 trip going Rosslare-Cherbourg and return with Irish Ferries. But if we like the whole France-Ferry-Camping thing then I want to book 2017 campsites as soon as we get back this summer and I want to get an idea if what we want is do-able.

I hadn't realised that the Landbridge price included the trip from Dublin to Holyhead and also from the UK to France so that is good. Would also now consider the Tunnel which would be cheaper - rang Irish Ferries and they said €269 for both IRE-UK & UK-FRA using tunnel (using sample dates in 2016) which is great ! Am a bit nervous of Calais. Has anyone gone through there recently ?

munchkin_utd

SusanC10 wrote: »

I hadn't realised that the Landbridge price included the trip from Dublin to Holyhead and also from the UK to France so that is good. Would also now consider the Tunnel which would be cheaper - rang Irish Ferries and they said €269 for both IRE-UK & UK-FRA using tunnel (using sample dates in 2016) which is great ! Am a bit nervous of Calais. Has anyone gone through there recently ?

I came through Dunkirk there at christmas on the landbridge, no problem at all.

Calais though does seem to worse affected but I havent heard a thing recently since they moved a load into better accomodation there.
Even there, its the trucks that are taking the brunt of it and its bad when leaving France, but not arriving so for your plan you'll be grand.

I only took the tunnel once, and the ferry the rest of the time. The Tunnel is quicker and a little more reliable on departing on time, so if the hour and a bit makes a difference (which it can on some itineraries) then it can pay for itsself if its the difference between a long journey needing a hotel stay or not.

Doing it all in one go might be too much, but you can get a family room in a premier inn near the tunnel (Ashford for instance) for about €40. If you wanted to do something touristy, Canterbury is also in the area and is worth a stop.

Stone Deaf 4evr

SusanC10 wrote: »

@ Munsterbhoy and munchkin - Thanks for the replies.

I am just doing advance research at the mo for 2017 as we have booked our 2016 trip going Rosslare-Cherbourg and return with Irish Ferries. But if we like the whole France-Ferry-Camping thing then I want to book 2017 campsites as soon as we get back this summer and I want to get an idea if what we want is do-able.

I hadn't realised that the Landbridge price included the trip from Dublin to Holyhead and also from the UK to France so that is good. Would also now consider the Tunnel which would be cheaper - rang Irish Ferries and they said €269 for both IRE-UK & UK-FRA using tunnel (using sample dates in 2016) which is great ! Am a bit nervous of Calais. Has anyone gone through there recently ?

just from my own experience, it was possible to book your following years holidays on the day of departures. (with siblu anyway)


as in, on the day of checkout on summer 2015, I had the option of paying €50 deposit for my 2016 holiday.

54and56

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

A bit off topic, but bear with me.


Just gotten a notification to let me know that there won't be any wifi facilities at camping la sirene during our trip.

I have an old android phone that supports tethering of connections, is it possible to buy a pre-pay sim with a data only package that I can top up online? I've seen other posters mention dongles etc in the past, but I'd ideall like something that i can connect multiple devices to.

any help appreciated.

Hi SD4E,

That's a bit of a bummer. I rely quite a bit on the camp WiFi for both work and entertainment during the holiday. Won't they even have free WiFi in the office/bar area?

In theory you can do what you're proposing i.e. get a SIM card for a phone and use it in Tethering mode to re-broadcast internet access via WiFi i.e. the phone becomes a WiFi hotspot. I use that setup all the time when travelling to connect my laptop to the internet and I tried it in France last year using an old phone as you are planning to but the signal where were were was crap. It was old 2.5g and 3g so slow and unreliable compared to the 3.5g and now 4g we are used to.

I'd say if you can somehow suss out what networks are offering 3.5g and 4g coverage in the La Sirene area and one of them is a partner of Three.co.uk then get yourself a prepaid Three.co.uk sim card with all you can eat data for one month and take advantage of Three UK's "Feel At Home" service. You need to register the sim a number of months before going so do your homework to make sure you'll qualify for free roaming when you get there. Something like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BFQ3RXU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00 might work but you'd have to get it delivered via Parcel Motel or Parcel Wizard to Newry first and you'd have to find an online service which will allow you to use an Irish credit card to top up a UK sim. If you try to top up the UK sim on three.co.uk using a non UK credit card it won't let you.

It's a bit of a hassle and no guarantee after all that that when you get there the signal will be good enough to use.

I knew I'd a bit more info on this from last year - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=96019574&postcount=422

Looks like Camping La Sirene is just at the outer limits of 4g coverage by SFR - http://www.sensorly.com/map/4G/FR/France/SFR/lte_20810#q=Camping+La+Sir%C3%A8ne%2C+Route+de+Taxo%2C+66700+Argel%C3%A8s-sur-Mer%2C+France|coverage but is close to a decent 4g signal from Orange Telecom http://www.sensorly.com/map/4G/FR/France/Orange/lte_20801#q=Camping+La+Sir%C3%A8ne%2C+Route+de+Taxo%2C+66700+Argel%C3%A8s-sur-Mer%2C+France|coverage and Orange Telecom provide the network infrastructure for Free Mobile who are one of Three.co.uk's roaming partner in France along with Bouygues but they don't appear to have great coverage near La Sirene either - http://www.sensorly.com/map/4G/FR/France/Bouygues-Telecom/lte_20820#q=Camping+La+Sir%C3%A8ne%2C+Route+de+Taxo%2C+66700+Argel%C3%A8s-sur-Mer%2C+France|coverage

Your safest bet might be to get a PAYG sim from Vodafone here, pay the €2.99 per day Red Roaming fee http://www.vodafone.ie/roaming/data-on-your-phone/ which would come to €42 for 14 days and in return you'd get up to 200mb per day on whatever network has the best signal at La Sirene. You won't be streaming any movies of GAA matches on such a signal with a 200mb per day limit but it would be loads for general browsing.

dobad

So as the heading says we are first time campers heading to France, what do we need to know??
I know the campsite mobile homes don't have tv's so do they all have WiFi if we brought the laptop?
Is there anything you forgot your first time and were raging about and never forgot again!
Tips for the ferry crossing even?

Cianmcliam

I used the UK Three sim last year, crap speeds everywhere we had signal. Could get email and Google things but that was about it. Went in to an Orange store and bought one of their 'SIM for tablet' pay as you go sims and it was marginally better.

otterboy

Im thinking of doing the same this year - 2016
were you able to pick your pitch number?

any idea where the "excellence" mobile homes are (or are they spread over the campsite)

like you looking to stay away from nightly entertainment......

any advice from anyone on this campsite?

thanks!

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Hi,

Does anyone have any experience staying in La Reserve campsite? I've booked an Excellence mobile home with Siblu for for next year and I'm looking for some advice on what part of the park to request we stay in. My preference would be to be towards the beach (preferably looking right over the beach) as that would likley have the least late night traffic and be furthest away from the nightly entertainment.

Any suggestions based on this map? If you have previously stayed in a particularly nice mobile home i.e. well equipped and/or with a good outside area including a covered terrace and you can remember the pitch number that would be great.

54and56

Cianmcliam wrote: »

I used the UK Three sim last year, crap speeds everywhere we had signal. Could get email and Google things but that was about it. Went in to an Orange store and bought one of their 'SIM for tablet' pay as you go sims and it was marginally better.

I recall reading somewhere that roaming SIM cards in France don't generally get access to the 4G network, even if it is available as 4G is on a premium tarriff not covered by existing roaming agreements. I'm completely open to correction on this but it might explain why so many people can only get old 2.5g (EDGE and GPRS) connections a lot of the time. They were designed for old WAP type applications, not for browsing the WWW on Smartphones and Tablets. 2.5g will allow you to slowly download and upload some emails but it's painful. A few years ago when there wasn't useable WiFi on a site we were on and I didn't have 3g tethering I used to get up early, cycle to a patisserie in the nearby village which was beside a McDonalds where I would have a nice coffee and croissant whilst using the McDonalds free WiFi to catch up on work on my laptop and then return to the campsite with croissants for the family who would typically still be in bed. I'm an early riser and quite enjoyed an hour to myself first thing in the morning before the day cranked into action.

huskerdu

In my experience some campsites have WiFi for a reasonable charge and some have WiFi for an outrageous price. Even the price was reasonable it wasn't good enough to stream video. You can contact the camp site and ask in advance.

If you are renting towels and sheets, expect poor quality. I have always brought my own.

Its hard to generalise but there should be a comprehensive list of what your mobile home is equipped with on the website.

Don't expect an oven, hairdryer or a toaster unless expressly stated.

Have you booked with Eurocamp or directly with a French campsite, there is a difference in what is supplied.

Anyway, you can buy anything there, that you are missing.

dobad

Thanks for that, I was undecided as to whether bring our own sheets and towels, but I definitely will now.
I must email the site about WiFi, we booked through kelair

BMurf88

Campervan seems like the way to go! Does anyone have any suggestions for what to do with a campervan with the game in Paris though?

BMurf88

Hello all,

I had a bucket load of questions about what to do with the campervan we have hired for the Euros this summer, so I felt starting a thread where people can voice their questions could be a good idea as I hope there are a few other who are as unsure as I am!

In short, group of 4 lads traveling over On Saturday the 11th and finishing up in Lille after the Italy game. Assuming there are a few others that have decided renting a campervan is the best option, the question that has been plaguing my mind recently has been:

What are people doing with their campervans with the game in Paris???? - There doesn't seem to be any campsites available close to the city. We have been looking at potentially using a campsite in Versailles. On paper, St Denis for the first games looks very accessible from there but would like know what others have planned.

54and56

otterboy wrote: »

Im thinking of doing the same this year - 2016
were you able to pick your pitch number?

any idea where the "excellence" mobile homes are (or are they spread over the campsite)

like you looking to stay away from nightly entertainment......

any advice from anyone on this campsite?

thanks!

Hi Otterboy, it's our first time going to La Reserve so I'm not sure where the best location is. From what I've read on Trip Advisor it is best to avoid pitches close to the entertainment area and pitches which are on the path(s) to the beach i.e. the pitches on the route past the roundabout on the map below as there can be a lot of late night traffic on these with teenagers heading to the beach late at night etc.



We are also getting an Excellence. As they are bigger and more expensive I hope they will generally be on larger pitches but that's just an assumption/hope. I think if I had a choice I would look for a pitch in the area 202 to 217 which is away from the entertainment but near the beach whilst not being on the path to the beach. I'm sure these are very popular though.

This will be our 5th year renting an Excellence from Siblu out of the 6 years we've been using them (had to cancel our Excellence last year due to a family bereavement but got an Elegance when we rebooked later in the summer) and our third year doing so for three weeks. I may be wrong but Siblu do try to accommodate your preferences and the more loyal you are to them the more accommodating they try to be. We always ask for a fully covered deck and two years ago when the mobile home we were allocated didn't have a cover on the decking they erected one the day we arrived. They said to us that as we were staying for three weeks they knew we'd appreciate the covered deck. It may have been pure BS and they may have been planning to put the deck up anyway (It was definitely brand new when we arrived as we could see some of the saw dust from the drilling and sawing etc) but it did make us feel welcome and when I needed some assistance from them last year re-booking due to the bereavement they couldn't have been more helpful.

This year in La Reserve our booking includes a request for decking, air con and to be located in a quiet area of the site. Of the three requests I'm least interested in the air con, it's a nice to have in case there's a heat wave but the other two are important. Only time will tell whether we get a good pitch with a covered decking or not. Fingers crossed.

The TripAdvisor reviews are here - https://www.tripadvisor.ie/Hotel_Review-g1493296-d1054728-Reviews-Siblu_Villages_La_Reserve-Gastes_Landes_Aquitaine.html The general gist of the reviews is that it's a great site but if you're located close to the entertainment and/or the path to the beach and want a quiet life or want to be able to sleep early or have kids sleep early you should make sure to be located in a quiet area.

Really looking forward to it I have to say!!!

54and56

Just got a promo email from Siblu with some discounted deals available until Feb 29th. Might be of some use to people who haven't booked yet and aren't on the loyalty/customer email database.

Here are the offers:-

Les Bois Dormant - https://reservations.siblu.com/siblu/type?0&lan=en&dc=dbinteu&resort=VQ&stay=week&startdate=13072016%3FCMP%3DEMC-IE-02-160224-30400476556cd75f&emmid=3133&emcid=11280110

Domaine de Kerlann - https://reservations.siblu.com/siblu/type?1&lan=en&dc=dbinteu&resort=BK&stay=week&startdate=25062016&property=2be%3FCMP%3DEMC-IE-02-160224-30400476556cd75f&emmid=3133&emcid=11280110

Domaine de Dugny - https://reservations.siblu.com/siblu/type?2&lan=en&dc=dbinteu&resort=LD&stay=week&startdate=09072016&property=2be%3FCMP%3DEMC-IE-02-160224-30400476556cd75f&emmid=3133&emcid=11280110

Le Montourey - https://reservations.siblu.com/siblu/type?3&lan=en&dc=dbinteu&resort=ZM&stay=week&startdate=16072016&property=2be%3FCMP%3DEMC-IE-02-160224-30400476556cd75f&emmid=3133&emcid=11280110

Le Lac des Reves - https://reservations.siblu.com/siblu/type?4&lan=en&dc=dbinteu&resort=GR&stay=week&startdate=09072016&property=2be%3FCMP%3DEMC-IE-02-160224-30400476556cd75f&emmid=3133&emcid=11280110

La Pignade - https://reservations.siblu.com/siblu/type?5&lan=en&dc=dbinteu&resort=CP&stay=week&startdate=23072016&property=2be%3FCMP%3DEMC-IE-02-160224-30400476556cd75f&emmid=3133&emcid=11280110

DISCLAIMER: I'm not saying the above are good deals, I haven't examined them in any detail so do check against booking via the regular siblu website and against comparable sites from other operators etc.

Stone Deaf 4evr

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Just got a promo email from Siblu with some discounted deals available until Feb 29th. Might be of some use to people who haven't booked yet and aren't on the loyalty/customer email database.

Here are the offers:-

Les Bois Dormant - https://reservations.siblu.com/siblu/type?0&lan=en&dc=dbinteu&resort=VQ&stay=week&startdate=13072016%3FCMP%3DEMC-IE-02-160224-30400476556cd75f&emmid=3133&emcid=11280110

Domaine de Kerlann - https://reservations.siblu.com/siblu/type?1&lan=en&dc=dbinteu&resort=BK&stay=week&startdate=25062016&property=2be%3FCMP%3DEMC-IE-02-160224-30400476556cd75f&emmid=3133&emcid=11280110

Domaine de Dugny - https://reservations.siblu.com/siblu/type?2&lan=en&dc=dbinteu&resort=LD&stay=week&startdate=09072016&property=2be%3FCMP%3DEMC-IE-02-160224-30400476556cd75f&emmid=3133&emcid=11280110

Le Montourey - https://reservations.siblu.com/siblu/type?3&lan=en&dc=dbinteu&resort=ZM&stay=week&startdate=16072016&property=2be%3FCMP%3DEMC-IE-02-160224-30400476556cd75f&emmid=3133&emcid=11280110

Le Lac des Reves - https://reservations.siblu.com/siblu/type?4&lan=en&dc=dbinteu&resort=GR&stay=week&startdate=09072016&property=2be%3FCMP%3DEMC-IE-02-160224-30400476556cd75f&emmid=3133&emcid=11280110

La Pignade - https://reservations.siblu.com/siblu/type?5&lan=en&dc=dbinteu&resort=CP&stay=week&startdate=23072016&property=2be%3FCMP%3DEMC-IE-02-160224-30400476556cd75f&emmid=3133&emcid=11280110

DISCLAIMER: I'm not saying the above are good deals, I haven't examined them in any detail so do check against booking via the regular siblu website and against comparable sites from other operators etc.

I got a phone call from siblu last week asking if I was planning on travelling this year. The girl on the phone seemed genuinely surprised that I was going to a different camp operator.

average_runner

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

I got a phone call from siblu last week asking if I was planning on travelling this year. The girl on the phone seemed genuinely surprised that I was going to a different camp operator.

Where you going this year if you don't mind me asking?

54and56

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

I got a phone call from siblu last week asking if I was planning on travelling this year. The girl on the phone seemed genuinely surprised that I was going to a different camp operator.

It's good to change things up now and again otherwise you get complacent and you may be settling for what you think is great but isn't relative to what others are offering. I've been loyal to Siblu for 5-6 years and given the help they gave me last year when I needed it I'm happy to go back, albeit to a different campsite, this year but going forward I'll probably want to try something in Italy or Spain via fly/drive so it'll be a blank sheet of paper as to what operator I give my hard earned holiday money to.

munchkin_utd

BMurf88 wrote: »

<snip>

What are people doing with their campervans with the game in Paris???? - There doesn't seem to be any campsites available close to the city. We have been looking at potentially using a campsite in Versailles. On paper, St Denis for the first games looks very accessible from there but would like know what others have planned.

my camper van friends are simply getting an air b n b apartment on the north side of town and staying there for the couple of nights.

definitely more practical than sitting on a train for well over an hour to get anywhere useful.

webpal

BMurf88 wrote: »

Campervan seems like the way to go! Does anyone have any suggestions for what to do with a campervan with the game in Paris though?

http://www.paris-camping.fr/

This seems close enough, seems to be recommend for Disneyland stays too

Stone Deaf 4evr

average_runner wrote: »

Where you going this year if you don't mind me asking?

Heading to La sirene near perpignan.

@je suis Jean, that's exactly our thinking, we've only ever been to siblus camps so decided to mix it up this year and see how we get on. I couldn't fault siblu, we've always been well looked after.

juneg

DW2014 wrote: »

Young and Happy Hostel & Budget Hotel

Arrival/Departure: 12 JUN 16 / 14 JUN 16
(No of Rooms) Room Type: (1) Twin Sh.Bath
No of People: 2

Booked accommodation but can no longer go.

140 euro
No offers under the asking price

Accommodation for Ireland v Sweden match in Paris in case anyone is wondering

MelachiT

I've just booked an Easter trip to France with Irish Ferries on the OW.
Then noticed on their site that their sailings up to 10 March are cancelled. It seems there was a fire on board
when it was being brought back from being in dry dock.
Anyone know when they plan to have this ship back in action?

Nekarsulm

Is this correct? If you Google "fire on Oscar Wilde" you get reports of a fire on 3rd March 2010 off the coast of Cornwall.

Stone Deaf 4evr

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Is this correct? If you Google "fire on Oscar Wilde" you get reports of a fire on 3rd March 2010 off the coast of Cornwall.

http://www.irishferries.com/ie-en/sailing-update/


showing as cancelled alright,