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

Fann Linn

I'm off to Des Ormes first two weeks in July next year. Allcamps are quoting me €1500 plus as opposed to €1200 plus for the same mobile with Eurocamp. Can't compare with Homair.

Crumtrin

Wow, Allcamps are quoting me 1400 for two weeks as opposed to 1750 with Eurocamp for a newer bigger mobile.

ellee

No, but when I was at Des Menhirs in Carnac in 2019 that had become an Homair site. I'd say they're fine, well known and used etc. I used Al Fresco that year on Des Menhirs and it was better value than booking direct which I usually do.

Fann Linn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118019316#Comment_118019316

That's great deal. I'll certainly add these two to my email list as never heard of them before today.

beggars_bush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118020231#Comment_118020231

Often get better prices going direct to campsites own website.

Made the decision, we booked flights today. Ferry too expensive

loyatemu

Anyone know where I can get European Breakdown Cover for a single trip? Irish Ferries used to offer it as an add-on but they seem to have got rid of all their insurance options.

All I can find are annual policies where including Europe jacks the price up massively, & we're only going for a week. Our car insurance only includes Ireland and UK.

Peckham

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118020520#Comment_118020520

The only one I could find this year was AA. Not cheap though. 129 euro for 2 weeks.

loyatemu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118022152#Comment_118022152

breakdowncover.ie is €84 for the year if you want European cover, but it's annoying to have to pay for a year when I already have Irl/UK cover and don't plan on getting the ferry next year.

Fann Linn

You'd want to read the small print too. I availed of car cover going to France a few years back and when I got down to the nitty gritty of it all verification would be required that car was serviced as per manufacturers requirements etc.

Now I get my car serviced annually but (a) it's not always done on its birthday and (b) I haven't gone to a main dealer in years to get it done and (c) the parts arents OEM but rather what's bought from the local trade or Mick's Garage.

If the unfortunate did happen outside Cherbourg or Roscoff I don't know if the local French breakdown service would actually look after you or tow you back to port if you didn't tick all of the boxes.

Caveat Emptor.

loyatemu

fair enough - the car is still under warranty, main thing I want is if we break down somewhere I can ring an english-speaking number and get rescued.

Macy0161

Delighted to be back on this thread... Anyone any experiences of Le Pin Parasol - two teens, so looking for enough to keep them occupied without being too all night rave/ roaming teens?

Crumtrin

Cancelled with Eurocamp and booked with Allcamps (with Homair) saved just under €500 including discounts in comparison and for a premium exclusive mobile with AC, TV and WIFI for free (For one device). Takes the sting out of the Irish Ferries daylight robbery prices !!!

pmpa

Booked Irish Ferries yesterday for outwards journey. Had Brittany Ferries booked for return leg for months. I'm looking forward to see what the W.B. Yeats is like. €990 for I.F. one way in July is crazy money but I had Tesco boost tokens so only had to pay €220. Will not be using the ferry next year if prices are as high for ferries.

Not going to a campsite for the first time. Booked a holiday home. Only thing left to book is two nights accommodation when we arrive in France. We did a lot of the WW2 sites a few years back, Mont St. Michel and Puy du Fou so trying to find somewhere else interesting to visit for those 2 days.

I feel great that our holiday is booked.

paruss100

Has anyone stayed at Les Mouettes? Seems to be the best value for July and is close to Roscoff.

murphym7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118038124#Comment_118038124

We stayed there in 2019. It was July and unseasonably cool. Overall we found it to be a very good site and the small lad had a great time. Only issue was that the outside pools were pretty cold, probably just unlucky while we were there with the weather. We'll be going further south next summer. We stayed close to the ferry as the small fella was only 3 and we didn't fancy a long drive to get better weather.

Uncle Pierre

On a similar note - anybody ever stayed at La Guyonniere in the Vendée region?

https://www.camping-guyonniere.com/en/

Looking at it because we'll now be doing one leg of the trip with Brittany Ferries from Rosslare instead of using Tesco token with Stena in both directions (and yes, I know the boats are basic, but they'll get us there all right!). That frees up Tesco tokens to use with hotels.com instead, and that's one of the campsites that I can book there...

54and56

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118022705#Comment_118022705

We (family of 4) usually go to Siblu La Reserve middle of July and take a large mobile for almost 3 weeks which last year cost bang on €3,000 including cleaning fee, sheets and towels etc.

Was looking to book in the newer "Nature En Sens" area of Pin Parasol this year but the absolute cheapest accommodation they have for 19 nights from mid July is €4,800 and their top end unit's are over €6,000.

Tried booking online and calling to see if more realistic pricing could be secured but no dice.

Unless pricing drops considerably Pin Parasol won't be happening for us this year, I simply can't justify €250 a night for a mobile home / prefab chalet. I want to rent it, not buy it!!

SusanC10

Booked the Ferry. IF. Almost €1,900 Return with Flexi. 3 Adults, 1 child (Our eldest now considered an adult) Have never paid this much before. But have Credit plus Tesco tokens to cover it.

treascon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118040899#Comment_118040899

Wow that’s mad money! We are considering this site for next year, 10 nights with our caravan €1100, a bit more realistic 😜

MorganIRL

Have booked our hols for next year.. 1st 2 wks of August. 1700 IF ferry, 2A 3K, with caravan. 2 wks in Domain Les ormes 1200 for 120sq metre pitch with Lecky. Such a jump in prices this yr.. only for I have to use the credit with IF it wud be hard to justify the increase.

medic112

Anyone any recommendations for somewhere to stay for 4 nights june 30th -july 4th, family of 5. Brittney/Vendee area, camps or hotel. Thanks.

jay0109

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042719#Comment_118042719

Same re the price of Ferries. Mad prices...nearly 2k for 2 + 4. It's up by 50% since I first started holidaying with them about 6 or 7 years ago

oinkely

Given the rising prices on the direct ferries I might look into landbridge with a stop in legoland or something like that.

Anyone who has gone through the UK - can you tell me do you book the legs seperately? What's the best way of figuring out the UK to France leg? Cheers

manshay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118047877#Comment_118047877

Warning post brexit: Customs and passport checks take much longer. Travelling Ireland-UK in the past while we have waited up to 60 minutes at Fishguard for customs/passport checks, previously you just drove straight through. It could make landbridge a PITA

josip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118047877#Comment_118047877

Landbridged back this year and we usually landbridge one of the 2 legs of our trip. Always take the tunnel, 2 of my other 3 passengers don't have sea legs so avoid wave motion wherever possible. In the beginning we used to book it as one purchase via Stena, but I don't think it was ever like a plane ticket where both legs counted as the same trip. So in recent years we have booked separately. I don't think there can be any extra checks put on on the Irlsh-Welsh side because of the CTA? but we had to spend €300 this year on Covid tests coming from France into the UK. Hopefully by next summer, that cost will have reduced a bit.

We've done Legoland a couple of times as a stopover (Germany also), we hope to do Harry Potter and Longleat some other time. But we often also just drive straight across. There's a tennis court in Lanfairfeckin we burn off any surplus energy at before the ferry back. We usually allow 8 hours to get from port to port, but it only takes 6.

Landbridging is most convenient if you're heading to the east of Toulon or Italy/Croatia, although we've also done Narbonne-Calais. I'd imagine landbridging to the West Coast would have you thinking if it would have been better to take a direct to France ferry, although at those prices many wouldn't. Whenever we're in the mood for the west coast or Pyrenees we go direct.

ellee

I'm only 3/4 booked.

Doing 7 nights in Dordogne, then going to coast and back up to Cherbourg. Coast end unbooked so far.

Looking at

>Camping La Cote Sauvage

>Camping Les Grands Pins (Yelloh)

>Camping Bonne Anse Plage (Siblu)

Anyone any experience of these sites? Are they v hectic? I really dislike too many animations. Looking for a place by the beach if poss so I can escape the animations during the day...

MizMix

We're booking les grand pins this year- just waiting for bookings to open. Spoke to a few who went and really loved it. We're going around 23rd June so not expecting it to be too hectic

yaknowski

Booked Ryanair to La Rochelle for 2+5 in late Aug 2022 for 800.

We usually go to Jean de Monts. Any recommendations for sites a bit further south, around Royan etc?

54and56

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118052698#Comment_118052698

Bonne Anse Plage literally backs onto a coastal bike path which enables you to get away from animations etc fairly easily but they're isn't a beach right outside, you need to go a couple of KMs left or right to access a useable beach IIRC.

54and56

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118069243#Comment_118069243

Bonne Anse Plage is about 20km North of Royan. Very well run site (8 years since I was last there) with amazing but not overly visited beaches nearby and a superb Zoo 10 minutes away, http://www.zoo-palmyre.fr