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

alowe

jay0109 wrote: »

I cannot get any discount code to work online in conjunction with Tesco tokens. Don't think it's possible.

But alowe, are you saying if I ring them that I can then use both together? Is there an extra charge for making a booking over the phone v's online?

I couldn't get it online either, but yes if you ring you can pay €100 deposit with card, and remainder with tokens. I would think its possible to pay all with tokens, but I don't have mine yet. I'm not sure how the discount works - I think it was the cost of the ferry less 15%, then add on the €20 each way extra for the tesco tokens, plus possibly a €6 admin fee - which I think they charge anyway. It wasn't the full cost of my ferry when I got a price online with tesco tokens less 15%.

jay0109

Thanks alowe.

1 other question for experienced travellers out there.
I just priced Irish ferries for Rosslare-Cherbourg : out this weekend and back 2 weeks later. €852 all in which surprised me.
Would this be the same if booking within a few weeks of departing next June/July? Will it be a few hundred euro cheaper to book late on rather than 10 months in advance?

webpal

For anyone travelling to Rosslare between now and 23rd September, there are roadworks on the N25 after the Rosslare road roundabout just outside Wexford town which involve a stop go system. Probably a good idea to leave yourself some extra time to get to the ferry. There are no other major routes around and unless you know the area, I would recommend you stick to the N25.

Carawaystick

SusanC10 wrote: »

2. Has anyone done Landbridge through the UK ? We only want to do it 1-Way and will return direct to Ireland. We are thinking Dublin - Holyhead and then EuroTunnel Folkestone - Calais. Is the normal Ferry or the Fast Ferry better for the Dublin - Holyhead route ?

Did Landbridge last year and this year.
It's ~380 for a car and passengers to get to Holyhead return , and it's £50 pounds each way for a car ferry Dover to Calais.
The Chunnel prices vary, last year we paid £100 return, and this year I paid EUR130 single.

It's about 6 hours driving through Britain, all on Dual carriageway or Motorway. So factor a tank of diesel each way, and £5 for the M6 Toll

We spent a night in England going over, and came back non-stop.

54and56

jay0109 wrote: »

Thanks alowe.

1 other question for experienced travellers out there.
I just priced Irish ferries for Rosslare-Cherbourg : out this weekend and back 2 weeks later. €852 all in which surprised me.
Would this be the same if booking within a few weeks of departing next June/July? Will it be a few hundred euro cheaper to book late on rather than 10 months in advance?

I'd say end of June/July are busier periods than August but that's just a guess. If you have your accommodation booked and paid for you could be risking not getting on at all in peak season in order to potentially save a few hundred Euro.

Worst case scenario I guess is there is no availability if you leave it too late and you have to do a land bridge via the UK to get to your destination.

average_runner

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

I'd say end of June/July are busier periods than August but that's just a guess. If you have your accommodation booked and paid for you could be risking not getting on at all in peak season in order to potentially save a few hundred Euro.

Worst case scenario I guess is there is no availability if you leave it too late and you have to do a land bridge via the UK to get to your destination.

The first of July with accomdation on the boat was booked out early this year.
Boat was packed on the way over, as primary schools finished that Thursday before it

Stone Deaf 4evr

Funnily enough, I'm considering a different option for my holidays next year, the hike in the ferry prices (and the campsites also seem to be getting more expensive) is a little off putting.

average_runner

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

Funnily enough, I'm considering a different option for my holidays next year, the hike in the ferry prices (and the campsites also seem to be getting more expensive) is a little off putting.

We are going to fly next year to France, into Bordeaux or La Rochelle.
Apparently a good sale happens in November, so should get the flights for 2 adults and 2 kids for 600-700 euro. Will hire the car for around 500 euro, so that's a saving of 400 almost there with less travel.

skibum

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

Funnily enough, I'm considering a different option for my holidays next year, the hike in the ferry prices (and the campsites also seem to be getting more expensive) is a little off putting.

We are looking at going back to France next year, been looking at the usual suspects through Siblu, Yelloh, eurocamp etc, finding the prices have gone up all over. Was told about http://www.franceloc.co.uk/ their prices are very good, not as big a choice of sites........

Munsterbhoy

average_runner wrote: »

We are going to fly next year to France, into Bordeaux or La Rochelle.
Apparently a good sale happens in November, so should get the flights for 2 adults and 2 kids for 600-700 euro. Will hire the car for around 500 euro, so that's a saving of 400 almost there with less travel.

Flying ourselves after 9yrs on the ferry, journey from perpignan to roscoff was murder this year even thou we overnighted 3/4's up, its just too long. looking at flying into Girona or Barcelona and doing 2 weeks in La Sirene and a week in Castell Montgri in early June. Love the ferry but when factoring in ferry costs, diesel , tolls and 11 hr drive each way we going to try flying and car hire. Roughly flights (2ad 2kids) 700 ,car hire 400 and platinium mobile 1300 for 3 weeks.

54and56

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

Funnily enough, I'm considering a different option for my holidays next year, the hike in the ferry prices (and the campsites also seem to be getting more expensive) is a little off putting.

SD4E, Like you I'm getting a little annoyed at the prices I'm being quoted by Siblu for next year. I don't think they realise there's going to be reduced demand for a number of reasons:-

1. Brexit - Travelling to Europe has just gotten much more expensive for Brits who make up a sizeable proportion of their customer base. Increasing prices will make Siblu even more expensive for Brits.

2. Terrorism - Unfortunately France is taking the brunt of radical Islamist terrorism. Personally I take the view that the little bit I can do it shove two fingers up to them and continue to holiday in France but it's understandable that a lot of people will simply choose to go elsewhere.

3. Recession - There is a real possibility of economic slowdown throughout Europe as a result of Brexit, Terrorism and general uncertainty and lack of confidence.

All of the above will reduce demand making price increases even harder to understand.

I've been quoted over €3,000 for next year in La Reserve with Siblu so I've been doing a bit of digging and depending on when you want to go there are private owners who will rent their mobile for considerably less, up to 40% less. Even if you have to buy fun passes there (€126 per week for 2 adults and 2 kids) you can still save considerably Vs renting from Siblu and owners often have upgraded their mobiles with better fixtures and fittings, air con, washing machines, Sky TV etc.

I made the mistake of booking my ferries and am now talking to some owners about renting but it's hard to get the exact dates I want whereas I'd recommend you contact the owners, find out what their availability is and once the mobile is booked then book your ferry. There are two mobiles in La Reserve which look good, are well located, competitively priced and have responsive owners who I can put you touch with if you like. Just PM me. One can't do the dates I'm looking for and the other is a large mobile but only 2 bed and we need a three bed layout.

Another little trick to potentially* reduce cost is to get Siblu to send you a quote in both Euro and Sterling. There is currently a €200 difference in my favour between the two prices I got. With the UK reducing interest rates and initiating a QE programme (printing money) I'd bet Sterling will drop even further over the coming months and if you have a Sterling fixed price from Siblu which you don't have to pay the balance on until next year I personally would wait and see if I can shave another €200 off the price in Euro. €400 off the Euro price I've been quoted would make next years holiday less than this years which is always good!!

* Sterling could of course strengthen considerably thus making the Euro cost of the holiday much more expensive. There is no guarantee, you are taking a chance. Don't come back here blaming me if it goes pear shaped on you :P

Stone Deaf 4evr

Cheers for that jean, my hassle is kind of twofold, I have a set window of opportunity for taking holidays during the year which is of course during peak times for everyone else. Also, we could really do with changing the car next year so I'm finding it hard to justify the rates on a lot of the sites & ferry when I could fly and rent an apartment or villa in Spain or Portugal for a lot less than the cost of the park alone.

I'd usually be booking a ferry around now but I'm definitely going to be waiting till after Christmas to see how things are shaking out. Another option I'm entertaining is to book my flights to girona for the dates I want then pick up a cancellation / late deal in one of the campsites in Angeles sur mer/ anywhere close.

average_runner

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

SD4E, Like you I'm getting a little annoyed at the prices I'm being quoted by Siblu for next year. I don't think they realise there's going to be reduced demand for a number of reasons:-

1. Brexit - Travelling to Europe has just gotten much more expensive for Brits who make up a sizeable proportion of their customer base. Increasing prices will make Siblu even more expensive for Brits.

2. Terrorism - Unfortunately France is taking the brunt of radical Islamist terrorism. Personally I take the view that the little bit I can do it shove two fingers up to them and continue to holiday in France but it's understandable that a lot of people will simply choose to go elsewhere.

3. Recession - There is a real possibility of economic slowdown throughout Europe as a result of Brexit, Terrorism and general uncertainty and lack of confidence.

All of the above will reduce demand making price increases even harder to understand.

I've been quoted over €3,000 for next year in La Reserve with Siblu so I've been doing a bit of digging and depending on when you want to go there are private owners who will rent their mobile for considerably less, up to 40% less. Even if you have to buy fun passes there (€126 per week for 2 adults and 2 kids) you can still save considerably Vs renting from Siblu and owners often have upgraded their mobiles with better fixtures and fittings, air con, washing machines, Sky TV etc.

I made the mistake of booking my ferries and am now talking to some owners about renting but it's hard to get the exact dates I want whereas I'd recommend you contact the owners, find out what their availability is and once the mobile is booked then book your ferry. There are two mobiles in La Reserve which look good, are well located, competitively priced and have responsive owners who I can put you touch with if you like. Just PM me. One can't do the dates I'm looking for and the other is a large mobile but only 2 bed and we need a three bed layout.

Another little trick to potentially* reduce cost is to get Siblu to send you a quote in both Euro and Sterling. There is currently a €200 difference in my favour between the two prices I got. With the UK reducing interest rates and initiating a QE programme (printing money) I'd bet Sterling will drop even further over the coming months and if you have a Sterling fixed price from Siblu which you don't have to pay the balance on until next year I personally would wait and see if I can shave another €200 off the price in Euro. €400 off the Euro price I've been quoted would make next years holiday less than this years which is always good!!

* Sterling could of course strengthen considerably thus making the Euro cost of the holiday much more expensive. There is no guarantee, you are taking a chance. Don't come back here blaming me if it goes pear shaped on you :P

We paid 1600 for our mobile home last year with aircon and tv.

Has yours gone up much on last year?

54and56

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

Cheers for that jean, my hassle is kind of twofold, I have a set window of opportunity for taking holidays during the year which is of course during peak times for everyone else. Also, we could really do with changing the car next year so I'm finding it hard to justify the rates on a lot of the sites & ferry when I could fly and rent an apartment or villa in Spain or Portugal for a lot less than the cost of the park alone.

I'd usually be booking a ferry around now but I'm definitely going to be waiting till after Christmas to see how things are shaking out. Another option I'm entertaining is to book my flights to girona for the dates I want then pick up a cancellation / late deal in one of the campsites in Angeles sur mer/ anywhere close.

I definitely hear you!!

IIRC your kids are fairly young so you might well be able to save a good chunk of money by not going to a campsite and still have a great family holiday. It's paradoxical that you can get a villa with a pool for less than a caravan in a campsite!! I seriously considered booking this https://www.homeaway.co.uk/p6006193#summary which is in Mimizan near La Reserve instead of La Reserve but when I asked the kids they initially loved the idea of their own pool and more space etc but quickly realised the real value of the campsite to them are the friendships they make which enable them to have fun all day and all night if they want to. In a stand alone villa/gite/apartment they'd be bored to tears and we'd end up having to find things to do all day every day to relieve the boredom. Bottom line is we'll end up paying more for less comfortable accommodation but ultimately it'll ensure the kids have lots to do all day which in turn takes pressure off us to be entertainment officers.

As soon as our two have upped sticks and no longer want to do family holidays it'll be comfort and price over entertainment for myself and my wife, I can guarantee you that!!

54and56

average_runner wrote: »

We paid 1600 for our mobile home last year with aircon and tv.

Has yours gone up much on last year?

We go for three weeks and this year it was €2,800 for a 3 bed Excellence for the last three weeks of July. Next year for three weeks, one week later so more "high season" in French terms is €3,400 but I haggled a bit and managed to get a very best price of €3,118 or £2,486 inc linen and towels which they threw in at the last minute just to try and keep me happy!!

I know three weeks in high season is a lot but I'm just not prepared to pay that much and I'm also not prepared to either downsize or move my dates so I've found over 40 owners in La Reserve looking to rent privately and for the same dates in same size mobiles often with a couple of bikes and fun passes thrown in I'm getting quotes of circa €2,000.

I know I won't have the comfort/security of dealing with a big established company and if I get ripped off by the owner I'll be on my own but ask the thousands of people who booked holidays with Low Cost Holidays this summer how booking with a large well established company worked out for them?

I believe in the human spirit and that most people are genuine and decent so I'll be happy enough to do a private deal in order to save €1,200 or so. That's the cost of the ferry right there!!

average_runner

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

We go for three weeks and this year it was €2,800 for a 3 bed Excellence for the last three weeks of July. Next year for three weeks, one week later so more "high season" in French terms is €3,400 but I haggled a bit and managed to get a very best price of €3,118 or £2,486 inc linen and towels which they threw in at the last minute just to try and keep me happy!!

I know three weeks in high season is a lot but I'm just not prepared to pay that much and I'm also not prepared to either downsize or move my dates so I've found over 40 owners in La Reserve looking to rent privately and for the same dates in same size mobiles often with a couple of bikes and fun passes thrown in I'm getting quotes of circa €2,000.

I know I won't have the comfort/security of dealing with a big established company and if I get ripped off by the owner I'll be on my own but ask the thousands of people who booked holidays with Low Cost Holidays this summer how booking with a large well established company worked out for them?

I believe in the human spirit and that most people are genuine and decent so I'll be happy enough to do a private deal in order to save €1,200 or so. That's the cost of the ferry right there!!

Totally understand, we work hard all year to get away, but god we don't want to be ripped off either.

We are looking at private owners in les charmettes, but don't think there be that much saving there. We dropped from three bed excellence to two bed elegance this year, because kids wanted to share and there is no two bed excellence. There wasn't much difference in them to be honest, but not much of a saving either.

Will also ask siblu for quotes today for three bed exellence and elegance with aircon

54and56

average_runner wrote: »

Totally understand, we work hard all year to get away, but god we don't want to be ripped off either.

We are looking at private owners in les charmettes, but don't think there be that much saving there. We dropped from three bed excellence to two bed elegance this year, because kids wanted to share and there is no two bed excellence. There wasn't much difference in them to be honest, but not much of a saving either.

Will also ask siblu for quotes today for three bed exellence and elegance with aircon

If you do a targeted search on https://www.homeaway.co.uk for Charente Maritime, use the filters to set the number of bedrooms you want and tick the mobile home box for type of property then use the map to zoom into Les Charmettes you'll find over 20 privately owned mobiles for rent.



Don't however get too excited by the advertised rates. The website can't do dynamic pricing (different pricing for different times of the year) so most mobiles are advertised at their low season rates. If you pick the dates you are interested use the "Enquire Now" option to send a message to the owner requesting pricing and any other info you want to know e.g. what their pitch # is, are fun passes included, is linen and towels included or not etc they'll get back to you with their pricing and you might find a bargain.

I contacted over 20 owners in La Reserve last night this way. It took me less than an hour as the Enquire Now form retains the previous message you sent to it's just a case of hitting resend.

So far I've had four replies three of which are at least 40% less than Siblu and one which is more so I think it's worth investing a little time to see if you can find a good deal.

BTW, IIRC you were going to do some jogging down to Bonne Anse Plage and back this year. How did that go for you? Did you have a look around Bonne Anse Plage? Is that an option for you next year?

average_runner

I didn't jog down in the end as the kids and wife want to go back to les charmettes, so I got out voted

They are afraid of change :rolleyes:

54and56

average_runner wrote: »

I didn't jog down in the end as the kids and wife want to go back to les charmettes, so I got out voted

They are afraid of change :rolleyes:

If it's not broken and all that!!

After two years in campsites (about 5 years ago) we decided to book a gite and what a mistaka to maka!! Looked great, 6 private gites with their own communal pool etc but after one day it was clear we'd have nothing to do all day so had to organise all kinds of (expensive) stuff to keep us busy. It was an OK holiday but in reality we made a huge mistake and returned to campsites the following year.

We (the kids) really missed the onsite kids clubs, the onsite sports facilities for playing football etc, the nightly entertainment, the ability to hang out with groups of new friends every day and just the whole idea of being able to allow them out and about on their bikes all day.

IMO once your kids get to age 6 they really value and benefit from the kind of freedom and confidence campsites give them. I thought that would only last until age 14/15 but my son who just did his Junior cert really enjoyed La Reserve this year and is keen to return next year so I reckon we'll get another 2 years out of it until the summer he does his Leaving Cert at which point I'm sure he'll want to head off with his pals to Ibiza rather than a campsite with us

Jpm123

Has anyone here used homeaway website to book their campsite. Their prices look very reasonable but I'm not familiar with the company so would be a bit apprehensive

54and56

Jpm123 wrote: »

Has anyone here used homeaway website to book their campsite. Their prices look very reasonable but I'm not familiar with the company so would be a bit apprehensive

The prices shown are usually the standard low season prices. To get an exact quote for the dates you want you need to send an enquiry to the owner.

In about to book next years mobile via homeaway. They are a well established company and offer security of payment etc so if the owner vanishes into thin air homeaway will refund your payment or give you a credit.

The big thing for me is that regardless of whether you book with an owner directly or via homeaway you are still relying on the owner to have the mobile in the advertised condition and not to cancel the booking at the last minute leaving you without a mobile. If an owner does cancel and you've booked through homeaway they'll help you book an alternative but it may not be on the same campsite, it all depends on what's available for the dates you want at the time you are trying to rebook. That's the really big issue with booking privately but IMO it's a low risk worth taking.

SusanC10

Carawaystick wrote: »

Did Landbridge last year and this year.
It's ~380 for a car and passengers to get to Holyhead return , and it's £50 pounds each way for a car ferry Dover to Calais.
The Chunnel prices vary, last year we paid £100 return, and this year I paid EUR130 single.

It's about 6 hours driving through Britain, all on Dual carriageway or Motorway. So factor a tank of diesel each way, and £5 for the M6 Toll

We spent a night in England going over, and came back non-stop.

Thanks for that. Spoke to Irish Ferries and they said what we want to do next summer (Landbridge One Way only using the Ferry to Holyhead and the Tunnel to Calais) came to €265 this year for the same dates. Prices etc for 2017 won't come out until December at the earliest.

SusanC10

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

If it's not broken and all that!!

After two years in campsites (about 5 years ago) we decided to book a gite and what a mistaka to maka!! Looked great, 6 private gites with their own communal pool etc but after one day it was clear we'd have nothing to do all day so had to organise all kinds of (expensive) stuff to keep us busy. It was an OK holiday but in reality we made a huge mistake and returned to campsites the following year.

We (the kids) really missed the onsite kids clubs, the onsite sports facilities for playing football etc, the nightly entertainment, the ability to hang out with groups of new friends every day and just the whole idea of being able to allow them out and about on their bikes all day.

IMO once your kids get to age 6 they really value and benefit from the kind of freedom and confidence campsites give them. I thought that would only last until age 14/15 but my son who just did his Junior cert really enjoyed La Reserve this year and is keen to return next year so I reckon we'll get another 2 years out of it until the summer he does his Leaving Cert at which point I'm sure he'll want to head off with his pals to Ibiza rather than a campsite with us

We have been going to a family place abroad and using Airbnb etc until this summer and just did our first Ferry/Campsite Holiday. Kids 7 & 10. They loved it ! It was the perfect age for them to do this.

On the Campsite our Oldest could sign himself and his sister in and out of the Kids Club. So they would set off on their Bikes without us and come back 2 hours later. Great for their independence.

Next year we are going back to France again.

We may take a break after that as we may be under pressure to return to the family place and Husband would still like to vary the Holidays but for me this is fantastic for our age of kids.

SusanC10

alowe wrote: »

Thank you :-) Just rang again this morning, and after they've updated their system I've been able to book ferry for next June, with 15% discount, paying my €100 deposit and remainder in tesco token :-) It made the price come in closer for me on last years prices, and very happy I don't have to ferry price watch anymore.

So Thank you Juggler101 :-)

Alowe - I phoned Irish Ferries again yesterday and they said that I am not eligible for this Discount as I intend to pay with Tesco Tokens (with the exception of the €100 deposit).

jay0109

SusanC10 wrote: »

Alowe - I phoned Irish Ferries again yesterday and they said that I am not eligible for this Discount as I intend to pay with Tesco Tokens (with the exception of the €100 deposit).

Any update Susan on whether they are accepting both the promo code and Tesco vouchers as mentioned by Alowe?

SusanC10

jay0109 wrote: »

Any update Susan on whether they are accepting both the promo code and Tesco vouchers as mentioned by Alowe?

Last I have been told on the phone is that the only way to use the 15% Discount Code is to book Online and without Tesco Tokens.

Frustrating as we are ready to book but without the Discount I am holding off for a bit.

alowe

SusanC10 wrote: »

Alowe - I phoned Irish Ferries again yesterday and they said that I am not eligible for this Discount as I intend to pay with Tesco Tokens (with the exception of the €100 deposit).

I checked our confirmation email, and its the exact same as last year - which I also paid for tokens with. I'm going to send them on some tokens in the next week to make sure they don't change their mind, but i'd be really annoyed if I booked with that premise, got confirmation over the phone that I could paid with tokens upto 42 days before departure.

Maybe the fact I was the first to get it according to the girl I was speaking to and they changed their mind over allowing it? I did bluff about getting an email......

fulgencio

SusanC10 wrote: »

Alowe - I phoned Irish Ferries again yesterday and they said that I am not eligible for this Discount as I intend to pay with Tesco Tokens (with the exception of the €100 deposit).

nah thats wrong, i've been able to use both. couldn't do it online but i was able to book by email with the 15% off. you just need to forward them the email to show them that you did actually got it.

54and56

Anyone interested in booking a large privately owned Excellence mobile home in La Reserve next summer for the last two weeks of July and first week of August (three weeks in total) with super fit out, air con, covered deck etc for €2,000 including 2 adult fun passes please PM me. I had a deal done with an owner but had to cancel just before committing to the booking and feel bad about it. They have been a pleasure to deal with and very understanding when I couldn't proceed.

FYI Siblu quoted me €3,400 for the same type of mobile booking direct with them including 2 adult and 2 kids fun passes. With the private mobile if you have 2 kids you'd have to buy 2 kids fun passes which for three weeks would cost €120 or so.

There's a saving of €1,000 here for anyone interested in La Reserve next year.

molly dolly

for a two week stint your proposing alot of driving. Cherborg or Rocoff to Paris are pretty hefty drives. And then a 7 hour trip down and then back to ferry If you've more then two weeks I'm jealous.

We're just back from Clarys Plage. Its different to the other parks we've stayed in which sound more akin to Garangeoire which I'm looking at for next year. I wasn't fond of how built up it was and how urban the setting was but it grew on us and the kids had a blast. Especially the older guys.

The Dordogne is an area worth looking at. No real beaches. But we've been to St Avit Loisirs twice. In 8 camping trips its the only one we did twice. Spectacular area, lovely weather, gorg pool area. Lots of history, canoing on the Dordogne, (its v safe). Domaine Des Ormes in Brittany is another fav. But no gtee of weather.