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

insullation

It's more than 75% cut really...for example if you spent 15 euro previously you got 7 points now you get 1...blocks of 8euro makes collecting points extremely difficult

Foodie2

Thanks for the heads up.

It seems to be that way in the UK since 2015 but no mention of it on the Tesco bank .ie website. Where did you hear this?

Hoping it might just be UK customers.......

jay0109

Apparently they've started sending letters to Irish customers. Haven't got 1 yet myself

insullation

Changed in uk last year so was only a matter of time before it came in here...got a letter in the post on Friday informing me of change...it was just a case of when it would happen in Ireland...now we know...only benefit now is if you shop at lot in tesco..otherwise it's near pointless having the credit card for the points...a 2000 euro spend on the card a month will get you at most 250 points and probably an average of 200 points a month multiply by 12 months is 2400 which will equate to around 100 euro travel vouchers...be a long time saving for ferry to France...so it's bye bye card for me

Foodie2

Thanks to both of you! Better to know in advance. We spend about 1100 a month in Tesco between food and fuel so probably worth it to continue. Still , it's disappointing !

yellow76

average_runner wrote: »

Will be heading back to les charmettes, probably fly this time

We are considering Les Charmettes for next yr Mid June? Would there be any life on site at the stage? Also any tips on booking accommodation? What part of site and who do you book with? Thanks in advance.

average_runner

Not sure if there is on stage entertainment in mid June as its not peak season.
But they will have evening entertainment, could be in the bar though. Send them an email and they let you know.


I forgot to mention i went with these this year www.mobilhomes17.fr

You won't have any problem with the noise from Luna Park as it doesn't open till July.

I would recommend getting a mobile home away from the swimming and entertainment area. Look for one with aircon if its within the budget.
Usually the right hand side of the park is best but keep off the road park for noise.

PM me if you have any other questions.

gerfmurphy

I but the bullet and booked Flexi fare with IF. So I can change at a later stage if a better deal arrives. 1262 with discount but I can use the tesco vouchers on the balance. They charged me some extra premium for tesco and the flexi but there was no issue using code FRACL1

Safrongirl

gerfmurphy wrote: »

I but the bullet and booked Flexi fare with IF. So I can change at a later stage if a better deal arrives. 1262 with discount but I can use the tesco vouchers on the balance. They charged me some extra premium for tesco and the flexi but there was no issue using code FRACL1

Did you to it via the web site or phone them up to use both the discount and the vouchers ?

gerfmurphy

Safrongirl wrote: »

Did you to it via the web site or phone them up to use both the discount and the vouchers ?

They confirmed to book with tesco vouchers you have to phone and it costs 15Euro, but they readily accepted the code I said I had, that being FRACL1.
and I can pay the balacne with tesco vouchers or a combination of cash and vouchers, as mentioned it did add 20-30 euro to the price
hope that helps

Safrongirl

gerfmurphy wrote: »

They confirmed to book with tesco vouchers you have to phone and it costs 15Euro, but they readily accepted the code I said I had, that being FRACL1.
and I can pay the balacne with tesco vouchers or a combination of cash and vouchers, as mentioned it did add 20-30 euro to the price
hope that helps

Fantastic I think I will go ahead and book now - excited !!!!!

SusanC10

Success ! Return Ferry from France booked ! On the phone, with the Discount & paying with Tesco Tokens.

Now to wait for the Landbridge fares to come out !

gerfmurphy

is there any preferred mobile location in Domain des ormes? i booked an avant 3b just wondering should i look for a certain location on the site

redmissb

I booked Irish Ferries yesterday, 27th June for two weeks..ferry cost €1300 approx for 6 of us and trailer. Booked Domaine des Ormes also with Alfresco, got a great price. A tip for anyone booking with them, I set up an account and then added the mobile I wanted to my basket..didn't complete booking at that point and an hour or so later got an email from them with a 5% discount if I came back and booked. My parents are coming too so I got a discount on booking two mobiles together and the code gave me another £100 off. Booked via UK site as it was a bit cheaper.
Now to just pray for good weather in Brittany next summer! We normally go a lot further south so I'm a bit apprehensive. Looks like a great site though, we have kids from 16 down to 4 and this seems like it ticks all the boxes.

redmissb

I booked Irish Ferries yesterday, 27th June for two weeks..ferry cost €1300 approx for 6 of us and trailer. Booked Domaine des Ormes also with Alfresco, got a great price. A tip for anyone booking with them, I set up an account and then added the mobile I wanted to my basket..didn't complete booking at that point and an hour or so later got an email from them with a 5% discount if I came back and booked. My parents are coming too so I got a discount on booking two mobiles together and the code gave me another £100 off. Booked via UK site as it was a bit cheaper.
Now to just pray for good weather in Brittany next summer! We normally go a lot further south so I'm a bit apprehensive. Looks like a great site though, we have kids from 16 down to 4 and this seems like it ticks all the boxes.

webpal

Anyone have issues with homeaway website? I can never seem to be able to see mobile homes under property type. I've tried searching the whole of France but the option is just not there. Strange cos i see Jean can select it from a previous post.

54and56

webpal wrote: »

Anyone have issues with homeaway website? I can never seem to be able to see mobile homes under property type. I've tried searching the whole of France but the option is just not there. Strange cos i see Jean can select it from a previous post.

I had the same issue so I figured out the following workaround:-

1. Search for all options in the region/town the campsite you are interested in is located.

2. In a different browser tab check on Google maps EXACTLY where the campsite you are interested in is located. Look for some distinctive geographical features near the campsite such as a lake/distinctive piece of coastline, position relative to a road junction or town etc

3. Use the map feature on Homeaway to zoom in to the area the campsite is located and zoom into the max. Any accomodation icons located within the area of the campsite will be mobiles.

QED

yellow76

average_runner wrote: »

Not sure if there is on stage entertainment in mid June as its not peak season.
But they will have evening entertainment, could be in the bar though. Send them an email and they let you know.


I forgot to mention i went with these this year www.mobilhomes17.fr

You won't have any problem with the noise from Luna Park as it doesn't open till July.

I would recommend getting a mobile home away from the swimming and entertainment area. Look for one with aircon if its within the budget.
Usually the right hand side of the park is best but keep off the road park for noise.

PM me if you have any other questions.

Linky not working for me. Thanks a lot for this info. Sorry I meant at this stage of the year, not on stage. Typo! Any entertainment is fine as long as we aren't rattling around the place on our own.

webpal

thanks, I figured out another way, it seems to be a browser issue as it works with homeaway.fr, albeit in French but it also works in Safari. If you have chrome just type in the bold bit below after you do your original search and hit return

e.g.

'www.homeaway.co.uk/search/refined/france/argeles-sur-mer/region:2408/Property+Type:mobile+home/arrival:2017-07-08/departure:2017-07-22/minSleeps/5

54and56

webpal wrote: »

thanks, I figured out another way, it seems to be a browser issue as it works with homeaway.fr, albeit in French but it also works in Safari. If you have chrome just type in the bold bit below after you do your original search and hit return

e.g.

'www.homeaway.co.uk/search/refined/france/argeles-sur-mer/region:2408/Property+Type:mobile+home/arrival:2017-07-08/departure:2017-07-22/minSleeps/5

Webpal,

One thing to bear in mind is that a lot of owners don't necessarily classify their mobiles as mobiles for lots of reasons so there may be mobiles available which won't show in search results if you just search for Property+Type:mobile+home.

nirvana78

I logged in last night caught on the posts over the last few days, I couldn't believe what I was reading. Even use the discount and the Tesco vouchers. Is today the last day for this offer?

I'm hoping to go out Rosslare to Cherbourg 26th June returning Roscoff to Rosslare 13th July. I'm getting a price of €1106 plus the extras for using the vouchers and over the phone. That's a great price, I have €918 so far in IF tokens so that's a nice chunk of it paid already.

average_runner

yellow76 wrote: »

Linky not working for me. Thanks a lot for this info. Sorry I meant at this stage of the year, not on stage. Typo! Any entertainment is fine as long as we aren't rattling around the place on our own.

Link works when I click on it, not sure why its failing for you. What age are the kids as there is a good bit to do around there.

gerfmurphy

redmissb wrote:

I booked Irish Ferries yesterday, 27th June for two weeks..ferry cost €1300 approx for 6 of us and trailer. Booked Domaine des Ormes also with Alfresco, got a great price. A tip for anyone booking with them, I set up an account and then added the mobile I wanted to my basket..didn't complete booking at that point and an hour or so later got an email from them with a 5% discount if I came back and booked. My parents are coming too so I got a discount on booking two mobiles together and the code gave me another £100 off. Booked via UK site as it was a bit cheaper. Now to just pray for good weather in Brittany next summer! We normally go a lot further south so I'm a bit apprehensive. Looks like a great site though, we have kids from 16 down to 4 and this seems like it ticks all the boxes.

Thanks for the heads up on the deal with alfresco. Do you know are they an equivalent to eurocamp?
I was going to go with a 3 bed avant with eurocamp but a 3 bed vivaldi is a heck of alot cheaper. Is there a huge difference with operator or residence?
Btw the code "offer1" seems to be the standard 5% reduction.

white_westie

santry wrote: »

Thank you. For some reason I keep looking at La Sirene, so thanks for the quick reply.

Would 2nd what was said about La Sirene.
Have been there a number of times in June and September (teenage kids).
Have seen the site improve over the years as well - the latest being the upgrade to the pool complex.
I have always booked directly with the site itself rather that a holiday company. They seem to have the better quality vans and pitches (mostly shaded as it can get very hot in summer).
Have flown into Barcelona, Toulouse, Girona and this year am using Perpignan, and hired a car. Only warning I would give you is that the roads to/from the campsite are narrowish and during peak times I'm told traffic can be a bit of a nightmare.

WW

redmissb

gerfmurphy wrote: »

Thanks for the heads up on the deal with alfresco. Do you know are they an equivalent to eurocamp?
I was going to go with a 3 bed avant with eurocamp but a 3 bed vivaldi is a heck of alot cheaper. Is there a huge difference with operator or residence?
Btw the code "offer1" seems to be the standard 5% reduction.

I don't know tbh, I've never booked Eurocamp or Alfresco for that matter! I went for the Vivaldi Luxe as it has the half covered deck. From what I've read the standard of Alfesco mobiles is good. They are cheapest by far with their early booking deals. I think the Avant is bigger with bluetooth speaker and gate on decking, for me that wouldn't be worth the extra money for the amount of time you spend in the mobile..I'd rather spend it on lovely french wine to bring home:D

Oh and have a look at the Vivaldi Lounge, not available for our dates but it has lovely outdoor furniture and only around €40 extra. I would have gone for that if I could, looks really nice.

santry

white_westie wrote: »

Would 2nd what was said about La Sirene.
Have been there a number of times in June and September (teenage kids).
Have seen the site improve over the years as well - the latest being the upgrade to the pool complex.
I have always booked directly with the site itself rather that a holiday company. They seem to have the better quality vans and pitches (mostly shaded as it can get very hot in summer).
Have flown into Barcelona, Toulouse, Girona and this year am using Perpignan, and hired a car. Only warning I would give you is that the roads to/from the campsite are narrowish and during peak times I'm told traffic can be a bit of a nightmare.

WW

Quick question in relation to Girona and Perpignan - obviously you need to hire a car from Girona but would you need the car from Perpignan ?? Thanks very much.

SusanC10

Has anyone taken the Tunnel from Folkestone in the UK to Calais ? We will be doing Landbridge next summer and thinking about using the Tunnel instead of the Ferry. Any thoughts ?

Baybay

SusanC10 wrote: »

Has anyone taken the Tunnel from Folkestone in the UK to Calais ? We will be doing Landbridge next summer and thinking about using the Tunnel instead of the Ferry. Any thoughts ?

We have used the tunnel a few times though not in the last couple of years so I'm afraid I can't comment on the recent developments in Calais or what, if any effect they might have.

We decided against land-bridge as we felt the benefits of the pleasant, hassle free, quick tunnel crossing were undermined by the road journey through Wales & the UK. It may have improved but for us there were too many single carriage roads, particularly through Wales and too many road work delays, particularly as we got closer to Dover.
We have a long road journey to get to our preferred destination in France so for us, the relative ease of a nice meal, a drink at the bar & a good nights sleep on the ferry from Rosslare proved more important in the long run.

No reflection on the tunnel itself & if one were to be built between Ireland the UK, especially if they had those car train across the UK to the tunnel, we'd use it in a heartbeat!

SusanC10

Baybay wrote: »

We have used the tunnel a few times though not in the last couple of years so I'm afraid I can't comment on the recent developments in Calais or what, if any effect they might have.

We decided against land-bridge as we felt the benefits of the pleasant, hassle free, quick tunnel crossing were undermined by the road journey through Wales & the UK. It may have improved but for us there were too many single carriage roads, particularly through Wales and too many road work delays, particularly as we got closer to Dover.
We have a long road journey to get to our preferred destination in France so for us, the relative ease of a nice meal, a drink at the bar & a good nights sleep on the ferry from Rosslare proved more important in the long run.

No reflection on the tunnel itself & if one were to be built between Ireland the UK, especially if they had those car train across the UK to the tunnel, we'd use it in a heartbeat!

Thanks for that.

We are actually spending 6 days in the UK en route so won't be trying to do it all in one go. The final leg will be from the South East side of the Greater London area to Folkestone so fingers crossed the traffic won't be too bad ! We are coming back direct from France.

How was the Tunnel itself ? Do you drive onto a train ? And then do you sit in the car ? How long approx is the trip ?

If anyone has experience of landing at Calais and the Immigrant situation there that would be great. We are only travelling to France this way and will return from Roscoff.

Baybay

The tunnel is fine. The children were excited to be driving onto a train! So yes, you drive into the carriage & stay in your car for the duration, a little over 35 minutes, if I remember correctly. It's possible to leave your car to go to the bathroom etc but they didn't encourage standing about. I don't remember seeing vending machines but there wasn't any catering, certainly in the carriage we were in. It's such a short time that's spent on board that you really don't have that much time to pass. There are good facilities in the station before departure though. Boarding is similar to the ferry as there are lanes you go through, presumably depending on allocated carriage, departure time or whatever.
No doubt someone with more recent experience or better memory will post soon with better info!