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

flangemeistro

Heading out this Saturday, only booked it last Wednesday.
6 nights in La Pointe St-Gilles and then upto Les Mouettes floor the last 6 nights.

Wanted to try some different sites after doing Des Ormes 3 times.

Has anyone any tips for the two sites I'm going to?

BlazingSaddler

flangemeistro wrote: »

Heading out this Saturday, only booked it last Wednesday.
6 nights in La Pointe St-Gilles and then upto Les Mouettes floor the last 6 nights.

Wanted to try some different sites after doing Des Ormes 3 times.

Has anyone any tips for the two sites I'm going to?

If you search this thread for Les Mouettes (or maybe last years) you'll find my review of Les Mouettes and some idea of things to do around that area. Absolutely loved it and the weather was very kind to us last July. Hope you're as lucky.
Enjoy!

talla

Heading out on July 15th - 9 nights in Clarys Plage, 9 nights in Le Grand Metarie.

GeneralSherman

flangemeistro wrote: »

Heading out this Saturday, only booked it last Wednesday.
6 nights in La Pointe St-Gilles and then upto Les Mouettes floor the last 6 nights.

Wanted to try some different sites after doing Des Ormes 3 times.

Has anyone any tips for the two sites I'm going to?

I flangemeistro. We stayed at La Pointe St Gilles about 6 years ago. It has a great swimming complex if your kids are old enough to let loose by themselves. Lots of slides etc for the competent swimmer and good facilities for the younger ones too. When we were there the surface of the bridges and areas surrounding the pools were very hard on our kids feet and they ended up with cuts. If you can get those pull on aqua sock thingies then I would certainly advise bringing them. The location is really good, a nice little walk into the town along a shore path and Benodet itself is gorgeous. Make sure to checkout the marina. There is a maze in a cornfield which we visited and friends of ours did last year and it was a wonderful day out. The campsite itself is a lot more compact than Les Ormes which we are returning to this year for our second visit. Roll on the Summer.

flangemeistro

GeneralSherman wrote: »

I flangemeistro. We stayed at La Pointe St Gilles about 6 years ago. It has a great swimming complex if your kids are old enough to let loose by themselves. Lots of slides etc for the competent swimmer and good facilities for the younger ones too. When we were there the surface of the bridges and areas surrounding the pools were very hard on our kids feet and they ended up with cuts. If you can get those pull on aqua sock thingies then I would certainly advise bringing them. The location is really good, a nice little walk into the town along a shore path and Benodet itself is gorgeous. Make sure to checkout the marina. There is a maze in a cornfield which we visited and friends of ours did last year and it was a wonderful day out. The campsite itself is a lot more compact than Les Ormes which we are returning to this year for our second visit. Roll on the Summer.

Great thanks very much for all the tips. Can't wait.

Quazzie

Flying out on the 23rd to Nice, and heading for Riviera d'Azur in Frejus. Really looking forward to it now. Any tips or recommendations for the area or in general. Never been to a French campsite so not quiet sure what to expect. Traveling with an 8 year old,.

Stone Deaf 4evr

Quazzie wrote: »

Flying out on the 23rd to Nice, and heading for Riviera d'Azur in Frejus. Really looking forward to it now. Any tips or recommendations for the area or in general. Never been to a French campsite so not quiet sure what to expect. Traveling with an 8 year old,.

Expect them to have an absolute blast, and for you to be shattered from trying to keep up with them. :cool:

Peckham

flangemeistro wrote:

Wanted to try some different sites after doing Des Ormes 3 times.

flangemeistro wrote:

Heading out this Saturday, only booked it last Wednesday. 6 nights in La Pointe St-Gilles and then upto Les Mouettes floor the last 6 nights.

flangemeistro wrote:

Has anyone any tips for the two sites I'm going to?

Benodet is great. Wonderful creperie called La Mouette Rieuse. Check it out.

Great bakery on the roundabout beside the Carrefour supermarket. The Carrefour itself isn't great, and you're better off driving further to one of the larger supermarkets

flangemeistro

Peckham wrote: »

Benodet is great. Wonderful creperie called La Mouette Rieuse. Check it out.

Great bakery on the roundabout beside the Carrefour supermarket. The Carrefour itself isn't great, and you're better off driving further to one of the larger supermarkets

Thanks very much.

Munsterbhoy

Flying to Carcassonne on Saturday for 15night's in la sirene. Going to portaventure in Spain for 2 days in the middle of it. 8 yrs going by ferry but alas I got outvoted this yr , won't miss the Roscoff to Argeles drive in the one day thou..

redmissb

We're off in three weeks, 24th June from Rosslare on Irish Ferries. Staying in Port de Plaisance in Benodet. Very much looking forward to it but worried about the weather. We normally drive much further south. Fingers crossed it'll be ok!

Hero777

talla wrote: »

Heading out on July 15th - 9 nights in Clarys Plage, 9 nights in Le Grand Metarie.

See you there! heading out 12th July for 12 nights les Clarys Plage

Roger Hassenforder

flangemeistro wrote: »

Thanks very much.

theres a big LeClerc not far in Fousenant-Pleiven , good for gat as well.

Also, the All you can eat Chinese buffet (Aigle Royal) is worth a visit, just to make a pig of yourselves.

54and56

Heading out on IF Rosslare to Roscoff July 14th to La Reserve for 20 nights returning Roscoff to Cork with BF arriving Sat Aug 5th for the bank holiday weekend.

We always try to get home on the Sat of the Aug bank holiday. Having the full two days of Sunday/Monday to chill out followed by a short 4 day week seems to ease us back into the reality of work etc!!

Juggler101

Anybody successfully gotten a travel cot into an Oscar Wilde 2-star 4-bed cabin? I know it *says* it can't be done, but I like a challenge Our cot is slightly narrower than the usual almost square cot, so I'm doing some wishful thinking here...

webpal

Juggler101 wrote: »

Anybody successfully gotten a travel cot into an Oscar Wilde 2-star 4-bed cabin? I know it *says* it can't be done, but I like a challenge Our cot is slightly narrower than the usual almost square cot, so I'm doing some wishful thinking here...

One of the beds converts from a couch so if you don't need 4 beds you'll be ok. Will you be bringing your own one on as I don't believe they will supply one in 2 star cabins?

Juggler101

webpal wrote: »

One of the beds converts from a couch so if you don't need 4 beds you'll be ok. Will you be bringing your own one on as I don't believe they will supply one in 2 star cabins?

We're using all the bunks - there's 5 of us! Littlest one fell out of the bed last year!!

murt101

Heading to St Avit Loisirs in the Dordognre at start of July...Has anyone stayed here? Any tips?

We will have 1 night to spare on way back to ferry but it'll be a Sunday, thinking of either stopping in Samur or somewhere close to Cherbourg...it'll be the weekend of Bastille day, will traffic be bad that weekend and will it be harder to find accommodation?
Thanls

talla

Hero777 wrote: »

See you there! heading out 12th July for 12 nights les Clarys Plage

See you in the bar on the 16th

SusanC10

murt101 wrote: »

Heading to St Avit Loisirs in the Dordognre at start of July...Has anyone stayed here? Any tips?

We stayed there last Summer. It was our first ever Campsite. We were with Eurocamp.

We (esp the kids) loved this Site overall and plan on returning there in 2018.

Pros :-
Great Pool Complex (Kids loved this!).
Excellent Eurocamp Kids Club.
Astro, Tennis Courts, Table Tennis & Playground.
Small adequate Shop on Site for Basics.
Entertainment every night (we didn't really do this) but others seemed to enjoy.
Entertainment stopped exactly at 11pm every night.
V Clean Toilet/Shower Blocks
Lots to do in Local Area.
Great Market in Local Town.

Cons:-
Given the wrong Accommodation by Eurocamp (complained afterwards and satisfied by response).
Some Pitches v small and v close to other Mobiles.
Washing Machines small & v expensive.
House Red Wine at Bar/Restaurant not good.

Overall a great site for kids and we intend to return.

Juggler101

Not very helpful, but we're on the way there now! We're doing a night in Saumur on the way down and back, as I wouldn't be able to handle the grumbles from the back of the car if we did the journey all in one

murt101 wrote: »

Heading to St Avit Loisirs in the Dordognre at start of July...Has anyone stayed here? Any tips?

We will have 1 night to spare on way back to ferry but it'll be a Sunday, thinking of either stopping in Samur or somewhere close to Cherbourg...it'll be the weekend of Bastille day, will traffic be bad that weekend and will it be harder to find accommodation?
Thanls

Seth Brundle

Juggler101 wrote: »

Not very helpful, but we're on the way there now! We're doing a night in Saumur on the way down and back, as I wouldn't be able to handle the grumbles from the back of the car if we did the journey all in one

It will give you the opportunity to stock up on the sparkling red

murt101

Enjoy Juggler!! Loved the sparkling red we got in Samur last year too!ðŸ˜

murt101

SusanC10 wrote: »

We stayed there last Summer. It was our first ever Campsite. We were with Eurocamp.

We (esp the kids) loved this Site overall and plan on returning there in 2018.

Pros :-
Great Pool Complex (Kids loved this!).
Excellent Eurocamp Kids Club.
Astro, Tennis Courts, Table Tennis & Playground.
Small adequate Shop on Site for Basics.
Entertainment every night (we didn't really do this) but others seemed to enjoy.
Entertainment stopped exactly at 11pm every night.
V Clean Toilet/Shower Blocks
Lots to do in Local Area.
Great Market in Local Town.

Cons:-
Given the wrong Accommodation by Eurocamp (complained afterwards and satisfied by response).
Some Pitches v small and v close to other Mobiles.
Washing Machines small & v expensive.
House Red Wine at Bar/Restaurant not good.

Overall a great site for kids and we intend to return.

Thank you Susan, the kids are getting very excited now! What was the onsite restaurabt like? Is the local town within walking distance?

First Up

murt101 wrote:

Enjoy Juggler!! Loved the sparkling red we got in Samur last year too!ðŸ˜

Yes, Ackermann in Samur an excellent wine source.

SusanC10

murt101 wrote: »

Thank you Susan, the kids are getting very excited now! What was the onsite restaurabt like? Is the local town within walking distance?

We didn't actually eat in the Campsite Restaurant at all. We mostly BBQ'd. Some of the Ireland Soccer Matches were on while we there so we had a couple of drinks in the Bar which we found expensive.

The Campsite is in quite an isolated rural location (which we loved). There is a tiny village close to it called St. Avit de Vialard but I don't recall seeing much apart from a Church and Square.
You need a car to get to nearest proper town of Le Bugue which has Supermarkets, Restaurants etc.

juneg

Stayed in saumur for a one night stopover in the way to dordogne. Loved the eurocamp campsite there. Lots to do. Visited the chateau in saumur the next day. All enjoyed that too. Our first visit to one of the Loire chateau .

SusanC10

This time round we are going through the UK en route to France and using the Tunnel from Folkestone to Calais. Has anyone done this and any tips ??
We are coming back direct from Roscoff.

We are stopping off for a few days outside of London and intend to go into London and see some of the main sights with the kids - bit nervous now after recent events - I know there is probably more likelihood of being in a car accident but still........

saggycaggy

redmissb wrote: »

We're off in three weeks, 24th June from Rosslare on Irish Ferries. Staying in Port de Plaisance in Benodet. Very much looking forward to it but worried about the weather. We normally drive much further south. Fingers crossed it'll be ok!

Cool we're heading there too at the end of August (aaaaages away!) on our first campsite type trip so i'll be dying to hear how you get on! We're going from Rosslare to Cherbourg so it's a bit of a drive.

gerfmurphy

heading over to France in 3 weeks, cant wait.
Is there any special requirements for the car covers on the lights?
I was told its the law to have a triangle, breathalyzer etc can anyone direct me to a site covering this stuff?
do people generally use phones for sat nav?
thanks