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A good discussion is usually much more interesting, so long as it doesn't get acrimonious and personal.

When in Spain, we shop in the local supermarket, which seems to be very good value. Fresh Fruit and Veg are very cheap compared to UK and France. We find that 10 Euros a person gets a very good meal with wine and a soft drink for the kids. I agree that Ice Creams are expensive, especially in the beach bars.

A package holiday would not be much more expensive (possibly even cheaper) than camping in Spain, however, we love camping. We can take bikes and windsurfing kit and kids have far more freedom on the campsite than they would have in a hotel complex.

Having spent the last year travelling in Europe, including both France and Spain, I'd have to agree with Frederico and Mattsurf about Spanish prices being cheaper, especially fish and meat.  I remember buying two good-sized pork chops for less than a euro in Mercadona - it was so cheap I felt quite embarrassed!  We also found eating out, or just having a coffee or a beer, cheaper. (Not as cheap as Croatia, but that's another story.)

But as Nelmo rightly says, the cost of the journey is higher, though if you cross the Pyrenees near St Jean Pied de Port and drive down through Spain you avoid the expensive French tolls.

And the beaches on the Bay of Rosas really are lovely and quite unspoiled.  For me, and lots of people I expect, a holiday isn't a holiday unless it includes the sea, even though I live on the coast in England and see it most days anyway! 

It is a while since I took a package holiday - it is something I am really not into. I suspect that most people on this site don't go camping abroad to save money, they camp abroad because they love it, the fact that it is a relatively inexpensive holiday (once you have bought all the kit) is a bonus

I have the advantage of living close to the South Coast and having a shared family home in Weymouth, hence a Holiday in the Vendee would be a little similar (in terms of sea temp and weather) to a holiday in Weymouth... and a lot more expensive

Quote: Originally posted by iwalani on 25/4/2013

Having spent the last year travelling in Europe, including both France and Spain, I'd have to agree with Frederico and Mattsurf about Spanish prices being cheaper, especially fish and meat. 

Quote: Originally posted by frederico on 26/4/2013

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What is the Bay of Roses like for weather in March / April?
Fred.

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Frederico, we were at L'Amfora last March/April and the weather was very changeable.  Some days were glorious, with warm sun - we had some wonderful lunches sitting on the seafront at Rosas and San Marti.  My son's fiancee even went in the sea, but the water was still very cold! We've got some lovely photos of Rosas with the Pyrenees in the background, still covered in snow.

 On the other hand we had some very heavy rain too.  On one of the wet days we went to the Dali museum at Figueras which was fantastic. So go prepared for anything!