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I gather the Vendee gets rather busy in the French summer holidays but what I was wondering is how busy does it tend to be May half-term? Would coastal sites that are typically more busy in peak season generally a lot quieter then?

Though we've not been to the Vendee, we've holidayed in France at May Bank Holiday for many years, and found that sites are often are very quiet indeed.  This year we were one of only six occupied pitches on the touring area of a site, which offered 124 pitches!  A second site was about 40% full.  However, another site, which had been a favourite, near the beaches on the Mediterranean, was almost full - but still had plenty of pitches coming free each day - soon snapped up by early arrivals.

The French holiday of Ascension Day and Pentecost are generally somewhere in the middle of our Half-term, and those few days can get busier, with holidaying French families - but they often only stay for the weekend.

However, Bank Holiday is usually at the end of May - next year it does run into June, and June does start to get busier with many more British and Dutch visitors (usually 'mature' couples).

There are plenty of schemes such as Camping Cheques, Touring Cheques, ACSI Card and Soleil Cheques, which are intended to attract people to sites in low season, with an attractive nightly rate.  A popular site with UKCS forum contributors is Le Pin Parasol in the Vendee - and this is an ACSI Card site until 3rd July - indicating that it expects to have free pitches to offer at the ACSI Card price of 13 euros at that time of year.

We went there at the whit holiday this year and it was pretty quiet for most of the time.  Mainly british.  There was one busy weekend when the french arrived en masse.

We were offered a deal for next year at le bois dormant (siblu) 310 euros for 10 nights in a three bedroom top of the range static.  We have taken up this deal.  The french holiday weekend is the weekend of 25 - 27 th May.  The first couple of days of our stay will be busy and then the pools will be quiet.

Try also, the Vacansoleil site - their Soleil Cheques mean a night on site, at lots of sites in the Vendee, would cost £9.00 per night for pitch, two adults, car and caravan, (tent/camper or motorhome), awning, and electricity.

If you have children then you'd pay a supplement for them - but it could still save you quite a lot per night on site fees. 

The big advantage for us with going with a UK operator is the UK run kids clubs which our kids really enjoy (and we enjoy the rest it gives us). That said when we go this year we will be checking out the camping facilities etc with a view to possibly taking our own gear next year.