Message Forums

The discount will often be dependent upon the dates of your travel. High season - mid July to late August - will not offer as big an incentive as out of these times.

The roaming child seems even more prevalent on the continent so your boys should have no trouble.

You have the time to have stop overs on the way down, so make that part of the holiday. Belting down the motorway with 3 fractious children just to get to the med that bit faster, is my impression of Hell.

The weather in Provence and Midi -Pyrennees is usually much better. ( There is a thing called Sod's Law that often applies)

Hi Trundlecat.

                    We have only ever done the South of France, mostly the Cote d Azur, but this last couple of years have been down to the Southern Ardeche.

Once past Lyon, the weather is awesome, the Mediterranean climate, is totaly different to Northern France, I first went with my parents back in 1962, and have been back many times since and the weather has always been glorious, although we only go during July.

We always do 2 overnight stays each way, in budget hotels (Premiere Classe), and use the Autoroutes, it makes the 1000 mile journey quite pleasant, and gets us to our main campsite for the morning, so we have plenty time to pitch the tent for our. fortnight campings.

Also when it come to breaking camp, we tend to leave on the last day at around 11am, with only a 200 mile drive to our first overnight stop on the way home.

Just been having a fllip through the Keycamp and Eurocamp 2012 brochures, nice glossy brochures, but a fortnight in one of there tent, would add around £500! to my holiday cost, one of the reasons why I like to take my own kit.

You mention negotiating pitch rates, to be fair I don't think that is an option, if you wan't to cut cost's, then go out of season, although July/August does seem to offer the best of the weather, late June can be just as nice as July, but not as reliable.

hope that helps.

Quote: Originally posted by trundlecat on 04/9/2011

---

Hi Everyone,

1. Can you negotiate a discounted rate if staying for more than a couple of weeks?

The year camping Aquarius offered a 20% discount for families with 3+ kids staying 2 weeks or more

2. I'm dithering over planning 2 or 3 nights stop-over on the way down (with pop up tent or Eurocamp, not erecting the big one). Is this realistic?

I do all of the driving from Le Havre to Northern Spain and stop just once in Clermont Ferrand, my brother did the same driving from Cambridge to Spain via Calais with 5 and 3 year olds. It really isn't too bad - in total around 10 - 12 hours driving depending on traffic, 2 stops will be pretty relaxed (personally I like to get the journey over and done with as fast as possible)

3. Do the Spanish/South of France sites afford the kids the same level of freedom as the UK sites? One of the things my boys love the most is that they make friends & can have a lot of freedom (within limits of course). I'd hate to get there & find out this isn't the case on the continent.

Spanish sites 100% yes - my kids love the freedom of the campsite and making friends

4. Is the South of France very different from the North?      I literally shudder when I remember those weeks in St Valerie but most of it was down to the pap weather, rotten food (either high end or junk... nothing in between) & pebble beach. I'd be mortified of that happened again, especially as we're staying for so long.

Every region of France is different and taste is personal - I prefer the Med because of the weather and warm sea - Spanish sites on the Med are better than French sites on the Med and the beaches are better. Food in resorts tends not to be too good in both France and Spain, however, I have had excellent meals in France (North and South) and in Spain.... I have never liked food in Campsite restaurants, however other people on the same site rave about the food

Sorry this is such a long post, have so many more questions but I'd better leave it there for now.

If you read my other posts, you will see that I am a massive fan of the Bay of Rosas in Spain. I feel that I am pretty objective as a fluent French speaker and committed Francophile, I love almost everything French... however I prefer to camp in Spain and I love Lake Garda in Italy (and will go there when the kids are a little older)

Thanks for reading :-)

---

Quote: Originally posted by Pauline49 on 04/9/2011

---

Agree with Francais about the Southern Ardeche and, for us, Provence, really anywhere in the southeastern corner of France is really beautiful and also the weather is usually fantastic.

If you don't like beaches there are loads of lakes around. I can highly recommend Serre-Poncon, which is the biggest man-made lake in France. You can swim, fish, hang-glide, waterski.... on/in it.

Don't know about discounts, but do know that there's a lovely municipal site on that lake.

I'm sure you'll have fun, whatever you do. When we went to Brittany we weren't that keen, either. The climate's a bit too much like the UK for us.

---

  Provence -