Hi,
We are looking for a good site near or on the Atlantic coast, not really sure where is best but more towards the Spanish side than the Italian I have been told..
Have done the Vendee region a few times but have no idea about the South Coast!
A good pool area rather than access to a beach, and large pitch for our 6 berth (single axle) caravan..
Any ideas gratefully received!!
Thanks
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Yes, your post doesn't really make the area clear. The Mediterranean coast joins with Spain at the western end and Italy at the eastern end but do you mean the western end of the Mediterranean, down towards the Spanish border, or do you actually mean the southern end of the Atlantic coast, also near to the Spanish border? The western end of the Med is much quieter than the eastern end - which is usually known as the French Riviera, and it's generally less crowded, and perhaps cheaper.
Let us know which bit you really mean and someone will come up with some recommendations.
Lets us know when you intend going, if you are going during peak, it's best to book in advance, for the more popular campsites, it's a long way to go on spec in the busy periods, and being moved on from one campsite to another, having not pre-booked, is not much fun, been there and done that lol.
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you have a big van so stay away from the smaller coastal sites they tend to be smaller than average your query does not say how old the kids are - presumaby you have kids given a 6 berth van that age will determine what you need on site to keep the 'monsters' happy
Xmas typo... sorry :)
Yes, the Med coast, have heard the Riviera is busy and costly, so fancy the opposite end, more towards the Spanish border.. One teen child, one nearly teen so good pool pretty much essential...not really bothered about Entertainment on site, but kids activities would be useful...ta
La Sirene, or Le Soleil at Argeles sur Mer??? La Sirene has a great pool complex, but is further from the beach. Le Soleil is a shorter walk through pines down to the beach. Both great sites for teenagers - my sons used to love La Sirene, and the youngest was last there a couple of years ago when he went with his girlfriend, no longer teenagers though.
When are you going? There are some sites in the Languedoc (which is the western end of the Med which you want) which do ACSI or Camping Cheques from about the 17th August such Domaine de Champs Blanc - which has big pools, and some love it, some hate it! It's a walk, or drive to the beach though. Pitches are mixed, though - some being quite tight, others up to 120m sq.
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Thanks for the pointers! Will check them out.. we are going second week in August, yep the busiest time :(..
Would rather have more space and be a bit further from beach to be honest..
Thanks again
You say you would rather be a bit further from the beach now - but wait until you are stuck in 2nd week of august traffic. I have done med coast 5 or 6 times in Aug of last few years and traffic is MAD. It's much more relaxed on Gironde
You will need more than rennies to cope with the wind at le soleil if it decides to blow [as it often does]
Inland sites do tend to have more space - but how far away would you consider reasonable? There are some stunning inland sites, alongside rivers, where children can have fun playing in the river as an alternative to the pool - the Ardeche area, the Ceze, the Tarn, the Dourbie - all are rivers where there are excellent campsites, and few traffic problems even in peak season. All are at least an hour and a half away from the beaches though - but an early start can avoid the traffic and you can be on the beach before those from the beachside campsites wake up!
We stayed in Les Castellas between sete and Agde, it is very busy, very french, but has direct access to the beach, big pool area. We thought it was brilliant. Hardly used the car which was good because there were Traffic Jams almost everywhere.
Good for visiting Montpelier, Carcasonne, Beziers.
The reviews are terrible but it has been developed and would go there again. The road has been re-routed and the staff were amazing.
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What about somewhere like Ma Prairie just outside Canet Village. It is a fairly busy site, also used by tour operators but is a family run site - it has a pool, but you have to cross a small road to get to it - not a big issue at all - it's tiny, and i can't ever remember seeing a car. It's been some years since I've been to the area, but if I were to go, we'd certainly look here as a possible place to stay. Wherever you go it would be worth letting them know the size of your caravan and add on a bit .
We stayed at Ma Prairie last year (2011) and I have to say the road between the site and the pool was used by traffic. I rather think some land further up the road may have been sold for development as there seemed to be some construction traffic going up and down.
Some pitches are quite big - but most are fairly shady. We also didn't like the road noise from the main road, which you could hear every day, and through the night, regardless of the wind.
We also found the pool area to be fairly poorly maintained, with loose, and sharp broken tiles.
Sorry to be so negative, but it's not a site I'd particularly recommend to a family although reviews are probably better than mine!
We stayed at La Haras which is near Perpignan.On arrival, the owner gave us a bottle of wine from his brothers vineyard. We booked through the caravan and camping club's carefree service, and had a lovely roomy pitch. Would definitely return, and would highly recommend.