Has anyone been to this site recently? We looked at it for this year because we had read good reviews but decided on Brittany in the end. I have just been reading reviews written after this summer and there now seem to be a lot of negative comments. Does anyone have any views about this site, especially in comparison to Domaine de la Foret which is just down the road and seems to get a lot of votes on here. I have three boys who will be 8, 10 and 12 next summer and they prefer activities like football, canoeing and fishing to kareoke and bingo!
------------- Live every day as if it's your last - don't waste it
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hi susie, we went to le pin parasol last year, our first time abroad and loved the site.It is a family run business, they bend over backwards to help you as hubby found out, he needed something cutting and the owner took it away and did the job for him.The piches are huge but not much shade, we were on a grand confort pitch with some shade and near the club house, we didnt have much noise from that or people leaving it only for about 3-5minutes when they walked past but no shouting.The pools were good, plenty of sun loungers,hardly saw our boys aged 12 and 14 they were either in the pool or playing football, we cant fault the site and have booked for next year on the same pitch.
we were there a few years ago loved the site and location. you wont be disappointed but as said previously there is not much shade. it was very hot when we were there used umbrellas and awning canopy and dashed to the beech for a breeze. i would return to this site.
I posted a pretty negative review of this site on c a m p s i t e r e v i e w s . c o m after my experience there this year, I was not impressed and I certainly could not recommend it. I believe most of the problems have arisen from a huge expansion in the number of pitches and an influx of undesirables (mostly British). The fishing on the lake is OK but not spectacular. Very few carp, loads of skimmers (your sons will know what they are). Beautiful lake, shame about the campsite.
Yan
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We've been going there for the past 4 years and because our daughter is adamant she wants to return there next year - (she has an extensive circle of teenage friends who will be there too & it's probably her last year holidaying with us) we have booked for another year - so it can't be that bad... Having said that, if had just been OH and me, we would have looked further afield. In fact we've booked to stay, for the final week, with Stu and Syb at Le Chant d'Oiseau in the Loire area. Le Pin Parasol has grown to twice the size in the past 4 years and it is true to say the piches are BIG! There is little shade and when it's hot - my lord is it HOT. This year was the coolest/dampest we have experienced. The owners - Guy and Monique are charming and they really cannot do too much for you. The facilities are fair although with the growth in the site, the pools can get a bit crowded in high season. Fresh bread is delivered early each morning and there is a small snack bar - open from teatime until about 9.00pm and Sunday lunch. In conversation with Monique this year hse said they had no further plans to expand but that they were intending improving the current facilities - We shall see.
I was there for 2 weeks in August and was impressed. My kids 8, 6 and 2 had a great time and yes it is true the swimming pools were a little crowded at certain times but then given it was it was August and the weather was nice that was not really suprising. The pitches are huge, we got our Hartford XXL with front canopy on easily and still would have had room for a gazebo if we had wanted.. Our pitch was right next to the childrens play area and 2 mins walk from the main reception / swimming pools and was the perfect location for us on the site. It would certainly not have been as good had we been far away from everything as others were who had pitches on the newer field on the site and I agree there were probably too many English people there for my liking. Overall yes I would go there again and may even do so next year however only if we were to select the pitch number we wanted. In my opionion pitch numbers 50 through to 80 were the best.
Tony is quite right - the pitches quoted are 'the best' - but no shade - there are pitches on the site which have limited shade. You can contact the site directly and ask. We too have a pitch which we prefer and we book each year while there. we do have an awning and a day tent though and shade is not an issue. There is a tree lined walk between the parts of the site and these offer shade at times during the day.
We were there at the end of August and thought it was a good site, as others have said helpful efficient people running it and excellent on site facilities. We were quite near the entrance and route from the bar so there was some noise from people making their way back to their pitches, the fact that it only happened at 'closing time' and was quiet up til then probably made it seem noisier than it was. I'd happily go back again.
Only draw back was having to drive to a local town, I prefer a site on the edge of town (like Les Ecureuils at Jard).
The only pitches that seemed to have any shade were next to the main toilet block and as it is a very open site then you really have to take your own shade. We will be going to France again this year and will either be staying at Pin Parasol or here in the Dordogne valley http://www.belombrage.com/gb/camping.htm which has caught my eye.
You're right, that site looks beautiful and the pitches shown are huge. We have considered the Dordogne but fear we might be suicidal after that long in the car with three kids! Unfortunately we don't have long enough to stop off for a couple of days each way so it might have to wait for a couple of years.
------------- Live every day as if it's your last - don't waste it
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
3 kids in the car, I know the feeling !!!. We did the return drive from Pin Parasol to Bolougne in 1 hit (8 1/2 hours with 4 stops) and stayed ovenight at a Formula 1 before catching the ferry. This was the longest time the kids had ever been in a car together and it went remarkably well. I would say however that we have a MPV and with careful removal of certain seats and spreading the kids around the car we managed to create an exclusion / buffer zone between each of them. If we go to the Dordogne this year then certainly will arrange an overnight stop again.