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Reviews of Camping Du Domaine Des Forges

Q: Is Camping Du Domaine Des Forges child friendly?

YES, it accepts children & has a playground View all facilities

Q: Does Camping Du Domaine Des Forges have a swimming pool?

YES, there is a pool on site View all facilities

Q: Where is the nearest shop to Camping Du Domaine Des Forges?

There is a shop on site View all facilities

Campsite Search > Europe > France > Pays de la Loire > Avrille Vendee > Camping Du Domaine Des Forges > Reviews

Camping Du Domaine Des Forges
Rue Des Forges
Avrille Vendee
Pays de la Loire (Browse area)
85440
Tel: + 330 2 51 22 38 85
Visit their website

Pitches: 295
Open: 11/02/2024 to 15/11/2024
11/02/2025 to 15/11/2025

Rating:

8/10 from 24 Reviews

Tent Pitches	Caravan Pitches	Motorhome Pitches	Small Campervans
Glamping Units	Holiday Homes for Hire	Holiday Homes for Sale	No Seasonal Pitches
Electric Hookups	No Hardstandings	Fully Serviced Pitches	Show Full Facilities

Who's it for
Families Welcome	Not Members Only	Rallies Welcome	Not Naturist Site
Dogs Welcome	No Dogs Allowed	Groups Welcome
Facilities
Toilet Facilities	Hot Showers	Washing Up	No Bathroom
No Baby Changing	Laundry On Site	Drinking Water	Disabled Friendly
Chemical Disposal	No Battery Charging	No Gas Exchange	No Recycling Facilities
No Kitchen Facilities	No Freezer / Fridge	No Motorhome Point	Wifi Access
Shop On Site	Bar On Site	Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway On Site
Activities
Kids Playground	TV Room	Games Room	Evening Entertainment
Fishing On Site	No Wild Swimming	Indoor Pool On Site	Outdoor Pool On Site
No Horse Riding	Cycle Hire On Site	No Golf	Tennis On Site
Beach <5 miles	Watersports <5 miles	Boat Launch / Mooring <5 miles
Other Features
No Sea Views	Not Working Farm	No Campfires Allowed
No Waterside Pitches	Public Transport	No Dog Walk

Reviews: 24 in total, now showing 11 to 20 Previous 10 Next 10

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Date of Visit: June 2012

Unit: Static

Reviewer: Mikegalagher

2 reviews from this member

After the overnight crossing to St Malo we had a leisurely drive down to the Vendee and arrived at the site at lunchtime, to be asked if we could check in later as Reception was closed for lunch ! But hey ho, we're in France, c'est la vie. So we had lunch outside in the courtyard and very nice too.

We originally booked a premium pitch for our BL tent last year, but for health reasons in April we switched the booking to a static on the site, maintaining all the other aspects of the holiday. In the event they could only supply a 'Confort' static for Wk1, and a 'Premium' for Wk2. Both were immaculate and indeed more like small apartments inside.

For us the site is ideal. It was noticeably busier in Wk2 but even so, on many evenings outside all you could hear was birdsong. The pool area is lovely and not the icy cold previously reported. Work on the water slides was just completed as we left. The majority of the 300 or so pitches are for tourers. Mainly caravans, usually Brits or Dutch, but some tents.

In the first week we had a lovely young couple next to us in a Hi Gear Ghobi and they had a premium pitch which is what we'd booked originally so we were interested to see the extra facilities the pitch provided - recliners, table/chairs, fridge, water, drainage, and EHU of course. Like other sites in the Castels group, DDF is noted for the generous pitch size.

The site however is very much in two parts. West of the pool is an older, more established area, with pitches marked by mature hedging, and sometimes shaded by tall trees. East is a newer section and this would suit the sun lovers better.

Both our statics were in the older part but we hope to return to the site next year with our tent and we'll book a premium pitch in the new section.

Of the 4 loo/shower blocks, 3 are pretty new or brand new and all seemed clean and well spec'd. As we were in statics we'd no need of them though.

There is a shop but we tended to do bigger/fewer shops at a nearby Super U. On our last night we sampled a takeaway pizza and whilst we turned up late they fired up the oven and fixed us up. There is a good restaurant in the local village of Avrille, about 50€ for two with wine.

All in all, a great site, suitable for young families or couples, and a good base for the west coast and beaches. We'll be back.

Date of Visit: June 2012

Unit: Touring Caravan

Reviewer: Minigirl

12 reviews from this member

This site has been taken over by Franceloc and is now not a Castel site. When we arrived grass on all pitches was very long and there were hedges that had been cut down left here and there around the site. We had to ask for our pitch to be cut and it was done immediately.

There is now a large water flume being erected on site which should now be open.

All the above said I think the take over from Franceloc has delayed the setting up and getting the site ready for our arrival in June. After 2 weeks things had improved and were still beeing sorted when we left.

The site is beautiful. The pool indoor and out is lovely. The shower blocks were new and cleaned regularly. The staff in reception are wonderful speaking good English. We had a fantastic holiday and you will too. The village is walkable and has a small supermarket, a coffee/wine cafe, and lovely looking restaurant with a reasonably priced menu. (we didn't have time to try, but it was busy lunch time and evenings). A hairdressers, and a couple of other shops. Jard Sur Mer is probably the closest seaside resort and is beautiful with a fair sized shopping street. La Rochelle was beautiful (1 hour away). Sables D'Olonne was a nice trip out. Exploring is the best. Loved the whole holiday.

Wine in supermarkets could be bought from €1. 50/bottle and was lovely. We took with us all our meat as it was expensive in Brittany last year, but here it was reasonably priced.

Last two weeks of June - tranquil holiday - perfect weather!

Date of Visit: June 2012

Unit: Touring Caravan

Reviewer: Judas_hill

42 reviews from this member

What can I say when you arrive on this site you are greeted with a very large fume, that is being finished off. The site is no longer a castels site which all so shows as in many places the grass has not been cut. It is also a very British site. The staff are helpful. We have found that unless you have a car there is not a lot to do in the local area. The beaches a very good. La rochelle is a good 1hr 30mins away but well worth a visit.

Date of Visit: August 2011

Unit: Touring Caravan

Reviewer: Julie s

11 reviews from this member

We stayed on this campsite for 9 nights at the end of July/beginning of August.

This is a large, well kept, very British(when we were there anyway), Castels campsite in a nice part of the Vendee.

There is a nice pool area with an outdoor swimming pool(no slides), toddler pool and lovely new covered pool. Inflatables are not allowed though and men must wear the speedo type swimwear only -there is a pool attendent around the pool always making sure that these rules are kept.

There is a tennis court, crazy golf, table tennis, a fitness room, a pond for fishing (rods can be rented at reception), and a children's club(10am-12)most mornings which my children enjoyed. The children's playarea was a big disappointment though as there was not much there for them to play on.

Evening entertainment was low key- bingo, a clown and a paella evening. Nothing organised for teenagers.

The campsite has recently been extended and although all the pitches are large and have their own water and drainage only the pitches on the old part have any shade or privacy. Our pitch was on the new part of the site and although the lack of shade was not a problem for us because we like sunny pitches we did not like the lack of privacy.

The toilet blocks on the new part of the site were clean but there were always queues for the showers. I think there are only 16 showers on site between 295 pitches.

The village of Avrille is within walking distance and here there are a few shops, nice looking restaurants, a tourist office and a small Spar type supermarket. There a larger supermarkets in nearby Talmont St Hilaire and in Jard Sur Mer.

We had a really good day out just down the road from the campsite at Le Chateau des Adventuriers, if you have children they will love it. Amongst other things there is a great pirate treasure trail with treasure at the end for those who complete it correctly! Also included in the price is a guided tour in English around the well preserved Chateau.

We also enjoyed days and nights out at nearby Les Sables d Olonne -by day its a busy seaside resort with a lovely beach and at night on the promanade fills up with street entertainers, and with people just walking or sitting eating crepes or ice creams.

Another good night out that we enjoyed was in La Rochelle -over an hour in the car from the camp site but in our opinion it was worth the trip. Here the area around the harbour was filled with street entertainers plus a night craft market and food stalls creating such a fantastic atmosphere in a really lovely location. We got chatting to a french lady and she told us that this happens on weekend evenings during the summer.

I would recommend this site if you are looking for a base from which to explore the area.

Date of Visit: August 2011

Unit: Touring Caravan

Reviewer: Nee-Naw Nee-Naw

19 reviews from this member

Really liked this site.

Very friendly welcome, you are taken to your pitch and shown where the electric etc. We found all the staff to be very helpful and friendly.

The pitches are very large, although some are not completely flat.

The recycling and rubbish bins are in the carpark, at the entrance, we went at night and then called into the bar for a drink on the way back.

We used the takeaway and found the food to be very good. You can buy chickens ready roasted, which you have to order the day before. They cost 7. 50E, the supermarket in the village was charging 14E. The shop is small and dosent have a lot of stock, but there is a very good Super you 10mins away in Talmont St Hilaire and a Casino in Longville.

Very peaceful and quiet at night. There is some organised entertainment at night, singer one night, clown another and they show football and rugby matches in the bar if there is one on live.

One evening they had a hog roast, which looked and smelled great, we would go to this next time we are here.

There was a jewellery stall one afternoon and a clothes stall another.

There is a TV room across the entrance hall from the bar which would be good if you wanted some peace and quiet, as noone seemed to use it much.

Toilet/shower facilities constantly being cleaned, always had toilet roll and soap in the dispensers. There are hairdryers in the toilet blocks, free to use and sockets in the walls should you need to use any other electrical appliance. My OH had one shower where the water pressure was poor and cold, but after that we had no problems. We never had to queue, but perhaps this was due to the fact that we decided to use the showers either late at night or late afternoon just before the pool closed.

As said before the outdoor pool was cold and there are small sharp stones on the red coloured area surrounding it, which was uncomfortable to walk on especially when you had to leave your shoes outside the entrance gate. There was a young chap at the pool from it opened in the morning, until it closed at night, who was keeping a close eye on things. He asked two teenagers to leave the pool who were wearing swim shorts, all the other men were wearing Speedos in various lengths. When we checked in on arrival we were told about this rule. We mostly used the indoor pool as it was warmer.

Only criticism I would have is that now that the site has got bigger, there needs to be more than one tennis court, we found it difficult to book it as it was very popular.

Overall we were very pleased with this site and would have no hesitation in going back there.

Date of Visit: July 2011

Unit: Touring Caravan

Reviewer: Hillhillhill

7 reviews from this member

Stayed here for 15 nights July/August 2011 with our 3 children in a tourer. Site has been extended for this year, we stayed in the new section. Pitches were huge, and we had own water supply.

Showers and toilets immaculate, staff seem to be constantly moving between shower blocks cleaning all day to keep them this way.

Staff very polite and helpful and speak good English.

Bar - quite expensive for drinks. We ate there 1 night and had pizza which was nice.

There is a games room with air hockey, table football etc, about 1euro a go.

Children went in the kids club on a couple of mornings when it rained (Thomas who ran the club was nice and spoke some english)

Tennis court good, free to book and hire equipment. Crazy golf good, about 1euro 50 to hire.

Site about 5 mins walk into Avrille village, post office, tourist information, couple of basic shops and restaurants, bit quiet. Market there one day a week but very small.

Lots of nice beaches and coastal towns within easy reach.

A few small negatives would have to be that there are only 4 showers and toilets in each of the 2 toilet blocks on the new side. During our first week the site wasn't full so it wasn't a problem but during the 2nd week we regularly had to queue, no matter what time of day/evening. I do wonder whether these are adequate to cope with the amount of pitches now on the new side.

And, the equipment in the children's park consists of just a seesaw and a wooden hut with a slide, quite small and not really sufficient for the amount of children. However, I did hear that some of the park was demolished to make way for the indoor pool so it could be that the site is not yet finished, maybe they will work on the park for next year.

Pool - outdoor pool was absolutely freezing, thank goodness for the indoor one. Both are nice and clean though and are together, the glass doors on the side of the indoor pool slide completely open which is nice, so if the children are brave enough to want to run from pool to pool then you can see them.

Date of Visit: July 2011

Unit: Other

Reviewer: Moviemandan77

2 reviews from this member

We stayed on this site for a week last July/August in a lovely campsite Roulotte. The site itself is a nice size and the manager who greeted us was very helpful, often popping up in the bar or shop to serve people later on.

The pitch was nice and quiet and the toilet/shower block (we had our own but went sometimes) was always clean and well maintained.

The pool was fabulous and never over-full, even in the height of summer.

The bar and snack were both very nice; the food wasn't too expensive, and the pichet of wine was a bargain for 5 euros (hope it stays like that!)

All in all a lovely site in a really nice part of France. Hope to be back soon!

Date of Visit: July 2011

Unit: Touring Caravan

Reviewer: CaddyClan

23 reviews from this member

We have just returned from a 12 night stay at this Castels Campsite.

First off, I would strongly recommend that when reading reviews, you only read those for 2011 (or perhaps 2010) as the owners have done a lot of improvements and much has changed.

Arrivals from 2pm which is enforced. You need to leave either a 30€ cash deposit for your barrier card OR a card such as your caravan club site membership card. If you don't wish to do either of these, they will take your credit card details (without taking payment).

Right. A bit about the pitches. Most are huge, easily accommodating a 6-berth twin axle caravan + awning + extension + pop-up tent + badminton nets etc and still loads of room for the car. All pitches are fully serviced with water and electricity, though some have the water stands in the middle of the pitch which is a bit odd. If you intend hooking the water up to your caravan make sure you take a good length of hose (we had a 20m hose) - same for the electricity hook-up as the pitches are so large you can be quite a distance from your hook-up point even though it is on your pitch!

* This site has reverse polarity to the UK so you will need to swap your wires around!

Our pitch (120) was located on the 'old' part of the site behind the chateau. Our pitch was immediately behind the main office (though separated by a strip of land and mature hedging). It was absolutely huge, double that of the usual UK pitches. It had sun all day until about 5pm when it dipped behind some trees.

Pitch 118. I wouldn't recommend this pitch to ANYONE, it is a strange one! It has no proper access, rather it is accessed through a very narrow strip of land with bushes and trees - if you have a caravan this pitch would be a nightmare to navigate through. It seems to be an afterthought. And backs right onto the goat / horse enclosure.

All other pitches on the 'old' part of the site seemed fine, most with plenty of mature hedging.

The pitches on the 'new' part of the site were of a similar size (huge) and also fully serviced but they currently have little privacy as the plants are so young (2011) - in a couple of years they will be more established and offer more privacy. The pitches at the far end of the lake are a LONG walk from the pool/shop/bar/reception, but they do have their own toilet blocks.

Pool - a great heated indoor pool opened this year with bubbles in one corned (not a hot tub) and a small paddling pool section for little ones. The outdoor pool was lovely but very cold! There are changing rooms, toilets and a couple of showers adjacent to the new indoor pool. They do advise you that only speedos can be worn in the pool but I saw no evidence of them enforcing this, in fact there were at least two chaps who turned up each day in boxer-style swimwear and were never challenged. The pools are unsupervised, though an attendant does come around occasionally and spends a few minutes checking things. No inflatables of any kind allowed, apart from armbands.

Fitness room - we didn't use this but it seemed reasonable with running machines etc.

Shop - this is only open in peak season and this is where I think they need to make some more improvements. It is very small for the newly expanded site and is only open in the morning and then from 5. 00pm until about 7pm. It sells a small amount of essentials but almost always ran out of milk and bread by lunchtime and had very little in the way of dairy produce. There were pastries (pain au chocolat, pain au raisin and croissants) delivered at 8am each morning along with baguettes / pain. It's very basic, which was probably fine for the site as it was previously, but with the addition of the 'new' part of the site it is inadequate in peak season.

Ice-creams - you cannot get these from the shop, only the bar / restaurant which doesn't open until 5. 30pm. A real pity, as we love to have a spell in the pool just after lunch followed by a glass of wine/beer and ice-creams for the kids. Not possible at this site and I think they are missing out of a fair bit of trade due to their opening hours!

Bar / restaurant - as mentioned above, it doesn't open until 5. 30pm. Plenty of chairs/tables inside along with a large tv screen, more tables and chairs outside in the courtyard for when the weather is nice :)

We didn't use the restaurant but neighbours did and said that the food was lovely - though the service for take aways was very slow, they had to wait 90 mins for 2 x chicken and chips, which cost them 30€! Though when it arrived, they realized they had ordered 2 x WHOLE chickens with chips, so read the menu carefully before ordering.

Toilets/showers - always immaculately clean, no matter what time of day I visited. Well done Domaine des Forges. Plenty of toilet roll and soap at all times. Showers were a bit of a damp squib, luke warm at best and at peak times they were little more than a dribble. Go early (4pm) or very late (11pm). Again, they were always clean.

A very quiet site, you could hear a pin drop after 10pm. I lie. The wood pigeons and owls made more noise than you would believe! If you love bats then this is the place for you - we spent a couple of evenings just after dark watching the bats flitting about, absolutely lovely.

A lovely lake with free fishing.

Tennis court is free but you have to book at reception. Two table tennis tables, also free (no booking required).

Crazy Golf, currently 1, 50€ each and equipment hired at reception.

Staff - we had heard reports of staff being a bit off-hand, but I can honestly say we didn't encounter this at all, in fact everyone we spoke to was friendly and helpful.

About 30 mins drive from Sables D'Olonnes with it's amazing beach - lovely fine sand and gently shelving, perfect for swimming / paddling and there is a little surf so kids might want to take body boards. The beach is lined with clean toilets (built into the sea wall) and restaurants dotted along the beach (great value for money considering their location) and many more along the sea front. Lots of lovely shops, both touristy and chic. A great harbour too with some big yachts, great place to daydream!

Also about 30 mins from Jard-Sur-Mer, beaches here are 'ok' with decent sand and some have rockpools, but beware the sea on the main beach drops away sharply and is not suitable for kids.

Fab market on Mondays!

Same distance from Tranche-Sur-Mer. Nice little town with a great market. Beach is lovely but there is a long stretch where bathing is not allowed.

All in all, we had a lovely holiday at a great site. I think Domaine des Forges will continue to improve year on year (main improvements need to be the shop and opening hours of the bar/shop). I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

Finally, a word of caution. We found a wolf spider hiding in our awning extension. It was huge by UK spider standards (I have a photo if anyone wants to see!) and it wasn't until we came home that we discovered that it is actually venomous and could have given quite a nasty bite (though not lethal under normal circumstances). They are sometimes found in the UK too, but are apparently more prevalent in France.

Date of Visit: July 2011

Unit: Tent

Reviewer: MaxieCat

6 reviews from this member

We booked a Castel Premium Pitch which is large with a small shed housing a fridge - v useful for storage as well. We also had a BBQ, table & chairs, a parasol, 2 sunloungers, a broom, dust pan & brush as well as electric and water. Our pitch had mature hedges on 3 sides, although some other newer camping areas were marked with very young plants. The toilet blocks were very clean. We arrived on 30 June and the shop and restaurant opened longer hours from 1 July. You are not allowed to hang washing lines between trees so take an airer if you can. Avrille is quite quiet but if you want a fab meal try Le Menhir near the Prixo, Eugene & Dom were very welcoming. The Prixo have all you need but if you want a larger supermarket there are Super Us in Talmont and Jard sur Mer. Jard Sur Mer has a great market on a Monday. All the staff and everyone we met in Avrille was very friendly and helpful.

Date of Visit: June 2011

Unit: Touring Caravan

Reviewer: M4DRP

4 reviews from this member

June 2011 French trip was split into two, a week in the Vendee and a week in the Loire at Le chant d Oiseau (see other revue). Our first week was at a Castels chain site called Domain des Forges. This is only the second season for this site as part of Castels. We were in the older part of the site. Our very large pitch was ‘L’ shaped, fully serviced, in order for your waste to drain away, you would have to he pitched in the toe of the ‘L’, we weren’t using fully serviced so it was not an issue for us. A 10m walk from the pools one indoor one out, fitness room, crazy golf, tennis, ping pong, and old toilet facilities. There is a new toilet block further afield not unisex. This site is expanding and will be very large, as the new section has another 2 toilet facilities being built at our time of stay. The shop had not opened as it was not in their season? You could order bread via reception. This site is open 365 days, and you can hire the tower/ dudgeon or a chalet/demountable for non camping members. It was a bit of a trek to go to take the recycle and rubbish as it was at the visitor’s car park which was before reception, which also had a motor home air facility. The barrier has a fob operation (€ 30 deposit) and has posts for LH & RH vehicles

This site is split into mixed categories of Park home type dwellings, some private some rental, camping, caravans/motor homes. It lives up the Castels flag every well, this site is immaculately kept. The site is situated on the outskirts of Avrille, with a small Proxi supermarket, and some small shops and restaurants. A larger Super you supermarket with fuel at Talmont Saint Hilaire which is a 15 minute drive. The access roads are good, but a bit on the narrow side, priority is for outward traffic from site?

Would we come back?

The answer is-

YES

Previous 24 Reviews in total, now showing 11 to 20 Next

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Common Questions

Is Camping Du Domaine Des Forges child friendly?  YES, it accepts children & has a playground  View all facilities

Does Camping Du Domaine Des Forges have a swimming pool?  YES, there is a pool on site  View all facilities

Where is the nearest shop to Camping Du Domaine Des Forges?  There is a shop on site  View all facilities

Is Camping Du Domaine Des Forges dog friendly?  YES  View all facilities

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