Is Camping L Ile Aux Cygnes child friendly?

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

1 Reviews of Camping L Ile Aux Cygnes , Bourget Du Lac, Rhone-Alpes Campsite. Review score 9/10

Date of Visit: July 2008

Unit: Touring Caravan

We loved this site from the outset when we first went to this region (Haute-Savoie) in 2007 with our folding camper. A year on and we had no hesitation re-booking, but this time with our Lunar Chateau.

We were able to get a pitch very close (10 metres) to the shore of Lake Bourget, which is fantastic for swimming - more of this later - which I think was due to the fact that I am learning French and made every effort to speak only French when talking to those working on reception.

At 270 pitches this site is much larger than we would ever go to in England, but the site was never noisy and although very busy in July and August it never felt over-crowded. The pitches are generous although the ground was very hard, which means only using metal pegs for the awning. Plastic pegs would just bend.

You also need to ensure that you have properly secured your awning because being in the foothills of the Alps there are regular storms. Whilst most of the time you're enjoying temperatures in the high 20s/low 30s about every 4-5 days the sky darkens, the wind speed rises and you can see the storm working its way down the length of the lake. You get wind and rain for maybe an hour, but the storm soon clears and the sky brightens. The next day it's back to the sunshine.

The rain gives you the chance for sight-seeing and shopping, and in this area there is much to do. For great shopping head to Chambery; for a spa then Aix-les-Bains (a favourite haunt of Churchill) and around this region there are chateaux, great walks, excellent mountainbiking and, of course, ample family-run restaurants that serve delicious meals.

The nearest town is Bourget-du-Lac, which is minutes by car or by bike and only 10-15 minutes on foot. There's a cycle and footpath that passes close to the campsite that takes you straight to the town where there are hairdressers, bakers, butchers, grocers, bars and restaurants.

You enter the site through an automated barrier (with a swipe card), which from memory is locked from 11pm to 7am. There are ample toilet and shower blocks, which are always clean but don't forget your loo roll. French sites never provide this and beware that the French loos are still widely used. Our style of toilet is generally reserved for those with limited mobility. The shower blocks are not luxurious, but fully tiled and, as mentioned, clean. There is also no division between men's and women's showers or toilets; the blocks are all unisex. This makes perfect sense and I do wonder why we're so fastidious here with having to duplicate facilities for males and females.

The site is also well planted with mature trees so you could have quite a canopy over your pitch. If you want a pitch in the sun have a word with reception before or as you book.

If you're looking for a site that is popular with Brits then this is not for you because the breakdown is something like 70-80% French; 15-20% Dutch or Belgian, a small number of Germans and a few from England. When we were there in two years we spoke to one other English family. Our neighbours were French and opposite we had a Dutch family. As I am learning French and don't miss seeing or talking to fellow Brits, we all enjoyed this immersion. English is spoken at reception but they do appreciate French, which I also got my boys (then 4 and 6) to speak.

What else? There is an area in the lake that is patrolled by the sapeurs-pompiers (firemen and women) in lifeguard mode. The lake is perfect for children and adults, alike, as there is no tide and no current. The area marked out by buoys is in the shallower part of the lake although you really need some form of footwear as the shore is very pebbly and if you put your foot down in the lake you may catch a stone or pebble. The water, however, is very clear and it is wonderful to be swimming in a lake surrounded by high mountains.

The site was also visited on most day by the gendarmes, who generally stop and join in conversations with French holidaymakers. I thought this was good and never intrusive, and of course my young boys loved seeing a police car.

Just along the shoreline, which you can't reach from the site, is the plage municipale (public beach) which you pay a few euros to get on to, but this is a sandy beach with diving boards, a water slide and paddling pool. Across the road from the beach is a public park in which there is a cafe that serves high quality snacks and decent (i. E. Not instant) coffee!

The site's prices when we were there were very good and I know you would struggle to match them if you were to go to the coast, where pitch prices can easily hit 40 euros a night.

For entertainment for children there is an area for various activities, which I seem to think were free, including painting, cooking and similar things for children of all ages. Boules was played by young and old, alike, and I had a go in a tournament, which was memorable to say the least, especially taking instructions from expert players in rapid French. There was a disco one night for the children (during our two-week stay), but somehow the French seem to avoid the rowdiness and tackiness of similar forms of entertainment here.

So, all sounds fab, but what about the down sides? This won't be for everyone, especially if you don't speak much or any French. If you don't speak the language then find a site run by ex-pats and you'll be fine. The site is also 800 miles from where we live in Derbyshire, which means £350-500 in fuel (depending on MPG of your vehicle when towing). You offset this with the price of the site and I think that all-in we spent around £2, 000 for more than two weeks, for the 4 of us.

If you want an on-site bar or restaurant, then it's not for you and if you wouldn't mind seeing a few more GB plates then, again, look at other sites.

As with all sites it is very personal. What I like others don't like, so only take my views as just one perspective. I hope I have been accurate but I am talking about a holiday 4 years ago. Not sure why I haven't done review before now.

Bon vacances!

Reviews of Camping L Ile Aux Cygnes

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