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Which is better - Keycamp or Eurocamp?

23 replies

Gobbledigook · 01/09/2008 14:26

Just wondering!

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serin · 01/09/2008 20:00

Different arms of the same company!
Both based in Northwich, Cheshire.

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retiredgoth · 01/09/2008 20:01

....but Eurocamp send you some rather splendid bags. They are stripy, though, and a bit, er, camp.

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AbbaFan · 01/09/2008 20:14

Well I LOVE Eurocamp, and have just booked a holiday with them for the 3rd year running.

Both the places I have been to already have keycamp on site anyway, but never booked through them so don't have any details.

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moopdaloop · 01/09/2008 20:16

I just checked out eurocamp becauce of another thread saying it's cheap to book now and I have to say it's very expensive isn't it?

how do you do it?

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retiredgoth · 01/09/2008 20:33

....the headline prices in the brochure/net may not equate to what you actually pay.

....I priced 3 1/2 weeks away next august in Spain, the brochure price came to £500 more than I was actually quoted by phone (the web and books do not incorporate all discounts).

..this summer I had booked a ferry and a chalet at a Breton camp (offered by all the main companies) independently. This is normally cheaper and worth checking. In the end, Eurocamp dropped their prices dramatically so I ended up cancelling the original booking and booking Eurocamp instead. They do offer a loyalty bonus of 5% on top of any other offers, too....

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AbbaFan · 01/09/2008 20:41

It is more expensive if you go in anything other than the tents, but give EC a ring. They are really helpful.

On our past 2 trips we have been in the tents, and it cost about £250-300 for half-term week in May.

This year we are going to a site that only has caravans, so it's £400. Plus we are paying extra to have euro-tunnel instead of the ferry.

You get good discounts too, we now get early bird, web discount and loyalty. Plus last year we got another £50 off as we went with friends.

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Gobbledigook · 01/09/2008 21:06

So does the price that comes up mean accommodation only or does it include a ferry crossing - it hasn't asked which crossing or anything else.

I just want an idea of total price.

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retiredgoth · 01/09/2008 21:12

The price includes a Dover-Calais midweek crossing. You can carry on and try different crossings at a supplement, or take a £50 discount if you are making your own arrangements (eg Sleazyjet)

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moopdaloop · 02/09/2008 11:09

so £650 for a week in august accomodation only in a tent is a good price? Wouldn't a gite be much cheaper and more comfortable?

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overthemill · 02/09/2008 11:16

this year we paid £881 for 12 nights in a tent in ile d'oleron. Included ferry crossing. I cannot get anythin like that price for a gite for us all in the summer hols.

Price includes pool (gites with pools are expensive) and the activities on site. you get a rep (i 've found them really helpful not like on package hols gerally ime). Free advice from the operator about activities/
routes/hotels on route (they will book for you from arange of budgets) you can book a campaite night on route to from £35 extra depending in dates/place.

we have used french life/canvas and eurocamp. would happily use keycamp but check the prices each yea and eurocamp is cheaper (for us(

we could take our own tent as we camp here in uk but this way we hardly have to take anything and have more leg room!!

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overthemill · 02/09/2008 11:17

whoops this was in august, got back saturday. we had 2 night s in cheap hotels on route to allow for futuroscope etc

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themildmanneredstalker · 02/09/2008 11:18

have a look here at matthews.

more basic than euocamp but do the same sites and much cheaper

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metmoo · 02/09/2008 15:01

we're going to duinrell in holland on 26th sept for 2 weeks in villagrand 3 bed with decking its cost £697 in total inc ferry crossing with car and insurance

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katiechops · 02/09/2008 15:14

Eurocamp and Keycamp both run by the same company.

If you want a mobile home try Thomson Al Fresco - they've only been going a couple of years so all their caravans are nice and new. They seem to be pretty competitive price-wise on the campsites that are shared with other operators. Went with them to south of France last summer - v. good!

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biscuitsmustbedunkedintea · 02/09/2008 15:47

We've always gone Canvas as had heard their couriers have to be fluent in the native language (educated to a-level standard). Had heard Eurocamp couriers don't have to be able to speak the language.

If we're discussing good prices, we go away in approx 2 weeks to just outside Paris. Millennium mobile home (biggest they have) booked for 10 nights, includes ferry travel Dover-Calais, 2 adults 1 tot = £310. Bargain

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AbbaFan · 02/09/2008 18:46

Metmoo - I went to Duirnell this year (May), if you need to know anything, let me know

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overthemill · 02/09/2008 21:06

we loved canvas but then had a problem and had great cust service in site but terrible back in uk. so we swopped to eurocamp. the couriers we have met have had good english (foreign ones!) and good french but our french is quite good between us

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Milliways · 02/09/2008 21:17

Siblu are cheaper than Canvas/Keycamp/Eurocamp, and we have used them loads. Had a good holiday with Canvas last year, but MATTHEWS are by far the cheapest, and we use them if we want to go to the Vendee region. This year we went to Bretignolles and it was fab!

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Annner · 02/09/2008 21:58

We've just booked our third Eurocamp holiday for 2009. I would recommend them to anyone, and would definitely recommend booking early for the discounts.

We asked their staff what the difference was between the two, and their answer was that Keycamp is the brand more heavily promoted through travel agents, whereas Eurocamp targets independent bookers more. However, both can be booked either independently or through agents. Hmmm, so not confusing then.

From observation, Keycamp seems to be be the only brand promoted in Ireland, and most of their customers seemed to be Irish. Eurocamp seemed to have loads of Dutch and German customers. This may be because we went during the early part of July when most of the UK (apart from Scotland) were still at school. Tents are v similar, but their static spec seems to be quite different.

We price it out each year, but as each company presents is prices slightly differently, and because the online price is rarely same as what they quote over the phone (as per other posters) it's hard to be sure. We've stuck with Eurocamp as we now get the full 5% loyalty bonus.

I would thoroughly agree with the poster who observed that Canvas reps seem to be more -err- mature, and more integrated into their host country. For example, at La Garangeoire (a popular Mumsnet Vendee hangout) the Canvas rep is in his fifties, and normally resident in France. The Eurocamp couriers, although perfectly willing, were all students who weren't very good at thinking up solutions. If you suggested a solution to them, they would do it, but they didn't come up with the ideas themselves. And as for their French... After two months on site, they STILL didn't even greet the campsite staff in their own language. I'm a French teacher, I would not be confident that they would be able to help in a real emergency if I was run over by a bus and DH needed help with the language!

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purpleduck · 02/09/2008 22:03

Just did a Eurocamp, and they were fab...they also had some very good last minute deals

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Gobbledigook · 02/09/2008 23:19

A friend of mine just booked a Eurocamp 2 week hol for next year for her family of 5 for £1000. Well, let's say I'm tempted since we pay more than that for a week in a Cornish or Scottish cottage

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overthemill · 03/09/2008 08:31

i agree about prices. we got 2 weeks in france in school hols for £881!! we are a family of 5 so that is reat value for us.

we always work out on the phone the best way of getting it as cheap as poss and she always matches the internet discounts. i think they are great.

we couldnt go if we had to pay the high hotel prices - and we love camping. each year we met lovely people.

our rep this year said that may/june its couples and little ones, english and retired. july and aug its dutch and french and sept on its brits again couples and little ones/retired.

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nikkid21 · 04/09/2008 12:27

another plus on eurocamp vs keycamp is that they tend to have a gazebo with each tent. V.useful so that you can still sit outside and eat/read when you have 2 rainy weeks in Brittany!

Don't think anyone has mentioned kids clubs. I know that lots of people thing that they are for bad parents only but my kids get bored so quickly since they started school On the big sites they are shared by eurocamp and keycamp. The kids wanted to go everyday and we had to ration their visits in order to spend time with them ourselves! Again they are useful if it's rainy as he kids can go and watch a video or do some messy gluing and facepainting for a couple of hours.

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