Parc Chateau Des Ormes

Was a bit unsure about how I'd find this site - the second biggest in France, but had been persuaded by my kids that it was the best choice after they'd seen the waterslides in the brochure. The site is huge - we decided to hire bikes on the first day - this was expensive (about 250 euros for 5 of us) so if you can take your own bikes, I'd recommend it, but cycling around the site was definitely the way to go and hiring the bikes turned out to be a great idea. The rain on the first couple of days didn't prevent us from having a fab time - there's an indoor pool as well as 2 big outdoor pools and no less than 6 waterslides. There's also so many other things for the kids to do - various playgrounds, a big football pitch where my 11 year old hung out and made friends as well as a fabulous outdoor pursuits course. We booked our kids onto an all day course on the last day and they had a fabulous time - particularly on the zip wire, which was described as 'the best thing I've ever done' by my 7 year old. There's also tennis, horse riding (rides around the site and proper lessons/stables for older kids), mini golf and the list goes on. Despite the size, the site felt v safe which meant the kids got the freedom to go off on their own which was really great for them. To be honest, we didn't go off site much even though I really wanted a day at the beach, because the kids made friends and wanted to hang out on the site with them all day.

The site looks great - a lake, nice areas to sit and picnic, massive cricket field and surrounding corn fields (would recommend a cycle through the woodlands up to the next village which has a couple of nice bars and restaurant). There are fields for tents, fairytale cottages, huts, treehouses, mobile homes as well as a hotel - I spent one morning cycling around marvelling at all the different modes of accommodation (I must have been well into 'camp-mode' by that stage). The restaurant on the site wasn't all that but we had a mobile home (with Keycamp who were great) so were happy to cook at the caravan. My only complaint really would be that there wasn't much in the way of evening entertainment for the kids - there was a bar which didn't have a big outdoor area and a 'show' on each eve but they were pretty dire (Once you'd seen 'Staff in their eyes' there really was no reason to bother with 'Staff Factor' the next night - even the kids agreed they were terrible (!) There was a great space there and it seemed a real waste not to have a kids disco or entertainment for them each eve. There was a 'nightclub' for the teens - I think this site would be a great place to take teenagers.

So this isn't for folks who want peace and quiet and culture - it's busy and noisy and lots of english /irish but after 2 weeks in quieter spots in France, we were looking for somewhere lively and full of fun for the kids and this site is perfect. I have been told this part of Northern Brittany does have a lot to offer too in the way of beautiful beaches and cultural spots but I'm afraid you'll have to ask someone else about that!

Fantastic site for families with children of mixed age. Amazing pools with slides, restaurants, takeaways, shop and washing/drying facilities on site. Organised kids clubs from age 1 up to age 16 plus bookable sports. Big range of 'home from home' mobiles and tents on medium sized pitches (we went with Keycamp but the accommodation is similar regardless which company you go with) Off site- Mont St Michel, St Malo, Dinan, Dinard, Combourg all nearby and well worth visiting.