to think the better equipped a campsite the worse the people are that go there???

[PosieParker]

I'm prepared to be wrong (hoping as I really want to go with the fa'amily) but everytime I click on one that looks ace, huge pools, next to a beach, perfick location (a la sood a Frawnce) it's gets a review like this:

Noise is dreadful, lots of swearing from parents around the pool, children running about without supervision and young people shouting and drinking until 4am

All we want is a lovely campsite, preferably massive tents and pitches, with a pool, tennis courts, near a beach, boules, access to decent and relatively cheap food (although have been to South of France before) and on Med side not freeze to death Atlantic.

Is that too much to ask???? Has anyone one they can recommend? Or a good review site to start my search?

Can i suggest northern spain? Have many happy memories of family hols at camping park playa bara. I recollect security guards patrolling after 11pm to ensure noise levels kept to minimum. havnt been for years, maybe trip advisor can provide update more recentcomment.
Imo less facilities=less fuss/noise in any country. depends on what facilities your family need for a happy holiday. i could also suggest a nice quiet campsite in holland near den hague?
Good luck with your research!

We only camp in the UK. What you describe sounds hellish and vulgar to me and I'd avoid like the plague for the very reason you describe.

It's not 'proper' camping and does seem to attract a particular type of person and if that's not your type...

YANBU in the UK, we avoid anywhere with bars, kids clubs, shops etc although we did stay at a nice campsite with a park and pool last summer in Cornwall.

Not sure about the rest of Europe though, I suspect it will be the same.

That'll be the English swearing at their kids around the pool I expect. Ghastly. I don't know what to recommend except find some place that the English haven't yet discovered!

We camp and avoid sites with things like clubhouses, swimming pools ect as they are usually noisy and busy. That said we stayed on a lovely site last year, which had a bar/ restaurant on it and when we arrived we were camped very close and it filled me with dread. It turned out to be fine, we went in the first night, didn't bother again and we never heard a sound from there at all!

I've found that in the UK and try to avoid the more holiday park types at high season. In Europe I've not had the same problem and have been to a few that have been the right mix of facilities and good behaviour. We haven't been to places like Britany, Med or Costa Brava, but even at popular destinations there's usually areas that are a bit more laid back but have the facilities. Uk camps sites will be a good place to ask, also if you're going during the summer holidays go for the last 2 weeks.

Does it have to be a sea beach? You could go to a lake beach campsite in France. Try looking at Dutch companies such as Vacansoleil who have campsites all over but particularly ones in France. We found no loud shouting swearing families at this site when we went there in August...maybe because there are not so many Brits there!!!
www.vacansoleil.co.uk/camping/info/france-jura/doucier/campsite-domaine-de-chalain/VGB/5/2041003/

In fact a toilet/washblock is about the most we look for on a campsite because as much as I love camping, I do like to have a shower if possible. It helps when venturing out into the rest of the world where you might bump into Other People.

Pools, clubhouses, tv rooms, children's clubs, bars, eurgh. even the thought of it is nasty!

Second places like the Jura, also Vosges. We've been to La Fayolan with vacansoleil, right near the previous site linked to. If you want to go somewhere like the Italian lakes then don't go for the large resorts but head to one slightly round the shore. You'll get good facilities and less partying!

Thanks very much!!! I am going to re evaluate my priorities and search again. I even went to a private farm with a few caravans last year in Cormwall and one ozzy guy thought it was alright to use words like Nigger and rapist in front of my dcs....and that was a proper 'escape from the city' type place.

It was a vacansoliel review, I think. One in the South, near Cannes???

Cypsela in Northern Spain. Luxury site, family owned, no groups of single sex, families only. We had loads of fab holidays there.

here

We have stayed twice at the Domaine de la Noguiere, in the South of France - it is a dutch run site, and a lot of the guests are dutch, and we had wonderful holidays both times - the facilities are pretty good (boules, a nice swimming pool, tennis, kids club and a nice cafe), and it is only a short drive (half a hour, iirc) to the coast, near St Maxime. Or you can head inland to the gorges of verdon, which are utterly beautiful - there's a river running through the gorges, dammed up at the bottom, and you can swim in the lake or in the river (though it is deep). I liked it much better than swimming in the sea as the water was fresh and almost sweet, rather than salty, and there were no jelly fish (the last year we went was jelly fish year - once every 12 years, they have a bad jellyfish year, we were told).

The site is on eurocamp, and may be on keycamp too. We stayed in a van, but the pitches seemed to be a reasonable size, and the site certainly wasn't noisy. I'd highly recommend it - in fact, we'd go back this year if it wasn't for the fact that we have to save up to fund three boys through university.