Eurocamp "tenting" looking at Le Vieux Port

[bitterandtwisted349]

Even though we have a caravan the car is a cheap run about so driving is not an option. I'm looking at Southern France for the weather. Having considered places to takes both DC - 9 & 6 the only option seems to be South West close to Biarritz. Reading trip advisor and boring myself to death La Rive and Le Viex Port is the only option as the tent comes out just under £1,000 plus flights to Bordeaux (say £500) + carhire with insurance (say £400) so £2k. The one thing thats really important is keeping OH busy and is not one for sitting around surrounded by kids and we are def not ones for night time entertainment. The boys are wild and need somewhere they can run free in the pools and not upset all the yocals.

Is this the right decision? I think it ticks all boxes, we can walk to the beach but unsure is there is a nice town to walk to? We can do loads of day trips but even though we love cities, architecture et al - the boys arent impressed but theres no way I could abide to staying 10 days on site.

Such a predicament with keeping the OH and the children happy - any advice?

We have been twice.

The beach is walkable, steep slope up & down both ways but not a hard walk.

The sea can be very rough (& cold) - it is a surfers paradise but can be "death by paddling" for little ones . Nice beach.

Surrounding area is great. Not really walk-able to the town but a short drive, there is a huge lake where you can hire pedaloes etc or swim in the calm.

We took a fantastic trip into the mountains and rode the chairlifts used for skiing - fab in the summer! There is the "highest" train in Europe that is worth a visit, and a border town with Spain in the mountains (Our first visit there was pre Euro so needed 2 currencies!)

We loved the area, mountains, forest, lakes & sea. The site has a good pool complex and there are kids clubs. We avoided the bull fighting that was just outside the site.

If you are driving that far then why not consider the Med coast? La Sirene is a fantastic site and the sea is warm! We have been to many sites along the Languedoc etc and it is worth it for the warmth.

Thanks Milliways - no flying as the car is a run about.

I have looked at some of the sites along the med but reading the reviews there's a lot of commericalism and noise seems to pop up in most posts. We did around Beziers last year I liked it but I thought the beach was pants and not a lot of nice towns. I liked the inland sites but again reading the reviews a lot of driving and my fav site is a like a resort with no where to go to escape the OH takes a lot to smile and cant stand it if he starts moaning about being bored.

Sorry - totally missed the no car thing!

Get DH to fly you to Union Lido or one of the Venice sites! Then you get the boat trip to Venice and everything you need for the kids on a resort with its own beach.

We didn't use the car when we stayed at Prairies de la Mer as can walk to the beautiful Port Grimaud and take boat trips from there to St Tropez. Have also stayed at the Canvas site up the road from this site - again the only time we took the car was for a day trip to Monaco. It IS very busy there, but Port Grimaud is beautiful and the beaches are amazing.

Actually, in the region you are looking at , have you seen Lacanau Ocean?

Matthews are a very cheap firm we have used - they go there here

Tripadvisor reviews here

Look at Interlude on the Ile de Re. Lovely beach, hire bikes and you can wear the children out every day with bike rides. Beach is great for body boarding etc.... Fly to La Rochelle and bus or taxi across. Beautiful island and great site where they will make loads of mates (leaving you time to drink )

I found Canvas Holidays generally a lot cheaper than Eurocamp, and I prefer their tents

We enjoyed la rive, lots onsite but is v hectic and nowhere really to walk to

I worked at vieux port for eurocamp 20 Years ago! That was a fab summer! It was a busy site then. Good for teens. The beach is lovely and very popular with surfers and bodyborders.

Friends went recently, the pool complex is good but they prefer la rive. Younger children who found the sea cold as opposed to the lake (I think) at la rive.