Key Camp - anyone been?

[Hulababy]

We are considering, as part of our summer holiday, going and staying at a KeyCamp place in the south of France.

What are they like?
DD will be 3yo - will is be suitable?
What is the accommodation like?
Anything we should know?

Other plans are:

• fly to Nice; collect 14 day hire car
• Key Camp (or similar) for 7 days
• 4 nights somewhere between Nice and Paris - not yet decided
• 3 nights in Disney Land Paris (for DD )
• Fly home from Paris

We went to L'Hippocampe at Argeles (near the Spanish border) when ds1 was 3. No complaints with Keycamp, but had never done a similar holiday with any other companies to compare it with.

The pool complex was great. The siting of the caravans not so - rather hemmed in, but that would obviously vary from site to site.
We had a 6 birth caravan, which was about the right size for the three of us (wouldn't have wanted to be in anything smaller tbh).

We enjoyed our holiday, great pool and entertainment, but the wide sweeping coastline was not for us - everytime we ventured out we got pebbledashed by sand and ds1 ended up in tears

Also, for a family of three, we could probably have stayed in a smart hotel in Greece for a similar price. Personally, with a 3 year old I would prefer Minorca or Majorca (Puerto Pollensa), but that said - if you are looking to combine a summer sunshine holiday with a trip to Paris - it could be great.

Hope you have a lovely time

I woudlnt go with only one child under three IMo
a firend went with a 3 and a 2.5 yearold an htought it was hard work - thw youhger the better.

aslo you ahave to be the sort of perso w ho is very relaxed, the most minor things become family trips - going to gett he bread in the morning can tkae an hour really.

Ah, that was DD1s job in the morning Coddy - 2 Baguettes and 6 Pain au Chocolat

Canvas are very good, smaller than Keycamp and with less choice in the number of sites they offer. The kit is everybit as good as Keycamp and I have tended to find the staff slightly more helpful (both on site and when you book), so we tend to go with Canvas. Never done eurocamp. We are going with canvas at easter in a Centuary....been in one before and they are fab, almost more like a chalet than a caravan

I'm afraid a sun and sand holiday somewhere isn't really me at all. This is to be only half of our holiday, and we will spend much of the time out and about visiting places locally.

We have two quotes for accommodation only: £440 at Cap Esterel and £403 with Eurocamp I think it is.

TBH we just want a base, with the added attraction of pool. And we want s/c, and our own bathroom.

Just thought these would be better with a 3yo than a hotel. Eating out at night in France with a toddler can be a real pain we have found!

Rest of holiday will be 4 days in a B&B or hotel somewhere on way to Paris -probably wine regions. And teen final 3 days at Disney

Agree entirely about eating out with a toddler in France. On this same holiday we rather forgot that we were now a family and went out for a meal - which took (not joking) 3 hours to complete and about an hour for ds1's food to materialize.
We had to laugh because the chef produced the most amazing ice cream clown for ds, but after 2 hours of waiting for it - it was completely lost on him! We learned a lot of lessons on that holiday (my biggest one was not to insist on continuing the potty training on holiday, but that's another story!)

Like you, we love getting out and about and still manage to on holiday to some extent (dh is a great walker), but I'm afraid as time has gone by we've found that if the kids are not happy then neither are we - so hols are definitely much more beach based than they would otherwise have been.

I went with ds when he was 3 and he loved it. I like the flexability of being able to cook if I want and eat out if I want. TBH I find eating ut with the kids a doddle in France. People take it as a normal thing to do. Last summer we would eat out dh and I would have a huge plate of seafood, dd wouod have moule and frite and ds burger and chips. No-one turned a hair and the kids were positivly angelic and enjoyed the meal and the excitement of watching the world go past them at the harbour! It was fab! Can't wait for this year!

hmb - DD loves eating out and eats pretty much anything. We eat out at least 1 or 2 times a week here, but we found the places we have been too a nightmare at night time. Yes, thet accept children and spoil DD loads, but places are so smoking and they don't open until so late. Granted this has only been north of Paris, and Reims types of areas, and not in the summer either - maybe it is different then. Found Italy so much easier. However, maybe south of France and peak season will be easier.

We went to the Vendee on the western seaboard. We were eating at 7 and it was great fun for us all. We kept to UK time so effectivly we were eating at 6, which was OK for the kids. We were not going to 4 star michelin places, but just nice little places. We always ate outside, it was beautifully warm and that avoided the smoking problem.

We have paid large amounts to go Mark Warner and Sunsail but I can honestly say that the best, and most stress free holidays that we have ever had were a fraction of the cost with Canvas!

This year I am saving even more by having our own tent. The difference in price is paying for a week in Holland at easter and we have already has a weekend in the Peebles Hydro....also fab!

I would recoment Canvas to anyone with kids

That sounds positive about the eating out then hmb. Must have been because of the time of year when we went I think.

Having seen some costings for mobile home tiyoe holidays, I am now pricing up some B&B prices for the journey between Nice area and DLP. Thinking of spending 2 nights in Grenoble and 2 nights in Dijon areas.

Finding that many hotels do not accept a child in a double room. Grrr!

Things might be a bit different now, but we found in the SofF that restaurants were very welcoming of children, but they did not provide high chairs (they were very happy to give you a telephone directory, though). Children's meals were either steak-haché & frites or jambon & frites, or a cut-down version of an adult meal.

We like to eat out on holiday, but when self-catering with toddlers, we found it easier to eat out at lunchtime and cook a leisurely dinner.

If you go with Keycamp or canvas they will allow you a multi centre holiday, either in caravans/tents or they can also book you into hotels. If you not mind something cheap (and I do mean basic) Formule 1 have three bed rooms, so do the more 'upmarket' hotel chains in france

Yes, that is what we did in October this year - after our past experience. We ate out every lunch, but cooked in the cottage at night.

Hulababy, if you pick a chain hotel (eg Ibis) you can easily accomodate three in a double room. They will happily provide you with a roll-out bed or a cot. And some of the automated hotels actually have a double bed with single bunk.

LOL! I remember staying in a Formule one in iems with me, Dh and BIL - so cheap it was unbelievable!!!

I have found that the Accor hotels (Ibis, Novotel, Mercure) all seem to allow you to have a child in the room.

we didnt eat out at all last year - we found it more relaxing to go to a " traiteur " place tio get " take aways tyoe stuff to cook at home,dn watch t he kids play cricket in front of us whillst we used our gas barbecue
aslo lots of the wine prodicing chateaux have a pitch ont camp sites int eh evening and we bought some fab wine there very reasonably

Formule 1 - 26 Euro (£18) - can't complain!

Must admit, I prefer the chain that is one step up from F1 that gives you a private bathroom. But it's only a few £££ more.

Is that the Etap?

The self cleaning shower rooms and toilets were great in the Formule 1 - but not sure I fancy it with DD. Cost us 14 Euros a night for a triple room just outside Reims when we went. Told you it was cheap!!!

Etap is one-up from F1. But there are other chains too.

Thinking of booking at a site through Vacansoleil. Looks very smilar to the Eurocamp cabins, and sites. But I can do accommodation only there, which saves well over £100 for the week - meaning we can have that extra night in Dinsey now Anyone used them?

Hula-have you looked at just booking direct with the campsite you want. If you google the area you will almost certainly find a tourist site with links to local campgrounds, most of which have their own websites. They rent out mobile homes and often little centre parc type huts (but beware the "natur" ones have shared loos). If you just want a base and no crossing no kids camp etc, Im sure would be cheaper.

miggy - tried that last night and my google search managed to find a whole list of naturist campsites first As DD is currently enjoying highlighting key differences between boys and girls, not a great idea

TBH, this one does seem great value even compared to some of the independent sites I found so far. But not booking until my new job is guaranteed later this week - so will keep looking for the best deal until then!

for example not naturist!

I have fallen in love with the little wooden tent things!

Keycamps; we want fly as driving with 2 young kids could be tuff.south of france toofar who recommends a site with waterpark, kids club ,caravans near an airport.or are there any other holiday operators cheaper with same qualkity ,or are thereany discounts with Keycamps?