Keycamp / Eurocamp - haven't a clue

[Jamdoughnutfiend]

I am trying to work out what to do next summer, inlaws are coming for a month and if the weather is like the last time I think we will all go mad! So was thinking about a week in France.

Will be DH, inlaws and DDs 4 and 5. Looking at the 1st or 2nd week in August and likely I will drive with the girls and MIL and DH and FIL will be on motorbikes.

DH and I both know very little about France so don't know where to start, can any wise mumsnetters give me a couple of suggestions please

first decide how far you want to travel and if hot sun is important or not. that determines how far south you have to go. do you like rural or towns or beaches - france has most things. brittany, dordogne, massif central are lovely areas. but it depends what you like - paris is good, if you are a war buff then normandy

I bet you'll want to drive less distance than they'll want to go on their motorbikes ;) so if you go to brittany, take a western crossing (Portsmouth/Plymouth) and send the bikers via Calais!

Key and Eurocamp are the same company, and Keycamp branding has now disappeared.

I would avoid having maximum capacity in a caravan/tent if you possibly can - the people sleeping in the living room will have very very little space and no privacy.

Yes, work out what you want from your holiday first. Traffic can be busy in August, so you need to work out how far you want to go.

Have you got the eurocamp brochure?

Thanks for the responses everyone - have been in the eurocamp website but just overwhelmed with hugeness of France.

Sun is important but guess if we go a long way we could go for 2 weeks (2 weeks in caravan with FIL )

jenijena - great suggestion - DH a biker by any chance

Ideally would like somewhere warm, not too big a site, able to walk/cycle to beach or town and has a pool

Ok. If you want a beach, then you are probably looking at the west coast (south will be murder in august).

So, Brittany - beautiful beaches, bit like cornwall in some ways. Weather not reliable, but we're usually lucky with the southern bit around Carnac.

Further down is the Vendee. Long long strip of golden beach, sand dunes and pine forest. Bit more of a holiday resort - I got a bit bored.

Further down weather is even better, and Atlantic coast is beautiful.

Inland, area around Sarlat is lovely and you have the river instead of the sea.

Or there's always the Alps...

You will get pool pretty much everywhere.

second sunnys comments ref carnac, brittany and vendee and sarlat! also suggest you don't all share a mobile as will be squashed. ukcampsites.co.uk has independant reviews on sites

Do Eurocamp do chalets? You wouldn't guess from the outside, as they have a pitched roof, but it's essentially 2 mobile homes with a lounge and 3 proper bedrooms - and an actual bath (as well as a shower). There may even have been an ensuite. There were 6 of us: me & DH, MIL & FIL and 2 DCs aged 9 and 6. Loads of room. And a dishwasher!

welcome.lez-eaux.com
We stayed here last May half term and it was nice. Think it will be busier in the summer but it's quite small so I imagine still bearable. We stayed in a safari tent which was LOVELY. Out eldest was disappointed by the lack of elephants and lions though so I would recommend making that crystal clear before you go. (Almost as bad as the lack of fairies on the 'Fairy' (ferry) boat to get there)

Do you want to stay on a campsite? Aa there are four adults perhaps a house rental would work better for you.

It could be a better price than couple of mobile homes or tents on a site. Plua you'd have lots more outside space to hang out. Mayybe a private pool too.

We've tried both and much prefer private house rentals. However our dc are older teens so don't need anything more than a decent wi fi connection. Sigh
..

With 2 weeks you could break your journey either way staying at sites en route for a night or two. These will get booked up very quickly.

I love the southern brittany area, easy to get to, lots to see, lots of yummy things to eat. But I'm less fussed about hot. For guaranteed hot you need to head south. Bear in mind August is when the French go on holiday and the first weekend of August in particular is renowned as traffic hell.

Did I say this already but - check maximum vehicle capacity at a park. The last two I've stayed at were only one car per caravan, and no, there was very little space to squeeze in a motorbike, never mind several.

If you don't mind the drive, the area in the alps - Annecy, for example - would be beautiful and warm at that time of year.