Eurocamp Brittany/Vendee... Help!

[Firsttimemummy124]

Hi all,

I have 2 DS, first aged 2.5 years and 2nd is 6 months, we are looking to go away in May (beginning) and are looking at the eurocamps in the above places.
We are looking at:

1. Domaine Des Ormes
2. Le Port De Plaisance
3. Des Menhirs

Does anyone have first hand experience of these for toddlers/things to do outside of the camp (we are driving).

Is it worth the extra drive (2/3 hours) to go further West? If so does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks all xx

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MNHQ update: If you’re short on time, here’s a summary of the best Eurocamp sites Mumsnetters are recommending on this thread:

😎Domaine des Ormes, Brittany

😎Le Port de Plaisance, Brittany

😎La Plage Camping, Trinite Sur Mer, Brittany

😎Domaine de Drancourt, Picardy, France

For more inspo, check out our guides to the the best Eurocamp sites in France, the best Eurocamp sites in Italy and the best Eurocamp sites in Spain.

MNHQ

Weather is usually better further south. That said one of the nicest beaches I've been on in France is in Normandy, far shorter drive! I would look at other companies too eg Pierre et vacances

With children that age, I'd honestly keep driving to a minimum. I'd also second looking at Pierre et Vacances. or I'd book a.cottage in Norfolk or Cornwall

FWIW I think the vendee is over-rated. Have a look at the Loire Valley. There are some nifty crossings to minimise driving and the children will be easier on a boat than in the car.

Forgot to mention we have driven to the south of France quite a few times and so driving isn't a problem :)

south brittany would get my vote as weather better than north brittany and much prettier than north vendee which i remember being mainly made up of bungalows (rather than the lovely old towns in brittany). Brittany is like cornwall without the crowds and tat and with better food (though it may have changed a bit since we used to go with our kids about 15 years ago). carnac was great - we went there a lot. super beaches, many of which were very quiet.

We are going to Brittany this year for the first time so no help to you, yet!

Just wanted to say that it looks like there is absolutely tons to do in Domaine des Ormes.

Your children are very young so the shorter the drive, the better and you might be better off with it not being too hot, they will have a brilliant time just being with you.

We went to Domains des Ormes last summer and we were blessed with beautiful, hot weather. The week before had been pouring down so I imagine it would have been less pleasant given the vastness of the site and walking from the accomodation to the activities.

There is a lot to do there but I would say the activities are probably targeted for kids slightly older - 4 or 5 upwards due to activities such as mini golf, pony riding, pedalos, obstacle courses etc.

It is a beautiful site and if you're content with swimming (indoor and outdoor), going to the playground and general relaxing, then I would definitely recommend it. Might be worth holding off there for another year or two until your eldest can take advantage of the activities on offer.

Domaine des Ormes is brilliant. The dome is such a benefit if the weather doesn't play ball, which is always a risk in Brittany. There's a fab cycle hire place on site which has a range of trailer/baby seat options.

It's worth looking at Roan as well as Eurocamp and/or booking direct. Dutch holidays fall differently from UK ones so the Roan cabins can be much cheaper in May and October. Not so much in the Summer.

The other campsite which is worth a look is Lez Eaux https://www.lez-eaux.com/en/ in Normandy. I haven't been, but it looks fab for kids and has another covered waterpark. It's on my list for next year.

We stayed in Port de Plainsance last summer. It was warm in late June, but I believe the weather is very unpredictable in May.

Would we go back? It depends on your expectations. I always book the most premium accommodation available. I find the other areas a little run-down.
The pools were fantastic, the food was very basic.

Bénodet itself was lovely. The beach was fabulous, great restaurants, and a supermarket and bakery very near the campsite. There was loads to do and see. We drove a lot, we love doing day trips.

Roan, Eurocamp and Homair are all part of the same company. Roan may have cheaper accommodation (and usually a bit nicer too), but you can't book the ferry through them, so you won't get the discount that you do if booking a package through Eurocamp. Just something to consider when comparing the different prices.

If you are getting the ferry to St Malo, it's not that much further to drive to Vendée where you might get better weather than west Brittany. The area around St Jean de Monts has a few nice sites with toddler pools, and I think there's more to see and do for that age group compared to Carnac. Haven't been to Le Port De Plaisance so can't comment on that one.

Domaine des Ormes has enough on site to keep you busy, but if looking at the other sites, definitely check what there is to do in the surrounding area. We made the mistake last year of choosing a site in Normandy with great (outdoor) toddler pool and 0-4 kids club, thinking we'd spend the whole week on site and therefore not need local attractions. It chucked it down all week, it was too cold to use the pool and splash park, and despite being advertised as having a kids club for 0-4, they weren't actually running any activities for that age group. There was nothing suitable for their age in the local area so we spent the whole week in the caravan doing jigsaws and colouring books. It was bloody miserable!

I know it's not what you asked for, but the European Center Parcs are worth a mention, maybe for a future holiday if not this one. After our disastrous holiday last year we've decided to avoid Eurocamp until our children are older and stick to Center Parcs as there is so much to do on site. Cheaper than Eurocamp too.

Given the ages of your children, I'd favour Brittany over travelling further south. The nicer weather is not guaranteed (and it can be rather windy in the Vendée, which is unpleasant if it's not especially warm). Long car journeys with little ones are hard work (and you're very unlikely to want to spend all day on the beach or out in the sunshine with a baby / toddler anyway). There are some lovely places in Brittany - lots of pretty towns and villages to pootle around while the little ones nap. There are nice beaches too for you to while away a few hours with a bucket and spade for your toddler.

We have a 5yr old and 1yr old, and just about to book ferry to St malo then domaine des.ormes. its our first eurocamp.

What was disastrous about it?

And which centreparcs would you recommend?

When we had a 1 year old and five year old, all they really wanted was rock pooling, looking at shells, buckets and spades, trips to the mini aquarium, two visits to the playground. Having an ice cream was a big event along with breakfast and dinner outside!

Have a look at Port de Crouesty in Brittany @Firsttimemummy124.

We went to Trinte Sur Mer, Camping de la Plage. Lots to do and great beaches for relaxing. Brittany is a good destination for little ones. We thought the Vendee was not so good and definitely prefer Brittany. We enjoyed Benodet too. It’s a lovely area.

Just bobbing in to recommend this-

https://www.eurocamp.co.uk/campsites/france/picardy/domaine-de-drancourt-campsite?cqsrc=googleeads&cqcmp=17996243477&cqqcon=143764772390&cqterm=&cqqmed=&cqplac=&cqqnet=g&cqpos=&cqqplt=gp&gadsource=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-r-vBhC-ARIsAGgUO2Bl81munu582pgPg1hitSAwQMr0kFQ-NgSfD2pkLqA1rK5jeJtOiiMaAnYfEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Absolutely stunning site with so much to do. We also had day trips and visited Bagatelle.

@Blythwind you should be fine at Domaine des Ormes. It's a pretty safe bet with enough to do on site even if weather isn't great. Our holiday last year was at La Vallee in Normandy. I know we were just really unlucky with the weather, but now we are paying school holiday prices we don't want to risk northern France again (Domaine des Ormes excluded). We still love Eurocamp, but will wait until our children are old enough to drive further south for better weather and sightseeing.

In France, Lac d'Ailette is probably the best Center Parcs for younger children. But if you don't mind which country you go to, Erperheide in Belgium is brilliant. Huge indoor soft play, great toddler pools, farm animals, pony rides, mini disco. We're off to De Haan at Easter which is also meant to be quite good and only 1.5 hours from Calais.

I've been to Domaine Des Ormes and Des Menhirs.
Domaine Des Ormes has more going on (although given the ages of your DC, that is less of an issue) but you need to drive everywhere. Des Menhirs is within walking distance of the beach and the town.

Vendee is good for a summer beach holiday but not a whole lot to do if it's cold or raining. Our first campsite holiday to France was when our kids were 1 and 2.5. We went to the Loire Valley and Carnac in Brittany at the start of June. Loire Valley was perfect, nice small campsite with an indoor pool. We just did all the things we grown ups liked to do.... visiting chateaux, historic towns, drinking wine 😁, as well as days at the pool and playground. Second week in Brittany lashed rain (temps went from high 20s in Loire to 18 degrees in Carnac) and there wasn't a whole lot to do other than the beach.

We went to Vendee at the start of June a few times and had decent weather. Had some great holidays there.

I think at those ages a smaller campsite is better (though make sure there is an indoor pool). Somewhere like Domaine des Ormes will be a lot more expensive as it offers all the activities, so save your money while you can!

We’ve been to Domaine des Ormes - our DC was slightly older than yours. I’d echo the comments above about driving everywhere - you can’t walk anywhere from the site itself, though it’s a short drive into Dol de Bretagne. It was a super easy drive from St Malo.

Thank you all so much for your help and recommendations 😊😊😊

i think she was speaking about a different brittany park, this is our third year going to des ormes with a three year old and 5 year old this year it’s perfect for them, the pool pony trekking it’s similar to centre parcs but much much nicer. you’ll enjoy it