Brittany and the Vendee

[Faith]

We are going camping wqith our four year old twins, one week near Fouesnant in Brittany and one week near St Jean de Monts in the Vendee. Can anyone recommend any activities, sights, restaurants ( we all love eating,so no burgers, chicken nuggets, etc). Also, whats the best way to change money? Cashpoints? Can anyone recommend ones that don't charge.

Dear Faith
We were in Brittany in that area last September.
I can recommend the Hotel-Restaurant du Port, 4 corniche de la Cale,29940 La Foret-Fouesnant. Tel:02 98 56 97 33.There is another restaurant as well, an Auberge, which I will find out the exact address and post again.

Faith, we are also going to the Vendee, the 'La Yole' campsite, at the end of August, so hopefully you will be able to give us some tips when you get back! I did find the keycamp website had a lot of good information about the area, including tips on where to eat, where to go etc. It may be worth a look. Our campsite is near St Jean de Monts also.

St Jean de Monts must be the place to go we're off there too. We tried to get into a site in Fouesnant but it was full so we're going to Bayeux. As before any info. would be useful.

If you aren't too far away WE heartily recommend Puy du Fou - somewhere near Cholet (inland) for a fantastic day out. My kids were 5 and 3 when we first went there and it was a really memorable occasion for them - just completely different to anywhere in this country with outdoor shows involving jousting, birds of prey, a Viking battle (it's a historical theme park in a way). The little one particularly asks regularly when we are going back to Puy du Fou. More Vendee than Brittany, but would certainly suggest having a look on the map.

We are trying to decide whether to go to a gite in Brittany or whether to try a Pierre et Vacances residence with pool etc. Our son will be just over three at the time. Are these apartment complexes hellish or OK? We are most concerned about privacy (thin walls?) and uselessness or otherwise of kitchen facilities. But lots of nice things for small people to do on-site also appeals. These types of holiday seem much cheaper than Canvas/Eurocamp etc. I keep wondering what the catch is. Any feedback welcomed...

Marina, we stayed at a Pierre et Vacances wheb dd was 2 and had a lovely time. We stayed on the Cote D'Azur though so don't know much about them in the area you are looking. The kitchen facilities included a dishwasher, hob, tiny oven and microwave and plenty of utensils. There were a few takeaways within walking distance too (pizza, moules frites etc.)and for breakfast the the local baker delivered fresh bagettes and croissants to the site.The rooms were basic but very clean and they offer maid service if you want extra cleaning done while you are there. We certainly never heard our neighbours so the walls must have been ok too.
The pools were great and the grounds lovely with little hedges separting each apartment so you had some privacy on your terrace too.
Watch the grading of the resorts though, we stayed in one of the better ones (though definately not the top of the range) so I'm not sure what the facilities would be like in lower grades.
Have a great holiday whatever you decide.

It has been four years (France 98 World Cup) since we were over in the Vendee ? two families with two four year olds, one two-and-a-half and one eighteen month old between us. We all shared a caravan too!!!
The main beach at St Jean-de-Monts always has enough space for a game of beach football or cricket even in high season. It has a lively promenade which is lined with cafés and restaurants. I recall there were some excellent ones but I cannot fish out the names from the grey matter. There was a quieter beach at nearby Plage des Mouettes, towards St-Hilaire where the sand is lovely. For a change from the sea, a twenty minute drive inland takes you to the freshwater lake at Apremont, an ideal family day out and spot for a picnic. Ten minutes to the south is the pretty fishing port of St-Gilles ? I think this is where there was a carousel in the market square.
The island of Noirmoutier, to the north of St-Jean is reached by a causeway or bridge, and makes an interesting day out with its lovely unspoilt beaches, castle museum and aquarium.
You will find that your park will have a lot of information ? we had an excellent young male rep on our site who was really helpful in recommending restaurants, pharmacies, beaches, supermarkets, markets and even good local wines etc. may be worth having a decent chat with your rep on arrival.

Marina, we hired a gite in the Etel region of Brittany through Brittany Ferries (www.brittany-ferries.co.uk) & it was very reasonably priced, & although it was September we had glorious weather. By staying in a gite you do get more of a feel for the area, even if the decor can sometimes be a little bizarre. Ds was 1yr at the time & being near beaches there was lots for him to do. It was very private, but also the neighbours were very friendly & helpful, even finding us petrol when we ran out (it was a couple of years ago when the French were blockading the petrol depots)

Have also stayed in Pierre et Vacances appartments on skiing holidays. Again, very private with no sound problems. Basic cooking facilities, but clean. English holidaymakers were in the minority - which can sometimes be an advantage but not so easy for older children to make friends

Make the ideal would be to have a week in each in a different area?

Thanks all, have pondered the situation for a while and decided to do a gite again this year. This is mainly because DS still needs a lot of supervision around water (although HE doesn't think so) and a handy paddling and swimming pool might prove too alluring.
I think Pierre et Vacances might be just the ticket next year, they sound very promising. But for now we have booked a lovely-sounding gite near Perros-Guirec in Cotes d'Armor.
Incidentally, we weren't going to France at all this year, we were going to save money and holiday in the UK. Until we realised that even with ferry crossing factored in, a fortnight in France in late Aug/Sept is going to be as cheap as a week in a reasonably equipped cottage on the Isle of Wight. Supply and demand I guess.

We have booked gites through French Life for the last couple of years (www.frenchlife.co.uk). Went to the Loire last year - such a fantastic gite - highchair, cot, dishwasher, washing machine - and even a Braun handblender - perfect for making baby food!
We're off to the Dordogne this year with them - got a pool this time - although we're going to have to keep an eye on ds who will be 20 months when we go! Thinking of getting him one of these swim vests to keep him afloat. Anyone tried one?

Oh, another good gite website is www.frenchconnections.co.uk (all privately owned ones).

Do you mean the Bobin swim vest? - if so I recommend them but make sure ds is used to it before you go on holiday - child still has to move a bit to stay afloat plus it holds them in a swimming position rather than floating around by their arms so if they are used to arm bands it can feel quite different. Ds loved it (never had armbands and was always exceptionally confident in the water) and learnt to swim really early (at 2) - got his first swimming badge at 3 and got his 1500 m distance badge at 7. Dd was not so keen and much preferred her armbands - she has still learnt to swim but is not as confident as her brother.

Not sure of the make - seen them in various catalogues. They look like a yellow waistcoat, filled with foam or something like that, with a strap around the middle. He can't actually swim as yet, but loves splashing around, and I thought they seemed like a good idea.

Try this link for a company called Polyotter , we've had the vest and swimsuit both of which I would recommend.

The link is not for a company called Polyotter, it's for a company that just happens to have the Polyotter catalogue on their site.

Tetley - have you ever booked a cottage through French Connections? Or has anyone, for that matter? Am just about to post my deposit today so wondered if anyone had ever used them before. Thanks.