I need summer holiday advice, I have keycamped for 20 years.......

[lilibet]

And after looking at the prices for next year I'm wondering about something else. The problem is that I'm worried that we wouldn't have as good a time, so will someone talk to me about cheaper alternatives and new ideas. To keycamp for a fortnight in a three bedded caravan in school holidays next year is jsut short of £2k plus petrol, plus food and drink.

So this is what we enjoy

Ds's (13 and 17) - not having to stay with us, going to the pool and going on the slides, going to Base (Kids club for over 13s) playing football/ping pong/basket ball/pool, never having to look anything but scruffy, finding their own mates on the campsite so they don't have to spend too much time together, to be able to raid the fridge for food at any time rather than eat at set times.

DH and I - nice villages with interesting churches/shops, french markets, long walks, exploring an area by car and discovering somewhere new, reading, sitting outside the caravan at night with a bottle of wine and playing cards, good food, (both of us are veggie)never having to look anything but scruffy.

And this is what we hate

Ds's - having to spend time with us, having to spend brotherly time together, looking tidy, set meal times.

DH and I - "touristy places", looking tidy/dressing up, pubs/bars/shows, joining in, queueing for meals, anywhere overcrowded.

I've jsut read that back and how boring and antisocial do we sound ??

So, can you think of something that would appeal to all of us, I've been looking at packages and they do seem like hell on earth , but we could go all incusive for the same price as jsut a caravan in France

Have you looked at booking directly with the campsites themselves? We had two weeks in Italy a couple of years for 800 plus cheap flights.

How about camping on on one of the sites that Keycamp use? Huge tent, hire a fridge and you're away

800 euros that is (in school hols by the way)

You sound just like us, except our DC are younger (8,7,6). We've had a mobile in France every year since they were born, and and they love the kids clubs, pool and the handy freezer full of ice lollies to raid.

I've usually managed to reduce the costs by using tesco clubcard vouchers, booking early or booking through a 3rd party. But the cost has escalated so much - I have booked return flights to the USA, for next summer, for less than the basic French holiday cost . We will spend time with friends and the remainder touring and either camping in the national parks or staying in motels. I cannot wait

How about getting your own tent and driving - booking directly with the sites?

You won't get the kids club, but IME the children all seem to pal up without a club anyway.

I should have said that due to an altercation with a double decker bus a few years back, dh has to have a proper bed, we tried a tent once when we were broke and can't do it again because of his back.

I will have a look at how much it is booking directly with the site. I've seen we can use Tesco vouchers for the tunnel, where else can they be used?

Thanks

We Eurocamped in Italy this year but we have holidayed in fincas in Spain and in hotels too.

The different options have their benefits and it really depends on what you want.

With regard to all-inc options, personally I hate them! It is the same old/same old churned out and I can't stand watching greedy gluttons piling their plates high just because they are AI. The whole thing puts me off.

Maybe a villa/finca might be an option?

You can use tesco vouchers with Canvas I think but you need to book early as they only have a certain allocation of vouchers. I think you will also need about £10,000 of vouchers to pay for a holiday

Matthews Holidays are MUCH cheaper than keycamp. I am not the only MNer to use them as their vans are cheaper than keycamp tents - although their smallest van IS tiny, but adequate if you spend not much time being together indoors!

We went to Bretignolles 2 years ago and our teens LOVED it. Caution - only 2 small english companies go so there is NOT a base camp BUT the English kids just sort of find each other. It is a small campsite with a heated indoor pool with it's own waterslide and an outdoor poll + 2 slides. Best thing is it is RIGHT on the edge of the sand dunes so, if old enough, they can go to the beach alone.

Also, at the top of the road is a funpark that is all inflatables, crazy golf and Manually operated rides! It is really designed for younger kids but my 2 + 6 other friends all soent an entire day there for the 8Euro fee + picnic and had a great time.

You can walk to a few small restaurants or drive to the larger more well known Vendee towns. The local market is pretty good.

However, if your kids are shy about finding kids not in a club they may feel isolated. My DD has good French so also joined in with the French & Dutch teens. All groups spent the evenings in the Table tennis room or games room, or just hanging around in the Square, but there was no rowdy drunken groups at all.

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Why not take your own tent and stay in a municipal campsite? We camped in a lovely village in the south of france which cost 6 euros a night. We got a semi-cheap flight down there and then took the train but hiring a car would give you more freedom if you could afford it.