can not decide this year for owe 3 weeks hols in august , south france or just over the border into spain , what are the pros & cons , france seemed expensive last year but this year the sites in spain are more expensive , is spain worth the extra couple of hours drive or should we stick with france what do you think....hasbo
france/spain
- Thread starter hasbo
- Start date
We thought a couple of things about Spanish sites (and this is a generalisation)
1. Smaller pitches, generally - and on the cheaper sites considerably less spacious than French sites.
2. More noise - somehow the Spanish are much more 'late-night' people and sites tend to be noisier until much later at night - even if it's just people talking - they seem 'louder' all together than many other nationalities.
Obviously the weather might not be that different - if you're in southern France compared to northern Spain. We were last in Spain in 2009 (not camping) and prices seemed quite reasonable for meals out/drinks/coffees etc. I think fuel is marginally cheaper than in France, which again is cheaper than in Britain.
We have the same dilemma - but we don't book anywhere so would only keep going down into Spain if the weather wasn't good anywhere in France! Otherwise, we get as far as the sunshine, and then just stay there!
1. Smaller pitches, generally - and on the cheaper sites considerably less spacious than French sites.
2. More noise - somehow the Spanish are much more 'late-night' people and sites tend to be noisier until much later at night - even if it's just people talking - they seem 'louder' all together than many other nationalities.
Obviously the weather might not be that different - if you're in southern France compared to northern Spain. We were last in Spain in 2009 (not camping) and prices seemed quite reasonable for meals out/drinks/coffees etc. I think fuel is marginally cheaper than in France, which again is cheaper than in Britain.
We have the same dilemma - but we don't book anywhere so would only keep going down into Spain if the weather wasn't good anywhere in France! Otherwise, we get as far as the sunshine, and then just stay there!
This is a common dilemma, we've stopped on both sides of the border on many occasions and to an extent it's half a dozen of one, 6 of the other. By the time you've driven 600 odd miles from the channel ports its very tempting to stop around Narbonne, plenty of pleasant sites around, rather than do the extra few hours on to the Costa Brava. Price wise I don't recall there being much in it, sites in high season are ridiculously expensive anywhere on the med. Fuel is indeed a little cheaper in Spain, as is eating out. To be honest though if you added up the total holiday cost (ie sites, ferry, petrol and tolls from the UK, shopping, eating out) I suspect that there wouldn't be a massive difference in cost either way, so I'd be inclined to base the decision on which area you like best. Personally other than a few exceptions I find the French resorts in the area a bit bland and prefer the Costa Brava, but no doubt others feel the opposite.
I wonder if I am more of a French person that Spanish! In 2009 we stayed here http://www.davidklyne.co.uk/camping_l_amfora.htm Lovely campsite with really excellent facilities but as Val has pointed out it was still noisy at midnight! OK it was only at the weekend. There seems something cilvilised about the way in France everything closes down by 10.00pm. Could well be my age of course. Another problem we experienced was that despite being in the middle of September it was too hot for us on the beach. Never had that problem in the South of France. I would love to explore the historic parts of Spain but not sure I am too bothered about the beach sites.
David
David
hi thanks for the good replies please keep them coming, we stayed near valas plague near beziers last year & the med was very cold when we have stayed in spain before this was never the case it was so cold that not a lot of people where swimming , 2 years ago we stayed near frejus & the med was wram is it normally that cold in that beziers/cap de agde region.....hasbo
Funnily enough we're off to L'amfora in the summer as we do like beach sites. Some years we take a boat, but we always like being able to wander right off the beach back to the van. This does come at a price though, as half of Europe also seems to like doing this too! The big beach sites in summer aren't for all, as they are very very expensive and can be extremely busy. The management of the site is vital at these times I think, we've stopped at El Delfin Verde a few times (a beach site near L'Estartit) and although it's busy the staff are very vigilant at ensuring that there is peace and quiet during the night hours. I'm sure it's a better experience a bit out of season, counting down the years until the kids have finished school so we're not tied to school holidays.
PS. Totally agree with the comment about the Med being cold for some reason on the French side. It seems illogical but it's true!
PS. Totally agree with the comment about the Med being cold for some reason on the French side. It seems illogical but it's true!
hi thanks for the quick replies , any of you good folks recommend campsites on the med any area france/spain not too far from the coast , do like a peddle on me bike to the beach or on the beach , love to sunbath with me budgie smugglers on , we are going to arrive south 18th august so we can use camping cheques & probably stay put for 10-14 nights....thanks...hasbo
Camping Neptune at Grau d'Agde - cycle ride to the beach, and the opposite way into the town of Agde. Smallish site for the Mediterranean, newly refurbished pool area, small bar and restaurant on site, but nothing 'in your face' like a lot of sites near to the beach.
I agree about the colder sea temperatures on the Med in France - in my own mind I've put this down to the fact that the rivers (particularly the Rhone) in France bring down a lot of still quite cold water from the Alpes and the Massif Central - even in June and July you can have snow melt - which cools down the sea temperature. By the time it's mixed and got down as far as the Spanish border it's had time to warm up a few degrees! I've no idea if this is fact or just me - but the theory seems possible!
I agree about the colder sea temperatures on the Med in France - in my own mind I've put this down to the fact that the rivers (particularly the Rhone) in France bring down a lot of still quite cold water from the Alpes and the Massif Central - even in June and July you can have snow melt - which cools down the sea temperature. By the time it's mixed and got down as far as the Spanish border it's had time to warm up a few degrees! I've no idea if this is fact or just me - but the theory seems possible!
thanks val , i have looked at camping neptune website a couple of times as i have noticed you have recommened this site a few times & it looks rather nice perhaps this is the year we go , shame about the cold med , do you normally book well in advance or a couple of days before using camping cheques...hasbo
We've never booked at all - and don't even check whether they have a pitch. We just turn up - and have been several times now, and not had problems. However, last year the site was noticeably fuller than previous years (perhaps due to the recommendations I've posted on various forums) - but there were still plenty of free pitches.
Interestingly I've looked at a chart of sea temperatures, and it does show a colder area from the Rhone Delta area and around the western Languedoc - maybe something to keep an eye on as the weather warms up! Here's the link: http://www.eurometeo.com/english/sst
Interestingly I've looked at a chart of sea temperatures, and it does show a colder area from the Rhone Delta area and around the western Languedoc - maybe something to keep an eye on as the weather warms up! Here's the link: http://www.eurometeo.com/english/sst
We stayed at Camping Neptune in Sep 2009. Like Val A we didn't book but just "turned up"; however unlike Val A, the number of pitches vacant and available, were very few indeed and it was a case of grabbing the first one that you could get your unit onto. Whilst there were some larger pitches these were taken by our continental neighbours who were well "dug in". The pitch we had was small, without the motor mover and with the proximity of a number of trees together with narrow access roads, we would not have been able to get onto the pitch with our Lunar Clubman, even then the car had to be pitched across the front of the 'van - not an ideal situation, or you could park your car in the car park some distance from the pitches and out of site!! That said the site was pleasant, the staff friendly and it accepted camping cheques, would we use this site again? - no! for the reasons mentioned.
We quite liked Neptune as its not one of those massive sites you often get near the coast. I agree with Gordon (Clubman) as we were a few pitches along from him and when we got there the choice was limited. There were empty pitches but some seemed to be reserved. We had a pitch with a tree in the middle and first had to evict the cars from the mobile home opposite!
David
David
hi , thanks for the replies , so camping neptune it is then , please can any of you good people (val a) tell me what date in august the site starts taking camping cheques , we have the 2010 book but not yet got the 2011...thanks ...hasbo
16th August - so if you want any dates earlier than that you'll have to book and pay the standard price, and let them know that you intend to pay for any days after the 16th with Camping Cheques. If you're going to arrive on that day or within a day or two, then I think I'd try and book first - especially as others have commented that it's become very popular.. By the way, Neptune also do 14 nights for 11 Camping Cheques, or 7 nights for 6.
Some friends of ours have just come back from their winter jaunt to Spain.
Their verdict was that since Spain has had its monetary problems, it is not as cheap as it was last year.
Road fuel was cheaper than France last year but not this year
Their verdict was that since Spain has had its monetary problems, it is not as cheap as it was last year.
Road fuel was cheaper than France last year but not this year
Facebook
Twitter