hello new to forum and need some advice for our first trip abroad.........

[lauramumof3]

We have been caravaning for about 5 years now with our 3 children age 8,5, and 2. We decided to go to france because of the weather last year in great yarmouth! we love it there but we have been for a few years now so need a change.
Firstly is the weather usually good in brittany?
we were going to go to beaulieu in the dordogne but have decided its too far for our fisrt trip and it can get very hot there too (i used to go camping when i was little to the same place every year) plus i dont think theres a great deal to do. anyway we are thinking of brittany i started looking at sites but omg there is so many to choose! if anyone could reccomend some it would be great.
we would like a pool- nothing to fancy. Not bothered about these massive complexes.
also around the £30 euros mark taking into account our 3 children- as it soon adds up when they are charging 7 euros a night for a child?????
we like sites that arent too overcrowded maybe a bar/restaurent on but not too bothered so long as we can bbq hahaha!
also near the beach would be good.
then we will do a week in paris including a day in disney also any reccomendations for a nice site near paris.
and we were going to do hull to zebrugge crossing as we live about an hour from hull but now we might to dover??
basically we dont want to overspend we totted our original plans and it was getting to the £3000 mark!
thanks in advance its all getting exiting.....................!

 

[lauramumof3]

i say that im new but its says i joined in 2009! but its been a long time............... so im not fibbing.honest

 

[ValA.]

Some of the 'discount' schemes may have sites, but not necessarily in the areas you want, and you may have to think about going the last two weeks in August to benefit from their rates. The problem is that, as you say, with three children then the supplements soon start to mount up.
Outside Paris you could stay at Les Courtilles de Lido, with Touring Cheques (www.touringcheque.co.uk) for £12.95 per night, including two adults, pitch, car and caravan, awning and electricity - then you'd pay the child supplement on top - under 10's 3 euros, and over 10's 4 euros. The site is near Fontainbleau, the Chateau and the forests, you can get the train to Disneyland, or into Paris, and the little nearby town of Moiret sur Loing is lovely, with a nice river, park, and water mill.
There is an ACSI card, four star site, Val de Loire (in the Loire Valley - not Brittany, or beach, I'm afraid), but it does have an indoor pool, and takes the ACSI card from 21st August - at 14 euros per night for the same deal as outlined above. Child supplements of 4.50 per night for over 7s, and 3 euros per night under 7's.
Otherwise there are absolutely loads of lovely municipal sites, where prices are generally lower. There are sites near the beach, such as Camping Municipal du Pont de l'Etang at Cap Frehel in Brittany, which is adjacent to a sandy beach, and though large you're apparently camping in dunes so separated from others. There are lots of similar sites - and I'm sure others can recommend some suitable sites.

 

[LesleyP]

We like Camping des Isles in southern Brittany at Penestin. The site has direct access to the beach, has a nice pool complex, bar and restaurant. They do have their own website which you can look at. They are in the Caravan Club overseas book and also take Camping Cheques and Touring Cheques in low season which can keep costs down. This has always been a favourite of our children as they have grown up and we will be calling there on our way back from the Vendee this August (camping cheques from 26th aug)

 

[lauramumof3]

thanks for your replys, camping des iles looks lovely, i dont think we will get any benefit from the camping cheques as we have to travel at the end of july begining of august my husband has 3 weeks off work (which doesnt happen very often and he cannot change the dates) . We are looking at traveling from dover to calais that knocks of about £300 taking into account the extra petrol. Shame really about hull but its so expensive. Ive looked at portsmouth crossing but that was more than hull to zebrugge!
any more suggestions would be fab!

 

[LesleyP]

If you are having to do that sailing then you might wish to have a one night stop half way - perhaps by Caen. Look at Camping la Catiniere just pasdt Le Harve. Hve you tried getting a sailing through either Caravann Club or Camping Cheques with Condor Ferries. These are offering a Sunday sailing, Portsmouth to Cherbourg - caravan goes free. Usually costs about £250 return. It saves a lot of travelling the other side and, when arriving at Cherbourg at abot 2pm french time you can make it dow to soutern Brittany in one journey.

 

[lauramumof3]

thanks for that, my husband is going to ring up the carvan club tommorow see if we can get it cheaper

 

[yorkykev]

We stayed at Camping des Iles last summer and were not particular impressed. Weather was not good which did not help but it did highlight a lack of things to do. Site does have direct access to a rocky beach, not good for children to play on, you will have to walk further along the path running alongside the beach to find a more suitable area.
Site is compact for touring caravans and pitches are quite close together - it certainly tested my reversing skills.
Sorry to be negative but we have stayed on much better sites in our travels around France.
We have used Select Sites ( www.select-site.co.uk ) to book our holidays through for the past three years and have found them very helpful and competitive price-wise, very important as we have to go in the school holidays.

 

[lauramumof3]

thanks ill have a look at that site properly later, ive ordered a brochure. And ive also got us an aa 2010 guide off ebay for 99p! bargain. Thought it would be easier than trawling the internet as there are just so many to choose from!
keep your ideas coming its a great help. thanks again xx

 

[ValA.]

Laura, the site I mentioned, at Fontainbleau takes Touring Cheques (not Camping Cheques) all through the summer holidays according to the Touring Cheque website. (www.touringcheque.co.uk)

 

[lauramumof3]

hi val just checked that out and it said touring cheques accepted 7th april-30th june & 1st september-20th september if i am reading correctly? But thanks for letting me know and tell me any more bargains, thanks x

 

[ValA.]

I'm sorry Laura, it must have been last year's version of the website I was looking at, as I notice that the price has also gone up to £13.50 now too. I last looked just a couple of weeks ago when it was still the old version. My apologies. I will keep a look out for any more bargains though!
However, for anyone looking for a site near(ish) to Paris, with the special Touring Cheque offers you could spend a week at Les Courtilles de Lido for 6 x £13.50 = £81.00 *(7 nights for 6), two weeks for 10 x £13.50 = £135.00, (14 nights for 10) or even better three weeks there in June for £189.00! (21 nights with only 14 Touring Cheques needed)

 

[Gafferbill]

…….you will be doing very well if you can find a cheap site near Disneyland Paris at the time you are travelling.( July/August)

You will need more than one day there to see everything and get to all the shows which have set times.
This will not be cheap in itself for a family of five.

I would recommend this site which is set in a Leisure park with many facilities 6 miles from Disneyland.
It also sells discounted Disney tickets at the office and has a regular bus service direct to Disney.
It would be around €45/ night in August

but it is peak season near Paris.

http://www.camping-jablines.com/

 

[lauramumof3]

dont worry we know that disney will be expensive we have been every year at christmas but not in the caravan, so we thought the kids would like to see disney in the summer instead we will buy tickets before hand but for all of us it will be 250 for one day! omg. And i know that its gonna be very expensive in paris thats why we are looking at going dover to calais im sure we will save a few hundred there. And also we wont be travelling so far down in france saving on petrol etc, plus we will take as much food as we can to save on that too. We have just got to budget i suppose. i keep looking.................... thanks gafferbill xx