Hello Ed,
We've just got back from 14 nights in the Vendee, with the kids and absolutely loved the area, so much so that we booked 21 nights for Summer 2009 before leaving.
It is locally acclaimed to have it's own micro climate which gives it sunshine hours comparable with the South of France.
The locals were really friendly and the weather was generally excellent while we were there, although caravanners we met on arrival said that it had been very wet in the weeks prior.
We used Le Pin Parasol site, situated just outside of La Chapelle Hermier and on the shores of Le Lac du Jaunay.
It carries CC and C&CC recommendation signs in the office.
The staff speak excellent English and would be happy to take a booking direct, although we booked via the C&CC as this was our first visit with a caravan.
The site have a website if you wish to check it out or can be contacted on Tel. 02 51 34 64 72.
The site was immaculate with large pitch sizes (even when compared to home), with an excellent pool area, small shop, takeaway and bar.
The toilet/shower blocks (mixed sex) were immaculate but you had to provide your own loo roll and soap.
We used the serviced pitches which were worth the extra couple of quid a night.
There was a silence rule after 10pm but I noticed that most of the Brits continued with the 11pm rule as on club sites at home and rarely heard anything after that time.
A few people had dogs on site with them and there is a short walk of only a few minutes, from the site down to the shores of the lake which provides extensive walking, cycle riding and fishing.
Approximately 0.5 km from the site by road, is a free car park and ramp with launching facilities for small craft and would be ideal for windsurfing on the lake.
St Gilles Croix de Vie is only 30 minutes drive from the site, and some excellent beaches could be reached in 15 minutes, however I noticed that some of the popular ones had dog bans imposed during peak periods.
There were a lot of small yachts and a few windsurfers being launched from Bretignolles sur Mer, where again there was a free car park and launch ramp if you prefer using the sea.
All of the coastal car parks we saw were free but had 2.0 m height restriction barriers, which meant we couldn't use them with the roof box on the roof of our 4 x 4, so I ended up removing it for the duration.
Depending on what you are driving this may affect your access with roof mounted boards.
The only down side in the criteria you are looking for is that the site is on the big side and was busy when we first arrived, however as we approached the end of the holiday the touring pitches were virtually deserted other than the 25 strong Caravan Club rally at the far end of the site.
If you go outside of the peak period I imagine the site would be as quiet as you need it to be.
There were loads of camp sites in the area as we drove around so even if this one doesn't suit your needs I'm sure you will find something,
Good luck,
Ken.
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