Tag: Domaine des Ormes

My Long Weekend In Brittany With Al Fresco Holidays

My Long Weekend In Brittany At Domaine Des Ormes

The temptation with Domaine des Ormes is to treat it as a convenient stopover point on the journey to warmer climes further south or the same heading back to one of the Channel ports. It is less than 20 miles from St Malo, no more than about 100 miles from Ouistreham (the port for Caen) and just a little further to Cherbourg. If you’ve had a long journey getting to France or a long one travelling further south, it can be worth doing that as I’ve done myself in the past.

This time I decided to have a longer stay and have a long weekend in Brittany at Domaine des Ormes with Al Fresco Holidays. There’s certainly plenty of activities on offer there.

The first thing I noticed about Domaine des Ormes is that it is more a country estate than a camping park. The camping park forms just one part of the estate, along with an hotel (3 stars), an 18 hole golf course, a fishing lake, a chateau and an equestrian centre.

The golf course is set in the chateau park and is one of the most renowned courses in Brittany. Certainly there seemed a sizeable contingent of enthusiastic golfers staying at Domaine des Ormes during my visit. A round can be booked on a one off basis per round.

The Equestrian Centre is open all year to both experienced and novice riders. Lessons with a certified riding instructor are also available.

Both these facilities are extras and need to be booked at least a day in advance but of course campers are very much welcomed and encouraged to use them.

Other sports available on the site include two tennis courts, 3 table tennis tables, a volleyball net, a basketball court, an all-weather soccer pitch, boules, fishing and many others. You quickly see why Domaine des Ormes is one of the most active and lively camping parks in Brittany.

As with all top camping parks Domaine des Ormes has “top of the range” water amenities, both covered and outdoor to cater for all weather conditions. There are 5 pools in all and no less than 6 waterslides. As there was a bit of a nip in the air during my stay (it was in early June in overcast conditions) I opted not to sample them, though I’m sure any children you are holidaying with will be made of sterner stuff!

The camping area was well laid out and no part seemed unduly far from the amenities. For my stay I was offered a 2 bedroom Rossini Riviera mobile which more than comfortably met my needs. There are plenty of other options for accommodation though, including smaller and larger mobile homes, erected tents and safari tents and even treehouses.

The main restaurant faces the lake and normally needs to be booked a day in advance as it is often very busy and was during my stay. There is also a restaurant at the hotel and another in one of the 2 bars. There’s also a takeaway pizza service and a small supermarket.

Places nearby worth visiting include nearby Combourg, which has a lively market on Monday mornings and also a chateau in which the 19th Century French statesman and writer Chateaubriand spent some of his childhood. Nearby Tinteniac has a distinguished old church for a small community, which sadly was closed when I visited.

More well known places to visit include Dol de Bretagne, Dinan, Dinard, St Malo itself and of course legendary Mont St-Michel.

All in all, if you opt to have a stay at Domaine des Ormes, you would have a holiday with something for the whole family to enjoy. Certainly much more than a quick stopover!

Here is a list of the main companies offering holidays at Camping Sequoia Parc, with links:

Al Fresco Holidays
Canvas Holidays
Eurocamp
Hoseasons
KelAir
Les Castels
Les Ormes Domaine & Resort

It is impossible to say which of the operators will have the most competitive offer at a particular time. That will depend on a number of factors including loyalty bonuses you may have accrued from previous bookings and time related special offers available at a particular time. Please note that KelAir are based in Ireland and Les Castels in France and that with Hoseasons you will be booking privately owned accommodation where you will need to liaise with the accommodation’s owner during your stay.

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