Archive for June, 2016
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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An Extra 20 Per Cent Off Remaining Vacancies In France
Al Fresco Holidays Extra 20 Per Cent Off Remaining Vacancies In France
This week Al Fresco have an offer to highlight the great summer of sport in France including Euro 2016 and the Tour de France. The eyes of the world are on France and naturally there has been an increase in interest in holidays to France.
For 2 weeks only Al Fresco are offering an amazing extra 20% off all bookings at their camping holiday parks in France. The discount code to use if you want to take advantage of this offer is ‘SPORT20’. If you use it, it will give you an extra 20% off the current selling price of all remaining vacancies with Al Fresco in France for 2016. This is only valid for bookings that have been confirmed by 27th June 2016.
Al Fresco’s holiday mobile homes in France are on some of the best French camping parks in Brittany, Normandy, Vendee, Champagne (near Paris), Dordogne, Loire valley, Charente Maritime, Aquitaine, Languedoc/Roussillon and the Cote d’Azur
Full details can be obtained via the following link: http://www.alfresco-holidays.com/france-sport
Le Val D’Ussel in the Dordogne is one of the destinations qualifying for Al Fresco’s Extra 20 Per Cent Off Holidays in France Promotion. Click Here For More Details
A Week At Camping Sequoia Parc
My Complimentary Week At Camping Sequoia Parc
One of the most onerous tasks in my business is sifting through offers to stay at some of the camping parks I write about and review. Indeed, why shouldn’t I experience the same hardships as those choosing to spend their hard earned cash or savings on a holiday at one of these locations?
Joking aside, I couldn’t have been more delighted with my choice of Camping Sequoia Parc, near Marennes on the west coast of France, just a short drive from the lovely island of Oleron. My stay was organised by Al Fresco Holidays and although I arrived over an hour before the established check-in time of 4pm, their onsite reps Vic & Bren were quickly on hand to process my check-in.
One thing worth remembering with Al Fresco is that on arrival you must hand over £50 or 60 Euros as a returnable deposit in return for cleaning up after yourselves and leaving your accommodation in a clean and tidy condition on departure. Nothing too onerous is required, it’s mainly making sure all the crockery and cutlery is cleaned, that litter has been disposed of, the kitchen, bathroom and toilets are clean and the floors brushed and mopped, all of which can easily be done within about half an hour if the place has been kept clean throughout your stay.
To make things easier when it comes to cashflow it’s worth thinking about having a cheque for the deposit made out to Al Fresco on arrival as a cheque is acceptable as well as cash. It will be handed back to you on departure unless something has gone badly wrong.
Considering the bad weather in other parts of France, which had caused flooding in parts of Normandy and Paris and generally disappointing weather for much of the 2016 spring in North West Europe, the weather throughout my stay was very agreeable, the only day of persistent heavy rain being the Sunday of my departure from Camping Sequoia Parc. The previous Friday had about half a day of drizzle but all the other days were generally warm and sunny, certainly more than warm enough to end 5 of the 7 afternoons of my stay with an hour unwinding at Camping Sequoia Parc’s excellent water park complex.
The pool complex at Camping Sequoia Parc, far more than a mere swimming pool, it’s good enough to rival a water park.
There are no less than 4 outdoor pools at Camping Sequoia Parc, of differing sizes and depths, all clustered in one compact area. Flumes and water slides add to the enjoyment of the water complex.
For food and drink there is a large bar, a restaurant and a takeaway pizza service. I used the restaurant on 2 occasions during my stay and enjoyed an excellent meal on both occasions. There is live entertainment for much of the season, though as I arrived during a quieter part of the season there was none during my stay. There were television screens to follow the French Open Tennis and European Football Championships.
I enjoyed 2 excellent dinners in the restaurant at Camping Sequoia Parc during my stay.
There is also an onsite supermarket, open from 8AM, which had fresh bread and croissants available every day. Intermarche and Leclerc supermarkets are just a few minutes drive away in nearby Marennes.
Although Camping Sequoia Parc is a large site with over 600 pitches, I never got the impression that any of them were unduly far from the entertainment and other facilities areas.
Cycle hire is available onsite. There are also 2 tennis courts, 4 table tennis tables, as well as areas for playing football, basketball, volleyball and boules.
Camping Sequoia Parc was an excellent location for visiting the beautiful nearby island of Oleron. In my opinion Oleron loses nothing in comparison with it’s more glamourous and better known neighbouring island of Ile de Re. As the bridge to drive into and out of Oleron is entirely free, unlike the penal charges levied for driving onto Ile de Re, I visited Oleron on four occasions at differing times of the day. It has interesting historic settlements such as Le Citadel, some lovely sandy beaches, yachting marinas and charming restaurants.
The sun just beginning to set on another, deserted Oleron beach.
Marennes itself and the coast a few miles south of the town are worth a visit, as most certainly are Brouage with it’s extensive walled ramparts and the beautiful villages of Mornac-sur-Seudre and Talmont. If cities are your thing, Saintes is a very attractive city and La Rochelle is not much more than half an hour’s drive away. Fouras is another attractive setting, with a sandy beach, a promenade, some nice catering outlets and an historic fort, Fort Vauban.
From Fouras, you can travel by ferry to Ile d’Aix, where Napoleon surrendered to the Royal Navy after fleeing there after his defeat at Waterloo. As well as historic sights, there are also some very pleasant walks to enjoy. There are also plenty of other attractive villages within easy driving distance of Camping Sequoia Parc, too numerous to mention, though nearby St Just-Luzac should get one, as it is the closest one to Camping Sequoia Parc.
There were certainly plenty of options to keep me occupied for a week. Families with children might also enjoy La Palmyre Zoo, a highly rated attraction, though I didn’t visit it myself. The campsite itself also has it’s own animal farm where children can feed the animals under supervision from campsite staff.
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
Sequoia Parc
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.
It is also possible to turn up with your own caravan, motorhome, trailer tent or tent to use a pitch but do note Sequoia Parc is a very popular destination so advance booking is recommended in peak periods.
If you are travelling from the Channel Ports, there is a drive of several hours so an overnight stay about halfway, perhaps in the Loire Valley might be a good idea, depending on your arrival time. The nearest ports are St Malo & Caen/Ouistreham, both of which are over four hours drive away if you have a clear run.
I often combine a camping holiday with a Brittany Ferries holiday. Provided you book a Brittany Ferries holiday location for a minimum of 3 nights you become eligible for a substantial reduction in your ferry price. It’s also a great way to get extra enjoyment from your holiday if you have the time. To find out more, please refer to “Holidays in France and Spain via ferry”
Do feel free to use the Facebook link below to comment or ask questions on this article. It would be great to hear from you.
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