What makes a great family holiday? For Tracey Williams it's cool activities and new friends for the kids with a bit of 'R n R' thrown in
Holidays under canvas, once loved, are for my family now virtually a thing of the past, having an asthmatic five-year-old (unless dry, hot weather is guaranteed). We decided, instead to investigate life in a caravan, and headed to south-west France on a Eurocamp holiday.
Instead of one of the luxury tents on offer we opted for a mobile home, which turned out to be a very spacious three-bedroom version, with fully-equipped kitchen and quite adequate shower room (hurrah for no night-time trips to the loo block in wellies).
After an endless journey beset by tedious problems (industrial action at the ferry port and getting lost to name two), four very tired and irritable people arrived at the sleepy campsite, St Avit Loisirs, near Le Bugue in the depths of the beautiful Dordogne region. We were cheerfully greeted by our Eurocamp rep, Mick, who showed us around what was to be our home for the week.
The very pretty, shady campsite consisted of a mixture of tents, mobile homes and cabins, and you can also turn up with your own caravan/camper van/tent and use the outstanding facilities.
Action stations
Eurocamp have sites all over Europe (with some new sites in Florida), but we chose St Avit Loisirs because of the PGL station. My nine-year-old son loved this facility, and throughout the week tried abseiling, climbing, zip wire, archery and a terrifying (to me anyway) activity called 'Leap of Faith' in which you climb to a platform and leap across to a trapeze.
Children must be at least seven to participate in PGL activities, but younger campers are well catered for: my five-year-old had a great time at the Fun Station. There are sessions morning and afternoon, and the friendly, chatty kids' club leaders had the children happily engaged in crafts, sports and games. You'll find Fun Stations at most Eurocamp sites, and they offer free activities for kids from toddlers to teenagers. For any budding Beckhams out there, enquire too about Soccer Stations, which run in high season on selected parcs.
Relaxed and shoe-free
These well-organised clubs give the kids a chance to make new friends and have fun, while the parents can have a little time to themselves. Our kids enjoyed PGL and Fun Station for around and hour and a half most days - leaving the rest of the day free for family stuff - hanging out by the pool, playing tennis or cycling.
The pool complex is one the best we have come across in all our visits to campsites. There is a large indoor pool, and outside there's a lap pool, a couple of pools for smaller children and the piece de resistance: the crazy river - consisting of two wide water slides that you hurtle down on a rubber ring - a huge hit with my boys.
A huge hit with yours truly was how spotlessly clean the whole pool complex was - due to the policy of making the entire pool complex (from poolside to changing rooms) shoe-free. Leaving shoes at the door of any leisure pool should be made compulsory everywhere.
Food, glorious food
One of the great advantages of camping or caravanning holidays as a family, is not being restricted to hotel mealtimes, and with small children, having the freedom to eat when and what you want really makes a difference. Our caravan kitchen had pretty much everything we needed, plus a barbeque, so eating on the deck (with glorious views over the surrounding countryside) was the order of the day. And the camp shop was fairly well stocked with the basics, plus heavenly fresh bread and croissants daily.
For those times when you fancy trying some local nosh, the campsite restaurant was rustic and inviting, with a great regional menu (also catering for vegetarians). More casual dining could be had at the cafe and bar overlooking the pool complex.
We also ventured out to try the local delicacies, and the Dordogne reputation for fabulous food certainly did not disappoint. Head out to Le Bugue and surrounding villages and you'll certainly encounter some gastronomic delights. Even my two very picky boys loved the food - after one particularly delicious lunch Charlie pronounced it the best meal he'd ever had. Praise indeed.
Attention all campers
If you want to chill out, try something new and have a truly family-oriented holiday, Eurocamp would be seriously hard to beat. Because St Avit Loisirs is a relatively compact site and heavily family-focused, it was the first time our nine-year-old had been given any kind of real freedom: he loved cycling around the site with his new friends, being sent to pick up the bread for breakfast and generally not being made to stay 'where I could see him'.
The staff were unfailingly cheerful and helpful, and when the rain became torrential, all tent campers were upgraded to mobile homes free of charge. From whatever-the-weather tent fanatics to those craving some home-comforts, this type of camping should suit just about everyone.
Top tips
- If you are reserving a mobile home, spend the extra £25 and get a deck - it's worth every penny.
- If you can, take your own bikes. Bike hire runs around five euros a day, so if you want bikes for all the family for a week, the cost can add up quickly.
- If you are driving, take some basics with you - at least for the first night you're there. Alternatively, book a welcome pack.
- If the kids are joining in with the PGL activities or Fun Station, pack trainers - flip flops or sandals won't do the job.
- Chill - it's camping!
Practical information
We stayed at St Avit Loisirs for 7 days in May (half-term), in a 3-bed mobile home, which cost around £900 including ferry crossing from Dover-Calais, linen hire and deck.
PGL taster sessions cost 10 euros per person for 1½ hours. A 5-Activity Package costs 37 euros, and an Action Station Pass (10-day unlimited access) costs 75 euros. Group discounts are also available.
For more information on Eurocamp holidays visit the website (www.eurocamp.co.uk).