It’s only natural to be Les Villages people
It is hard to choose the highlight of our family holiday to Les Villages Nature Paris, a sprawling eco resort on the outskirts of the French capital.
But there was a moment, just as the sun was going down and a little past the bedtime of my two young daughters.
We had arrived from Glasgow that afternoon and, after checking in and dropping our bags, my wife and I fulfilled our promise to the kids and walked them to the park.
The park at Les Villages Nature is nestled in a wood, the Forest of Legends, as they call it.
As we arrived, the lateafternoon sun was filtering through the trees, throwing a soft orange glow across the pine needle-covered ground.
As our eyes adjusted, we could just make out a series of huge
wooden cocoons, perched high in the canopy.
Rope bridges and suspended walkways connected the cocoons and slides twisted their way through the branches.
It instantly reminded me of the Lost Boys’ hideout from the film Hook. For a split-second I was a child again – and I never wanted to grow up.
I was lucky enough to take a picture of the moment. In it, my eldest is trying to snap me out of my wonderment by dragging me into the park.
It perfectly sums up Les Villages Nature, a resort that wears its eco credentials with pride. Les Villages is not your typical manicured park.The grass is left to grow high, and there is a huge lake and loads of smaller ponds, where migrating birds land for a rest.
Cars can drop off your luggage but for the rest of the stay you are encouraged to walk or hire a bike – which we did and we had an amazing time zooming about.
Every morning, you are greeted by the sounds of the wildlife going about their business as you collect your hand-delivered breakfast from the front door.
In among it all there are loads of nature-inspired activities.
From the BelleVie Farm to the Extraordinary Gardens, the Forest of Legends park, the Lakeside Promenade (where you can have dinner and drinks) and, best of all for my children, the Aqualagon.
The Aqualagon is a massive water centre, packed with pools, lazy rivers, waterslides and even a climbing wall suspended over the water.
On top of all of that, the resort has a collaboration with Disneyland Paris, which is just 11km away, and a regular shuttlebus costs just €2 per person each way.
That link up meant it was easy to organise a day trip to Disney for our princess obsessed children.
From the second we entered Disneyland Paris, the kids were spellbound.
We were able to take them on themed rides, watch a princess parade and see a live Lion King performance.
For the not-so-grown-ups, there were rollercoasters, haunted houses and Star Wars attractions – although, in hindsight, bringing my fiveyear-old in with me to see Darth Vader was not the wisest decision – she was terrified.
We were fortunate enough to have dinner with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Eeyore and Pluto, while looking out on the magical Disney castle.
After dinner and fuelled by childhood enthusiasm, we delved back into the park for more technicoloured fun.
As the day turned to night, we found a dark spot to watch the incredible Disney illuminations.The castle lit up with all the Disney favourites, while music and fireworks blasted out over the crowd.
At the end of an amazing day, with kids and adults both exhausted, we hopped back on the shuttle to Les Villages Nature. Getting back to our cottage, a lovely modern two-bed apartment that looked out over a small lake, we were glad of the tranquillity.
It is a common feeling, as Les Villages Nature manager Bruno Guth, explained: “The first time people come to Disney, they stay at the Disneyland park.
“Then they come to Les Villages Nature for a day to swim and relax.The next time they come, they stay with us.”
Sipping a glass of wine and relaxing to a soothing chorus of frogs on the water outside, it is easy to understand why.