Camping at the bit for a fun-filled family holiday...
JOANNA LOVELL
IS A Eurocamp holiday for us? It’s a question we’d asked ourselves time and again. It was just that word ‘camp’ that kept getting in the way. But don’t let it put you off – we stayed in a lovely holiday home which I don’t consider to be camping in any way.
Eurocamp has 180 parcs in 13 countries and we headed to Northern France and the La Croix du Vieux Pont campsite in Berny Riviere – close to Paris.
It’s billed as being fun-packed, boasts four swimming pools and despite being inland, our children were still able to play in the sand, thanks to a huge man-made beach.
Whatever your preference, you can use the Eurocamp website to find a parc perfect for you, be it toddler or teenager-friendly, close to a beach, near the mountains, with a waterpark or even a theme park.
Alternatively, you can search by country – it couldn’t be easier.
What’s more, they’re priced by break rather than per person, making it more affordable for a family of five like ours, with no supplements to pay.
In fact, the larger the family, the bigger the saving.
There’s a range of accommodation to suit all budgets. Our family stayed in a three-bed Avant holiday home, which could sleep up to eight (if two kip in the living area, that is).
It was spacious, clean and comfortable and on a large private plot, big enough not only for the kids to play outside, but to park the car on too.
The kitchen doors fully opened onto the exterior decking which doubled the living space and was perfect for al fresco dining.
If it’s camping you want, there are safari tents available, and if it’s top-end you’re after, check out the double-storey wooden lodges.
But the beach area in the centre of the parc is undoubtedly a highlight and a place we spent a lot of our time. The kids loved swimming in the lagoon and playing in the sand.
There’s a beachside bar, or do what we did and take a coolbox with you, filled with drinks! Inflatables are allowed here, too.
It actually rained on our first full day there, but it wasn’t a problem because there was so much to do.
We headed for the Eurocamp kids’ club and my daughter, aged six, joined an art and crafts class, while our sons – they’re 10 and eight – took part in the hoverboard course.
All Eurocamp kids’ club activities are free and you can either drop the children off and have some “me time”, or do what we
did and watch them in their chosen activity.
Away from the kids’ club, there are plenty of paid-for activities and we particularly enjoyed hiring bikes, using the games room, relaxing in a pedalo on the fishing lake and playing mini-golf. There’s also bowling, laser tag, fishing, horse riding and tower pursuits where you can abseil, take aim with archery or go rock climbing.
The indoor and outdoor pools are side by side, so you can go between the two. Indoors, there’s a main large pool which has a retractable roof so if the sun is shining this effectively becomes an “outdoor” pool. There’s also a kids’ pool with a play area for toddlers, a fountain area they can run through, and a large three-lane fast slide for older children.
Outside, there’s a pool and a lazy river with a poolside bar.
There are also sunbeds surrounding the indoor and outdoor pools.
If you can tear yourself away from family fun onsite, then Disneyland Paris is within a 90-minute drive.
We went for the day and had a magical time.
If you’re only going for a day make sure you plan ahead, though, and fast passes are a must to cram as many rides in as you can.
The campsite runs buses to Paris and to Disneyland so you don’t even have to drive if you don’t want to.
Other theme parks nearby include Parc Asterix or La Mer de Sable.
Closer to hand, Parc Canopee is only a 10-minute drive from site and is a bit like Go Ape, suitable for children over the age of seven.
There’s also a market in nearby Soissons, and we drove to the Lidl there for the big shop instead of paying a premium on site.
With a Eurocamp holiday children get a sense of freedom that’s hard to find on other breaks. While we didn’t let ours out alone,
they were able to play in the grounds of our plot and we saw plenty of older children cycling around with their siblings. Overall, our Eurocamp holiday provided everything we wanted from a holiday – and more. It’s such an “outdoor” holiday, and even when at our holiday home we were outside most of the time, either playing games or enjoying a barbecue in the last of the day’s sunshine.
If you’re still wondering if a Eurocamp holiday is for you, I’d say it probably is. Where else can you stay where one family member could be fishing while another is at a chocolate party and another is on the beach – yet all be on the same site? There’s something for everyone. Camping sure ain’t what it used to be.