Last year I took my family to Brittany for a two-week holiday with a company called Carisma. It was billed as ‘luxury camping’ but the reality was that, whilst we weren’t in a tent, it wasn’t in fact all that luxurious. Easier than a tent, perhaps – especially since our two boys are very young – but after the first night we found ourselves buying inflatable beds in the local supermarket because the bed had been so uncomfortable. We were also promised a site with a good mix of both English and French guests; whilst it did host both, they were each allocated to entirely separate areas of the camp.
Anyway, this summer we are contemplating France once more, and I’ve left it a little late so am setting myself the Easter weekend to try and get something sorted. Our plan is to have a week away but allow for 2-3 days travel there and back, so a total break of around 10 days. Our boys will be aged 4 and 2 so we think we might put camping off until next year. What we did like about last year’s holiday, though, was that our boys were able to safely have fun in a communal play area with other children. If we just hired a gite for the four of us somewhere, they might not get that. Self-catering would suit us well, though, and I’ve been thinking that a gite complex (where other children may also be present) such as Le Roudier, Le Clozet, La Haye Eder, Jardin Fleuri Holiday Homes or the new Emerald Coast Gites might be the kind of thing that suits us, as might a gite on the periperhy of a campsite.
I also found the yurts of Canvas Chic but that is a little bit further than we had planned to travel. We intend to take the car and, since we’ll travel from the North of England, the upper two thirds of France would be preferred. A nearby beach would also be a bonus.
I’d be grateful for any suggestions from readers.
