A mobile home holiday in France
Sam Pope shares her experience of staying in a mobile home on
a campsite with a toddler in France.
Booking your holiday
My husband and I found a great deal with the company Leisure Direction
whereby we paid for 3 nights and got 3 nights free (we could have also
paid for a week and got a week free). Their prices were competitive and
included Channel Tunnel crossings so we booked with them.
Accommodation - what it's like
I really don't 'do' shared bathrooms, which is why I have never been
camping before! I can't stand hairy, wet communal shower floors and dodgy
loos so I was pleased to see that many of the more upmarket sites offered
either mobile homes or chalets that had their own loos and showers. With
our deal, we had a basic Supernova mobile home, through the Keycamp chain.
The mobile home was quite small but adequate for a family of two adults
and a toddler. At a push, you could get another child in there too and
still be OK. Allegedly, the Supernova can sleep up to 6 people (there
is one master bedroom with a double bed, a tiny kids' bedroom with two
bunkbeds and a pull-out mattress for a third child) and a pull-out double
bed in the living room - in the seating area. This would have been far
too cramped though. The bedrooms were literally for sleeping in - hardly
any wall space either side of the bed.
The facilities were well thought out though. They provided a built-in
hairdryer in the master bedroom, plus a decent-sized wardrobe and overhead
storage above the bed. The children's room didn't have much storage space
but enough for us definitely! Both bedrooms had blinds to block out the
light, as well as curtains and I think there was also an insect screen
on the windows too.
The bathroom was a squeeze! But it was fine - it had a sink, loo and
a spacious shower cubicle with plenty of hot water. The kitchen was tiny
too but had a stove, kitchen and freezer. Plenty of crockery and cutlery
was provided, as was a BBQ and accessories (unfortunately the weather
was too cold and wet for a BBQ!).
The living room had seating along two walls and a little radio and cassette
player (the sort you put in cars) for entertainment. There were curtains
for privacy, and a stair gate on one of the doors to keep toddlers and
babies safe. They also had the good sense to provide a gas fire. Even
though we went in July, the weather was appalling and we were freezing
some of the time. The only problem with mobile homes is that they tend
to imitate the outside weather so when it was cold and damp outside, it
felt the same inside! We used the fire more than we opened the windows
that week - apparently though the homes can get oppressively hot when
there is some sun, so fans are recommended (and sometimes provided).
The grounds and buildings
Our campsite was called Mane-Guernehue, situated in the Bay of Morbihan,
southern Brittany. It was a beautiful place to stay - situated in the
countryside but near the sea, with rolling hills and lovely scenery. The
pitches for mobile homes, tents, chalets, etc were quite spacious and
had little hedges separating one plot from another to give a sense of
privacy. We never particularly felt overlooked. Some of the homes were
situated on various levels going downhill, so it's worth asking about
this if you have special needs.
The facilities
The campsite itself had a fantastic pool area - with a normal pool for swimming,
a large one for playing around in, one for the 4 waterslides and a toddler
pool with a slide. It never felt too busy (we were there just at the beginning
of peak season though) and a lot of thought had gone into the layout to
make it child-friendly. The bistro, where you could get food from 11am-10pm,
overlooked the pool area and had a toddler-safe climbing frame, which meant
my husband and I could actually eat a meal in relative peace while Holly
ran around with other children!
The site also had a good playground for toddlers and older children,
a games room, TV room and bar, with entertainment on most days. The washing
block (which I never ventured into!) looked modern and clean. There was
also a shop that sold essential provisions at not too bad a price.
Child-specific activities
The campsite really was geared up for kids. Since Holly is only two,
we had to do most things with her but with older kids, you could safely
let them run around with no qualms as the site was not busy with traffic.
For younger children, there was a fantastic playground, with swings,
climbing frames, slides and see saws, as well as a bouncy castle, which
seemed to be inflated at odd times. For older children, there was a trampoline
and boules area. Some of the camping holiday companies (eg Keycamp and
Canvas Holidays) ran special kids' clubs for an hour or two every day,
providing adults with a little time to themselves! The campsite also offered
daily activities, such as archery, pony rides and water polo, as well
as a weekly magic show and disco!
The gripes
I think our main gripe would have to be the temperature inside the mobile
homes. They are not particularly well insulated (actually I don't know
why they bothered with walls!) and every morning we had to dash out of
bed, run to the gas fire and jump up and down till we all warmed up! Apparently
the week before we arrived, they had had a heatwave and the homes were
like ovens so I guess you have to be prepared for climatic challenges!
Overall opinion
I did enjoy the time at the campsite but am not sure if I would do this
again in a Supernova mobile home. There are more luxurious ones which
have air con and better insulation and this might be more comfortable,
temperature-wise. On the other hand, my daughter loved it there and it
was so nice to go out swimming, walking and playing etc without having
to drive miles to do it. The site was generally quiet, we heard owls at
night (and rowdy adolescent French teenagers on two nights) and met other
families with kids the same age, which was nice. So it was relaxing, just
a little too cold!
Tips
- Remember to take bedding with you - they do provide blankets but
not bed linen. We took a duvet which squashed up nicely in the car.
- Depending on the country and site you go to, take a variety of clothing.
We were expecting warm nights (it was July after all!) and packed a
summer duvet for Holly but she kept waking up freezing in the night
so we had to go and buy her fleecy PJs and a winter sleeping bag!
- Take a bath mat, dishcloth, tea towel and some loo roll with you
to get you started off. Towels are not provided either, so take those
with you. Most campsites have laundry rooms so you can do washing there.
- Check out some of the campsites' websites yourself - you may get
a better deal and better accommodation by booking with them direct rather
than with a company!
Where to next?
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