 Four
go to France
I'm Louise, community manager here at babyworld.co.uk. I'm a single
parent to three children, Jennifer who has just turned 13, Jason 8 and
Joshua who is just one. We got an opportunity to visit La Reserve, a Siblu
Holiday parc in the South of France for a week. Find out how we got on..
The journey
We decided not to take the ferry and then drive across France (10 hour
drive) but instead we flew to Bordeaux airport. The flight was short,
a very manageable 90 minutes. We hired a car and I drove the hour journey
down to the holiday parc. If you hire a car don't forget to order a child
seat!
I have to admit to being terrified about driving for the first time
on the right hand side of the road! It was fine though, I just repeated
my mantra 'right is right' every time I got in the car.
The road signage isn't all that good, certainly not as good as here,
so don't be surprised if you get a little lost. We did, it took three
hours to find the parc, which should've taken one hour! That was using
directions from Google Maps and Siblu directions!
We've arrived!
The parc is set in the most beautiful forest of pine trees with a natural
lake that attracts lovely local wildlife. It is extremely peaceful and
it feels like you are in the middle of nowhere.
The mobile home was ready when we arrived and really clean. There was
a lovely welcome of a bottle of wine, some cold beer and juice in the
fridge and some lovely other little bits and pieces - a lovely touch after
a long journey.
The mobile home was very well equipped but I'd have liked to have had
an oven tray to cook in the oven with and also a cloth/sponge for washing
up!
Our accomodation
The home itself was spacious although the single bedroom was very cramped
for three children and only had one wardrobe but it wasn't a problem as
I had plenty of wardrobe space so they shared mine.
The décor was comfy and well maintained. There was a gate to cover the
main door which was handy for Joshua but it did keep coming off the wall
as the screws were too short to hold it in place!
Although the homes didn't come with a television (good job too!) they
did have a radio and we tuned in to French radio everyday. It was great
listening to their music and trying to understand what was being said
(my French is still very school book!)
The temperatures soared to a whopping 35 degrees celcius - fabulous for
outdoor living but our mobile home became an oven and the single fan provided
was just not enough. I felt concerned about my son's health in these temperatures
and we all resorted to soaking muslin cloths in cold water and wrapping
them around our heads - not attractive but it helped! I would definitely
pay the extra for an air-conditioned home to make your stay more comfortable
and the hot nights bearable.
The parc
 The
children loved the kids clubs! There was so much for them to do and they
shot off at 10 and 4 every day for a couple of hours fun. There are three
clubs: Paws (for 1-4 yrs) Tiger (for 5-9 yrs) and T-Co (for 10 years and
up). All the staff who ran the clubs are full of energy and do an amazing
job. The children really took to them.
The activities the children took part in included water polo, painting,
balloon games, singing, dancing, sumo wrestling, jousting and so much
more.
The swimming pools were absolutely gorgeous and were such a relief from
the hot weather. We spent most of our days camped under the trees next
to the pool for regular dips.
There is a choice of places to visit in the evening, from the La Luna
bar to the Games Room. The entertainment took place at La Luna and was
provided by the staff on the whole although on Bastille Day they did have
a fire-eater - that was exciting!
The lake is stunning! It has a lovely white sandy beach. There is a small
tide but no waves and it was lovely and shallow and extremely clean, I
didn't see any litter at all. There is access to lots of water sports
from the beach such as canoeing, wind surfing and a banana boat!
There was limited access for vehicles which required an entry code but
pedestrians, cyclist and those on motorcycles had easy access.
Overall verdict
I really did like France and everyone we met were very friendly, even
the local policemen say good day to you.
The cost of living is a little bit more than here so if you go make sure
you have plenty of money or a healthy credit card balance!
When I go back, which I will one day, I'd like to be a bit more adventurous
and go outside the parc a little bit more rather than just to the supermarket!
On the whole a great holiday in a great parc…next time though I'm going
to get a mobile home with air conditioning, it would be worth the extra
money!
Where to next?
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