Sites & Paysages Loyalty Scheme
Comments
-
Thanks AD.
Seems to me that French campsites are getting quite desperate for business as the number of motorhomers increase - and stay off site on Aires. . So the campsites are offering more and more discounts with this new scheme, along with Best Deal, Camping Key, Camping Cheques, ACSI and all the rest. And now the Gamping scheme has come along - have you come across that one - it's modelled on homestays via AirBnB.
0 -
I have always seen lots of motorhomes on campsites in France so would that really be the problem? If it were then perhaps French campsites need to turn their attention to creating facilities that motorhomes want to use, even at a cost. Just as a thought you rarely find hardstandings although there are some sites that have then like the sites at Chalons and Beaune plus a few others I have come across.
However I wonder if the real issue is that French campsites are getting fewer and fewer seasonal campers who are not being replaced by tourers? They also seem to be spending lots of money on permanent accommodation like tents and statics but often ignoring the touring side so perhaps they are forced to reduce prices?
David
0 -
About 12 years ago I was talking with a site owner down in the Lot valley. She was objecting strongly to having to collect the " tax de sejour" which was then handed over to the local authority so that it could build the aires for motor-homes thus putting the future of the campsite at risk. Another factor now is the weather in France over the last few years has not been good in the early part of the season, which may be deterring people.
0 -
Here's where the motorhomes are. Will the nearby campsites be thriving?
0 -
You would have to pay me to stay somewhere like that but we have a motorhoming friend who has found some real gems.
0 -
As BB says it's often horses for courses. We have not used any Aires in France but have used a couple of Stellplatz in Germany and Austria. The reason being was that they were close to places we wanted to visit with good public transport links. I wouldn't have wanted to stay more than a few nights but they serve their purpose. For longer stays we use campsites. In France there are lots of sites near to towns and villages so for us that would be our first choice. One advantage of Aires is that they are often on hard surfaces which is a choice that is not offered by many campsites.
David
0 -
We used to think the same when we had a caravan, however since getting the MH we thought we would give them a try and we have since changed our minds.
Great for getting into towns to visit and be able to have a lunch or dinner with a glass or 2 if you wish.
Easy to park the MH for the day even if you do not want to stay overnight (we did this in Sarlat last year then went to a camp site for the night) without worrying about finding a suitable parking space.
You can arrive anytime day or night (invaluable arriving in Calais at 10:45 PM).
Generally well signposted and easy to find and most have services.
Not all are like car parks, we found many by lakes, beaches etc. where you can get the awning out, set up camp and be like on a proper camp site at a fraction of the cost.
Some are like car parks but serve a purpose of being able to be in town or tourist area, stay the night then off, they are for touring not a 3 week stay (though we did stay on one or 2 for 4 nights Serignan Plage being one of them).
0 -
Motorhomeowners don't need to justify where they choose to stay. I really don't mind.
My earlier reply was just to try to explain why so many campsites in France are having to offer one discount after another these days to get customers in.
Here's Honfleur from the air by the way !
0 -
Whilst I might agree with you on one level, on another I would say; is it not just like somewhere to park when you are in a car, when you want to visit somewhere? If there is something you want to see/look at, and there is an aire there to park on, why not? I wouldn't want to stay on a car park for a night, for the sake of it, let alone more, but if it serves a purpose, then why not?
We've stayed on a number of aires which have been lovely, lots of space and not like a car park. All I can say is if anyone is wondering about aires, have a look at one or two, some you will like, some you won't. Same with campsites really, and there may be an aire where you want to be, and not a campsite, or vice versa.
It's all about choice, and in France, and Germany, there is a lot of choice for motorhomers, and long may it continue!
0 -
If its just somewhere to park while visiting the town/city fair enough but its not, many folk stay overnight in these ugly cramped car parks. These are the ones I would not like to spend even 1 night on.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds paid for a motorhome to parked on waste ground or in a cramped car park beggars belief. The sad thing is these are the very people that look down their noses at the type of MH we have saying that the only good ones are German made yet they are prepared to live like travelers.
If we are talking about some of the very nice river side Aires that you see all over France then that is a different matter altogether. The photos that MichealT posted are the type of place we like to stay, the photo that ET posted no way not overnight, especially as I know there is a very good site not far away.
Each to their own.
2 -
Yes, back to loyalty and discount schemes. Here's a privately owned site we like within walking distance of the beach at La Palmyre. Empty.
The owners tried paying big money to ACSI and offering discounts to get people to come after the French school summer holidays ended. But it didn't work - still hardly anyone came, because French pensioners only have motorhomes and French motorhomers don't like to pay for campsites. So now the site owners have dropped the ACSI idea, saved what they were paying out, and just shut the campsite for tourers on 2nd September.
0 -
We have yet to stay at an Aire but have driven in and out of a few. We choose overnight stops nearly as carefully as longer term stays based on the quality of the sanitation (particularly the showers), ambience of the site and proximity to a town. We have stayed at lovely sites that have aires next to them but the aire is often unshaded, poor facilities and cramped. We are not interested in saving a few Euros, just enjoying the best possible experience. Still, we keep looking.
0 -
AD when we were at Serignan Plage Camper Car Park Aire last year (see other thread) one evening a (German I think) caravan arrived, pitched up and left next day, no one bothered as there was plenthy of space so I would say some Aires are OK to use, like everything use your judgement and if you arrive late and its low season and you are paying who is going to worry as you are not denying anyone else a space...
0 -
I am new to CT and have been fascinated by this discussion. We are relatively new to foreign touring, have never used an aire and I was probably in the "over my dead body" camp before I read this thread. Thanks very much for putting the alternative view and particularly to BB for painting a very different view. I may well "dip my toe in" on my next trip. Gerry
0
