Vendee by the coast recommendations
Hi,
I am hoping to travel to the Vendee next summer with my husband and 10 year old daughter in our Pegasus Grade Messina.
I'm looking for recommendations for a nice caravan site, preferably with direct beach access or quite close to the beach. Ideally we'd like to be near St Giles Croix de Vie, but am flexible really.
We prefer smallish quiet-ish sites rather than large loud sites. We don't need kids club or evening entertainment, just a pool, serviced pitches and on site shop will do. (I'm not really fussy - honest!!)
Has anyone any recommendations please?
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Have you looked at campingfrance.com a very comprehensive listing of sites, or uk campsite for for reviews. Hope that helps.
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There's a quiz show on daytime TV where some of the questions are impossible to answer and I think yours might be one of those
Finding a site on that stretch of Vendee coast which has beach access and has a pool, but is small and quiet in school holidays might well be impossible in itself. Add in that you want serviced pitches, a shop, and enough space for a large twin axle caravan, and it gets even harder.
I think you have a better chance in Brittany or on Oleron island, but I hope your search proves fruitful.
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Assuming it'll be your first time taking your family and caravan to France, there are some tips you may want to consider:
The holiday season in France for the French is six weeks long, comprising July and the first two weeks in August. Campsites can be very busy and, frankly, unattractive! So if you can, go in June or late August as your daughter's school holidays permit.
French campsites come mainly in two forms: large holiday parks or modest municipal sites. Not many cater for very large vans, and the concept of a 'serviced pitch' is not widely recognized. Some sites prohibit double-axle 'vans to exclude 'travellers'.
The Vendee is a long way from most eastern channel ports and still quite a way from the Brittany ports. The beaches are long and featureless, and the Atlantic rollers can preclude all but expert swimmers.
As Eurortraveller has suggested, why not consider Brittany. We've just completed a 4 week tour down the coast ending at St Jean de Monts.
However, the site which might best suit your rquirements is Camping de la Baie at Trinitie sur Mer. Not all their piches would be suitable for a large van but there are some. There's a pool and shop and a beach just outside the site. Places to visit like Carnac and the standing stones.
Don't get confused with Camping de la Baie at Cavalaire sur mer ( they have people turning up with bookings for the other site and vice versa)
First photo is beach at Trinitie, second is St Jean de Monts
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This won't fill all your requirements but Camping Domaine de Beau Lieu at Givrande is a mile outside St Gilles Croix de Vie. As has been said very few sites in that area with beach access but this is close. Access nearest is via cycle path or Grand Plage in town has a lot of parking.
In June this year there were two touring units plus me but it will be different in July! Pitches are various sizes and there are two pools..
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Having reread your post I have to agree with everything said but being biased Brittany every time over the Vendee, great sites , great beaches and way more places of interest to see IMHO.
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Having just returned from the areas mention (Brittany and Vendee) then I would agree that Brittany has much more in the way of interest. Nice coves etc. Weather can be a bit unpredictable at times just like UK but in July that shouldn't be a problem.
The Vendee we like for the cycling and the huge beaches, not that we sit on them, just like going for a walk along the shore line.
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Have to agree with the weather comment to a degree but can honestly say that when we have stayed anywhere from Carnac around to La Baule the weather has always been pretty good the western side ( not to be missed ) can be the same as Cornwall. Brittany over the Vendee every time.
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Hi pp, a lot of suggestions for you and I can agree that Brittany probably has more in terms of quiet coves, pretty villages and nice scenery.
However, the key for me is your daughter.
We have camped on multiple occasions in both Brittany and the Vendee, over many years, and when with children what we look for is a site with as good a pool as we can find.
This is based on all those years where the only comment we got when visiting those coves and quaint villages was 'when are we going back' as all, they wanted to do was be in the pool.
Last year we stayed at Pin Parasol and made just one trip to the beach with all the children and one return as the older ones had spied a creperie the wanted to visit.
Interestingly after the initial feeling this was going to be an expensive holiday, due to the site price in August, it wasn't as almost all the holiday consisted of breakfast-whilst playing Monopoly-the pool, lunch, the pool then BBQ and bed for the younger ones so other than food, and an odd tipple,there was very little spent.
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Thank you everyone for your really helpful replies.
I’m guessing most people say Brittany is better than the Vendee.
We also love Brittany- in fact we have been for the last 6 years!
our plan next year is to go to Brittany for about a week, then we fancied heading a little further south, a long the coast to see some different sites (other than Brittany!!)If the Vendee isn’t all that great, can anyone recommend somewhere down that coast line (towards La Rochelle) that is worth a visit?
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We did the same with ten of us on the Ile de Re in August this year - but in a house not a campsite. We loved it but I wouldn't call it a quiet island at that time of year. The last mile to the bridge took an hour to get on to the island and then another hour for the first mile when we left , but that was Saturday travel which is certainly not recommended.
We didn't see any actual sea front campsites which the OP asked for but Camping les Gros Joncs was no more than 400 metres from the beach. But with hired bikes you can reach the sea easily enough from any of the other campsites - but just don't trust campsite reviews from those who go out of season. August will be different. Busy, busy, busy !
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Just in case you decide to revert to visiting the Vendee, I thought I'd give you a link to a campsite we stayed at a few weeks ago in St Jean de Monts. We were among the last campers there before it closed so for us it was quite peaceful! The never-ending beach is an easy walk for the young and fit. The site has pools and entertainment in season.
Here's the link https://www.campeole.co.uk/camping/vendee/les-sirenes-saint-jean-de-monts
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