We received this infromation form Katleen,a mum of four who has travelled on six camping holidays over the last few years with her family.
"Our campsite holidays in France were a great success due to good research and feedback from other families, tour operators etc. In particular, I have passed on this information to many family members, work mates and friends.
The following would be our experience of quality sites with excellent facilities and accommodation.
1. Le Grande Metairie - Carnac (winner of Campsite of the year twice), situated on a Manor Farm (Casells Group), We travelled with Kellair, 2 adults and 4 children (youngest was 3), the campsite facilities were excellent, with full size soccer pitch, tennis courts, pony rides, etc. Bycle hire was available and each of our children were measured to ensure we hired the correct size of bike. The beach is just 2k away and was spotless. The security on this campsite was impressive and the accommodation was of a high standard. We hired the 3 bedroomed Century (Millennium is now on the site and is the largest accommodation available) Kellair has decking with most mobiles and a gas BBQ. The Irish Couriers were excellent and our kids made great friends with them. The surrounding areas e.g. Quiberon, Trinite Sur Mer and Auray are beautiful. There is an excellent market in Auray.
2. Dol de Bretagne - Normandy was another excellent site, again travelled with Kellair, The same quality services and accommodation, the main difference in this campsite was daytime activities for adults and children were available each day. However the weather was not as good but facilities and entertainment were excellent.
3. Le Granges - Dordogne - long drive (we should have taken the fly-drive option). Travelled with Canvas (Scottish) as Kellair were not on this site. This area is breath-taking, and we spent two days canoeing. This area is renowed for its food and wine and scenery. The campsite was small (250 pitches) and is run by a local family. The restaurant is excellent and our children enjoyed the activities and quaintness of this site. The owners were involved in all the services e.g. Pizza ovens, Restaurant, and shop and this ensured that a high standard was maintained. We asked if we could move north to another campsite for the last 2 nights - this was to break the journey back to Roscoff (9 hours) The canvas couriers arranged this without hesitation and only charged the administration fees for this change which came to €23.
We also travelled to the Vendee region and was disappointed with the campsite - Les Dunes de Sables. Another holiday was spent in Royan in Les Palmyres. Apart from the waterslides, there was little else to occupy the children.
Each year we travelled with Irish Ferries and had not problems. The ferry was an overnight crossing which enabled the children to get a full night sleep and we arrived in France at 10am approx. which was great. Each of the two companies supplies excellent travel packs which included maps, contact numbers and local information. They also made available excellent information on the campsite each day.
I hope this information will be of assistance to you."
We agree with Kathleen that camping can provide a fantastic child friendly option for spending time on the continent, whether it is a beach holiday or a sightseeing holiday. Preferred operators that we have researched so far are Eurocamp, Keycamp and Siblu but we are always looking at more so there are some great suggestions here.
Hoseasons are also another fantastic holiday village option. Check out their special offers and online discounts.
We have prepared some destination specific guides on Camping,Camping in France, Camping in Italy and Camping in Spain as well as our Editor's picks for camping sites.
You will find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in our research and advice section to help you book the right family holiday. Check out also the experiences of other parents and travellers in our parents forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real parent's experiences as the best measure of whether somewhere will suit you for your family holiday.
Sign up for our free newsletter to be kept updated with all of the latest special offers for family holidays and family travel news. Remember to enter our fantastic competitions which have super prizes and best of all are free.