Campsite Chilling On The French Riviera – NICE!
There is something perversely invigorating about not having a tv for 10 days….even if the seductive call of broadband does allow you to plug into your pc and a Netflix movie after everyone has turned in for the night!
Welcome to glamping Eurocamp style and the joys of the French Riviera which, by any other name, embraces the likes of Saint Tropez, Cannes, St Raphael, Nice, a multitude of other picture postcard villes and, of course, near ‘neighbour’ Monaco with its ever-famous Monte Carlo Casino.
However, right now, the destination is something of a double-edged sword which a roll of the die will most suitably determine the hand you are dealt.
On the one hand a KLM flight out of Leeds to Nice, via Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, will set you back around £360 per adult and, whilst you have the perceived benefit of ‘speed’ in getting to your destination, there has been the downside of disorganised chaos at certain airports…
…and the prospect of having to use the limited public transport service once you arrive at Yelloh! Village’s Domaine Du Colombier Campsite, a one-hour bus ride (the 3003 – 20 Euros cash) from Nice Airport and a short 9-euro taxi ride from Frejus’ local bus station.
Alternatively, drive to southern France and you must endure a ferry crossing and the dual dilemma of sitting behind the wheel for many hours along with rising petrol costs, although you will probably save money and have greater freedoms in an area where those on shanks pony, have to set the day in line with the local bus and train timetables! Hire cars can be costly.
If only to illustrate the point, our journey home to Leeds Bradford Airport, was subject to a flight cancellation by KLM which, when re-scheduled, had moved forward by two hours creating a near crisis in the area of ‘public transport’! We made Nice Airport, with a re-routing via Paris’ Charles De Gaulle Airport, by the skin of our teeth! Fun, with hindsight, nightmarish at the time!
But transport dilemmas to one side, how was glamping on the French Riviera?
Me and two friends stayed at the Domaine Du Colombier Campsite where Eurocamp has 19 air-conditioned statics – we opted for one of their two-bed ‘Comfort’ offerings – at a location that also features a range of other camping brands.
With every passing day, despite a few misgivings, I have to say that this was a wonderful experience in relaxation!
Siobhan was the lovely Irish woman doubling as Eurocamp’s girl Friday who, in truth, couldn’t do enough for us and, throughout kept popping in to ensure that everything was ok. “Give me your bin liner, I’m just on my way to the rubbish drop……..an iron? Of course, I’ve got one…..” and off she went, dropping back with the said contraption minutes later!
With three adult children Siobhan had decided it was time for a change and had given up a security job back home, swapping the cooler climes of her ‘near Dublin’ home for a brief sojourn in the south of France: hard work, no doubt, but, at least, warmer and climatically more pleasant than life in Eire!
Glamping – I use the word carefully – was, in this instance, camping without the tent: you are in a static, two-bed caravan with a cooking cum lounge area, a couple of bedrooms – one double and the other with the potential for three single beds – along with a patio area, BBQ and sit out chairs but no loungers: the mosquitos also enjoy their life in France so creams and sprays are recommended for the fair of skin!
Throw in a bit of excellent weather and you have a good start to a holiday even if Eurocamp’s statics are, in truth, starting to look a little tired, certainly when you compare them to some of the other offerings on site.
However, once you have adjusted any sense of momentary indignation, chilled, unwound and got on with the business of relaxing, it is amazing how you start to find the positives in such a holiday: short 1.5-euro bus rides into Frejus town with an onward journey to picture postcard Port Frejus…
...or St Raphael, where you can get trains to Nice, Cannes, Monte Carlo and a raft of other places, or simply a boat to Saint Tropez.
We took in each of the above places, with the exception of Cannes, choosing to have a day out followed by a day on site with relaxation in the ‘lazy river’ Lagoon with its palm trees, loungers and slides for the kids: a great family facility.
However, if you want something a little more calming there is the alternative option of the adults only Balneo, a magnificent 600m2 pool area lower down the site complete with adjacent restaurant, spa treatments, plantar geysers, aquabikes and a training area: but it comes at an extra cost. I paid 40-euros for approximately 10 hours, to be used in 30-minute slots, which was fine.
Most people had cars but, on site, you can hire electric scooters to get around or there’s a golf buggy service that will pick up and drop off at pre-ordained ‘bus stops’ throughout the day.
Reception too is very helpful with things like bus and train timetables, there’s a full programme of daytime and evening entertainments on site – Saturday excepted – and barrier security at the main site entrance is second to none with wristbands checked closely.
Both me and my travelling companions commented that it wouldn’t have been hard for Eurocamp to develop their own Welcome Information Pack for each of their static caravans with things like bus and train timetables, restaurant suggestions and, perhaps, where/how to catch a local bus or even locate a supermarket. Maybe even a baseline grocery pack for late arrivers?
Overall, this was a totally different experience to those 5* hotels that I have experienced from Dubai to Manila, Bangkok to Chicago but it was equally as valid.
Camping can be immense fun and, guess what, the silence and comparative simplicity of such a vacation allows you to re-engage with life! For once, we all sat down, ate together, de-stressed and talked...and talked....and talked. Camping had just made us human again! Defo worth a go!
HELPFUL TIPS
Transport
France still likes cash so take some Euro notes! Buses are geared up to tap and pay but often don’t have a wi-fi signal so cash takes precedence!
The line 1 bus route is pretty good: 1.5 euros fixed charge (children 1 euro) wherever you get on or get off. Takes you all the way to St Raphael where there is a boat connection to Saint Tropez – www.bateauxsaintraphael.com
Summer / Winter public transport timetables change at the end of August so beware!
St Raphael’s main SNCF rail station will access you to all the main towns / places on the French Riviera including Nice, Cannes and Monte Carlo etc. Platforms are a couple of minutes from the bus station.
Local taxis are notoriously unreliable. Avoid where possible. We were repeatedly told they’d cost a fortune for an airport run and probably wouldn’t turn up.
www.agglobus-cavem.com
– local bus timetable app. Tends to work better on an Apple phone. My android Samsung struggled to download it.
Health
Avon’s Skin So Soft Original is renowned for repelling mosquitoes. Probably cheaper than Mozzy spray so find an Avon rep before you go! The military often use it!
Google Translate is brill. Enter in English what you want to say. When the words appear in French, listen to the pronunciation then have a go! The French will love you forever!
Take a multi-point plug for use in the static caravan. ‘It’ plugs in once but ‘you’ can plug several devices in simultaneously. You’ll only have a couple of plugs in the static so heed this advice!
Take some shopping bags for the supermarket run.
Eurocamp
Established 1971. It all started so holidaymakers could experience the joy and liberation of outdoor holidays in France, without the hassle of carrying their own equipment.
Now you’ll find Eurocamp on the best holiday parcs across Europe, by beaches, countryside, mountains, rivers and lakes. And millions of families have discovered the benefits that Eurocamp holidays offer.
Details: www.eurocamp.co.uk
