Eurocamp recently offered a complimentary stay at one of their parcs in France to a number of UK bloggers and their families. They asked us which we would like to visit and we chose Le Ranolien.
Lasting memories
We had a wonderful time and would definitely go back to this part of France and to this parc in particular.
It was laid-back and relaxing with excellent standards of cleanliness. We felt like we were smack bang in the middle of some very peaceful countryside — because we were!
Memories of the beautiful surrounding area will last a lifetime and I will no longer think of Brittany as an area that’s out of bounds (or budget) for the likes of us, more used to a caravan site in the UK.
First impressions
We immediately saw what an immaculate parc this was. After a few wrong turns, we pulled into the side road leading down a very gentle incline to Le Ranolien and caught our first proper glimpse of the Pink Granite coast nearby. A coastal path was just yards from the parc – marvellous.
The site itself compared favourably to memories of not so pristine UK holiday parks we had stayed in. We were a good few hours early and the Eurocamp team were very friendly, efficient and welcoming.
Our mobile home
I’d been well impressed with the images of the three-bedroom superior mobile homes as pictured on the Eurocamp website. While our mobile home was clean and modern, I wasn’t sure that it best fitted into this category. My daughter complained that the blankets needed a wash as they were scattered with crumbs and had some holes in. Neil complained that it was cold and struggled with a gas fire in the lounge. The features marking this out as a superior mobile home included an Ipod docking station, which wasn’t used. Mosquito nets and blinds are also included under the “superior” tag – but our blinds had seen better days.
Before uploading this review, we contacted Eurocamp, who replied, via a spokesman, to our feedback:
I was most concerned that you were dissatisfied with certain aspects of your mobile home. Although our mobile home fleet does not include all brand new models, the ones we do use should be of good quality and well maintained. We have Repair & Maintenance teams in all areas where we operate, who are responsible for undertaking any repairs and replacements, as necessary, during the season.
May I also apologise for your disappointment with regard to the standard of cleaning of your accommodation. It is a main part of our couriers’ duties to thoroughly clean each unit of accommodation before the next arrival. As we do emphasise the importance of this and train our couriers to clean our mobile homes to a high standard, it is therefore frustrating when we learn that on occasion this has not been the case. We would certainly not wish our customers to start their holiday by cleaning their accommodation and would always ask that any shortcomings in this respect are brought to the attention of the couriers and a request for these to be rectified is made.
Parc facilities
The pools
An indoor heated pool was roomy and almost deserted for most of our stay. Several outdoor pools also remained pretty much deserted give or take one or two families each day. Every now and again you’d hear someone shrieking as they catapulted feet first down the Toboggan. Occasionally it was us doing the shrieking. We loved it.
Creperie, bars, pizzeria and games room
Out of all these, we only tried the creperie, it was fine and the crepes were lovely. The Euro’s strength against the pound did make prices expensive though.
Shops
We loved ambling down to the small on-site supermarket each day, the staff were so friendly and we enjoyed talking in French — however stilted. There wasn’t much difference in prices between this shop and the massive Super U down the road and the pains au chocolat were much nicer on-site!
Play area, tennis and basketball pitches
Our girls wandered down to these most evenings. They relished the facilities available and we loved the fact that they felt safe and independent and were doing something more active than sitting in a club watching some dodgy entertainment as they may do on a holiday closer to home. But as the parc was so empty there weren’t loads of other kids for them to make friends with, we’d certainly go back at a busier time. We were also impressed that each feature within the play area — including two bouncy castles — were free. On our many visits to Haven parks, we have grumbled at the cost.
Spa and gym
Included sauna, steam room and sunbeds, with various massage and beauty treatments available. Looked beautiful, Neil spent a couple of hours in the gym and said his only companion was an elderly French lady trying to figure out the treadmill. Called the Garden of Wellbeing, the spa was open all year round to local people too and as such was of a great standard.
Cinema
This was free for guests and was showing a mix of family films in French or English.
Kids’ Club
Having friends who had raved about this sort of holiday, and how their children had made such good friends, we hoped that coaxing our daughters into a kids’ club for the first time would be a sure-fire way of them diving in and meeting others. But minutes into our welcome we discovered that Eurocamp didn’t run such a club on this site. We’d just assumed they did. Still, it wasn’t the end of the world. Of course if we’d have been more bothered, we could have gone and found out more about the Yelloh! Club and if our children would be allowed in. We were more than happy to stay together or to let our daughters wander off by themselves within the safety of the parc.
General atmosphere
When I arrived at Le Ranolien, I was a ball of stress. By the time the end of our stay came, I was so chilled I was horizontal. I wanted to know what the birdsong was that we’d heard each day and resolved to find out.
As far as I can tell, they were likely to be any of the following:
- Woodpeckers
- Tawny owls
- Swallow
There were also lots of gulls around, ready to rob your rubbish.
This is something I’d love to find out more about and if we do ever make it back to Brittany, I’ll be going armed with a novice twitcher’s manual…
Eating out
We ate out twice, once in a tourist trap on the sea front at Perros Guirec, which was fine. The second time on the last night, we ate at La Bonne Auberge in La Clarte, which was wonderful. (I don’t think the website does it justice.)
Because of a poor Euro exchange rate, it was rather expensive to eat out but if you’re willing to give it a go, I would very highly recommend it — the food was beautiful.
Shopping
We shopped in a Super U hypermarket which was about five minutes by car. It was well-stocked and very reasonably priced. We stocked up on cider, cheeses, salami, cakes, croissants, fruit and vegetables and snacks. I made a picnic each day and we ate it wherever we ended up. We also made daily visits to the shop on the parc for a fresh baguette or two.
Nearby attractions
We fell in love with this part of France. It was so beautiful. We’d love to return to Brittany. You can see some of the pictures from our trip in an earlier post which also highlights some of the family-friendly local attractions.
Factfile
Cost
Check the website for up to date discounts and offers. Travel, insurance and extras such as linen and a welcome pack aren’t included in this price.
Getting there
Eurocamp say on their site that fly drive is a convenient option for Brittany with regional airports at Brest, Dinard, Rennes and Nantes. Alternatively there are ferries that go from Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth.
Eurocamp also offer the following services:
- Eurocamp couriers
- Linen hire
- Charcoal barbecue hire