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Manchester Evening News.

ROSEMARY BARRATT

TRAVEL FEATURE ON THE VENDEE WITH CHARLES ALEXANDER

The prospect of spending our first night sleeping in the car could hardly be described as an ideal way to begin our holiday, but that seemed to be the inevitable consequence of arriving at our Vendee campsite, six hours later than scheduled, at two o’clock in the morning.

Having endured a long and stressful journey with four children taking it in turns to enquire ‘are we nearly there yet?’, it was an unexpected surprise to be greeted by our smiling rep at Camping Acapulco, offering a much-needed glass of wine with a touch of dry Mancunian humour.

Being a small family-run business Charles Alexander pride themselves on their personal approach, however late the hour. This became even more apparent when we discovered that our rep was in fact the owner of the company.

His relaxed manner immediately put us at ease and before we knew it we were comfortably settled into our mobile home.

Taking our brood on holiday is anything but child’s play and we have always avoided flying abroad, opting instead for mobile home holidays in France that offer convenience and flexibility.

Roughly translated this means packing the contents of our house (including two TVs, three game stations, one DVD and video player) into the back of our people carrier and driving door to door to our holiday destination.

In the past couple of years, we have explored most of Brittany and Normandy which is great for sight seeing but as the weather can be a little unpredictable in these regions, we decided this year we wanted to find somewhere that could guarantee us good weather.

 Discovering the Vendee region was a revelation as it boasts some of the finest sandy beaches in Europe and a sunshine record equal to the French Riviera. With its beautiful coastline and lush countryside, it’s no wonder that the Vendee is often described as one of the best-kept secrets in France.

 St. Jean-de-Monts is the second largest resort on the Vendeen Coast and has a wide expanse of beach that stretches as far as the eye can see, making it a safe haven for children. The town has a charming church with pointed spire in the pretty market square, which on market days is filled with the delicious smells of the specialties of the region. I was particularly partial to the Brioche Vendeene, a light tea-bread and my three-year-old couldn’t get enough of the local cured sausages.   

 Our own campsite, Camping Acapulco has a four-star rating offering everything you could wish for to keep children happy all day long – a superb swimming complex with waterslides and toboggans, play area, games room and a bar where there is entertainment every evening ranging from karaoke and discos to good old fashioned quiz nights. It’s a real family atmosphere and to encourage this, Charles Alexander often host informal barbecues for their clients to get to know each other and sample the delights of freshly caught sardines.

 Our three bedroom Super Titania mobile home was spacious and so comfortable that we all slept like logs. The convenience of the campsite shop enabled us to have fresh croissants and warm baguettes for breakfast every morning. Fortunately we were blessed with sunshine each day until nine or ten o’clock into the evening, so we were able to leisurely divide our time between the pool and the sandy beach, just 800 metres away.

 For hours of sunshine and activities, you can’t beat the Vendee. Our on-site rep Kirsty was always on hand if we had any questions and her detailed knowledge of the region was invaluable as she knew all the best places to shop and eat. 

A short drive from our campsite is the thriving fishing port of St Gilles Croix de Vie with its quaint streets and busy yachting marina where there are boat trips available to the Ile d’Yeu, a little island filled with picturesque villages and an imposing castle.

 We had a lovely day out visiting another island – Ile de Noirmoutier, which can be reached via the bridge or the famous causeway ‘La Gois’. After a pleasant walk around the old town of Noirmoutier with its narrow streets and ancient chateau, we drove by the coast and found an idyllic cove in the Bois de la Chaise, where the pines and mimosa come down to the ocean in a manner reminiscent of the Riviera.

 The sense of being in the South of France was further heightened when we travelled to Les Sables-d’Olonne, the major resort of the Vendeen coast, which has a magnificent curved esplanade like a kind of mini-Cannes. We enjoyed a delicious meal of moules and frites in a seafront café as the evening sun rippled on the water.

 A holiday in the Vendee is perfect for families and the region has so much to offer for children and parents alike. For camp-site location, facilities and service, Charles Alexander were unbeatable, making this one of the most enjoyable and relaxing holidays we’ve ever had.

The company also have family holiday gites for rental in the Vendee region. For Gites in France contact 0044 1237 472 085
(website www.jd-gites.co.uk)