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Posts Tagged ‘family holiday france’
October half term offers with Pierre & Vacances
This October we’re making family half term affordable for those after some last minute rays, with up to 20 per cent off self catering Pierre & Vacances accommodation in the south of France and Spain. Our family friendly accommodation along the Mediterranean coastline all have access to swimming pools and a range of activities, with prices starting from just £7 per person per night!
Pierre & Vacances Village Cap Esterel
This half term families can take advantage of the free kids clubs offered at Pierre & Vacances’ Resorts, the clubs are available for three to 18 year olds and provide a range of activities for all ages, such as sports tournaments and handicrafts. Our resorts also organise day excursions to local towns and markets, plus activities such as whale and dolphin watching boat trips in Spain.
Children at Pierre & Vacances’ Resorts kids club
Below are a number of discounted Pierre & Vacances family accommodation. All the examples are for week long stays from 22- 29 October. Enquiries and bookings can be made here or by ringing 0870 0267 145.
Pierre & Vacances Village Cap Esterel, South of France
A two bedroom sea view apartment sleeping up to seven people for a week’s holiday is reduced by 20 per cent to £695- that’s £14 per person per night.
The 210-hectare resort overlooks the Mediterranean and is perched on a red rock hillside. The resort is surrounded by a golf course and gardens and is just 30 minutes away from the white sandy beaches of Cannes. Facilities include three large swimming pools with wave machines, two children’s pools, a small farm, tennis courts and bicycle hire. Kid’s clubs are available.
And for a taste of what Cap Esterel has to offer, see a real family’s holiday diary here.
View of Ardèche
Pierre & Vacances’ Residence Bonavista de Bonmont, Catalonia
A two bedroom apartment sleeping up to seven people for a week’s holiday is reduced by 20 per cent to £346- that’s £7 per person per night.
Bonmont lies on Catalonia’s coastline and backs onto the prestigious Bonmont golf course and the famous vineyards of Priorat. Guests can enjoy the aquatic centre which has a heated swimming pool, relaxing jets, a hydro-massage mattress and Jacuzzi. There are special rates for all guests at the nearby golf course and those with adventure in mind can go quad biking or go carting. And for a cultural day drip, Barcelona is an hour and a half away.
Or for a holiday in the countryside …
Pierre & Vacances Village Le Rouret, Ardèche
A one bedroom apartment sleeping up to four people for a week’s holiday is reduced by 20 per cent to £364- that’s £13 per person per night.
Village Le Rouret is a 100-acre multi-activity resort, ideal for family holidays. Set in the Ardèche region with views over the valleys, the village has an aqua area with fountains, water rapids, a rubber ring river and a swimming pool, tennis courts, multi-sports courts, a mountain bike path, sauna and Jacuzzi. Offered nearby is canoeing, canyonning, paragliding, quad biking and go karting. Kid’s clubs are available.
Find out more about family activities to try in the Ardèche region here.
A family holiday to Cap Esterel
Cap Esterel, the flagship Pierre & Vacances Holiday Resort, has recently celebrated its 20th birthday. So Marketing Manager Nick thought it was about time for a visit, here’s the diary of his family holiday in the French Riveria:
The Pierre & Vacances Cap Esterel Holiday Resort is located in the beautiful Massif de L’Esterel National Park between Saint Raphael and Cannes.
Though the resort is under an hour from Nice airport, as our two kids are now both at paying age for flights, we elected to save money and drive and the low diesel costs in France also make this cheaper. But we didn’t need the car much as there’s loads to do on the resort, and the supermarket is more than adequate, the beaches are walkable and there is a train station nearby – what more do you need?!
So driving it was, and we had a great journey across the Channel with Seafrance – friendly staff, great kids play area and loads of room on the ferry! We took an overnight stop in Formule 1 in Chalons en Champagne, then 10 hours later we were at Cap Esterel!
Happy family in our holiday apartment
We were delighted with our apartment: newly refurbished with a bedroom for Granny, bunk beds for the kids (sharing for the first time!) and a sofa bed in the lounge for Mum and Dad. It was nicely decorated with pictures of the L’Esterel National Park and all the usual mod cons including dishwasher, kettle and even a teapot…….Granny was happy!
Cap Esterel teapot
We had amazing views of the med, and the supermarket, shops and bars were only a minute away. Plus we were so close to the swimming pool that when we heard the hourly announcement for the wave machine we could get our trunks on and get down there in time!
View from Cap Esterel apartment
The kids loved the main swimming pool’s wave machine and water slide, and when we wanted a longer swim we went to the upper infinity pool which was slightly warmer and with amazing sea views. We also took the train to the quieter Hameau area which has its own swimming pools and supermarket. There is a main pool (good for lengths) and a children’s pool on a large roof terrace area, also with, you guessed it, amazing views.
The Cap Esterel Train
Apart from the swimming pools the main attractions for the family were the train and local beaches. The train handily stops near the main children’s playground and is so popular that every time it arrives there is a mass-exodus from the playground! If you’re like our family you take the train just for the fun of it [up to 3 times a day!], but it’s also quite handy for getting around the Resort and travelling to the local beach at Dramonts. On Wednesdays the train also takes you to the lovely market at Agay.
Beautiful Agay Beach
We alternated between the beaches at Dramonts and Agay, both with their own advantages. Dramonts is a small and quiet pebble beach with beautiful clear water, while Agay is a larger sandier beach with a choice of restaurants, bars and shops nearby. There is a short cut from the train bridge at the bottom of Cap Esterel over the hills to join the Agay road. It’s probably a 30 minute walk and a bit difficult with buggies but worth the time saving if you like a bit of exercise. There is also a little beach on the main road opposite the entrance to Cap Esterel.
Fred playing on Agay beach
In the Resort itself there is more than enough to keep the kids occupied all holiday. The 9 hole golf course is well looked after, the lake is stunning and there are loads of water sports available. There is also tennis, football, and crazy golf – basically you name it they have it! My wife made good use of the fitness classes and the children’s clubs looked like lots of fun!
Live music at Cap Esterel
On Friday night there was live music in the main resort village area. This is an area above the main pool with the feel of a little tourist town and of course amazing views! There are about 10 restaurants, a lovely cafe with shop, bar and ice creams, plus take way pizza and rotisserie. All were good value with family offers and menu du jours. The ice creams became a favourite with the kids who worked their way through all the different flavours! And at the far side of this area is the L’Esterel hotel with its own swish restaurant.
As for ‘eating-in’, the on-site supermarket was fantastic with its own bakery, a selection of toys, a wide range of food at reasonable prices and even a special section for English customers missing their favourite ale or sauce! We didn’t bother going anywhere else.
All in all we had fantastic family holiday in Cap Esterel and can’t wait to return!
Pierre & Vacances gets 5 stars!
We’re excited to announce that the Pierre & Vacances Premium Les Terrasses d’Eos residence in the French Alps ski resort of Flaine Montsoleil has been awarded five stars by France’s new classification for tourist accommodation!
The new standard – five star ‘Tourist Residences’ – is awarded to properties that show exceptional service, facilities and standards of accommodation. And having met all 175 requirements, the Premium residence Les Terrasses d’Eos in Flaine-Montsoleil has become the first self catering accommodation to be listed, and will maintain its five star ranking for the next five years!
Karine Morot-Gaudry, our director of marketing & communication at Pierre & Vacances Premium says: “We are proud to be the first major player to get this ranking, which provides guarantees of a high level of service and comfort to our customers and also rewards the work of our team!”
Flaine Montsoleil is located in the Grand Massif area, 1,700 metres above sea level. Boasting 122 apartments, from one to three bedrooms, the property also features a heated indoor and outdoor swimming pool, a fitness centre, restaurants and individual ski lockers. Prices for winter accommodation start from €670 per week for a one bedroom apartment sleeping up to four people.
But whether you want to stay in our five star accommodation in Flaine, or another of our fantastique self-catering appartments in more than 40 ski resorts in the French Alps – from the glamourous Chamonix, to the car-free Avoriaz – we’re sure to have the resort perfect for you!
Family holiday on the Cote D’Azur
Having been to Belle Dune on the North Coast of France and Terrazas Costa Del Sol in Spain we thought it was time to sample a Pierre & Vacances Resort in the stronghold of Pierre & Vacances holiday accommodation in France, the Cote D’Azur. Going at the end of May we figured the weather would be perfect for our small children, plus we’d never been to that part of France before.
We were spoilt for choice in terms of holiday accommodation as Pierre & Vacances have 5 family holiday resorts to choose from on the Cote D’Azur; Cap Esterel, Pont Royal, Les Issambres, Cannes Mandelieu & Les Restanques. In the end we plumped for Les Restanques as the swimming pool complex looked fantastic and it wasn’t to far from Nice Airport.
Les Restanques
I’m pleased to say it lived up to the expectations we gathered from browsing the pv-holidays website. We had a 2 bedroom self catering apartment with a large terrace and little garden plus amazing views of Saint Tropez. As we had to stay in the apartment every night as our little ones slept we were able to enjoy a glass or two of wine, read our books and take in the beautiful sunset. There was even a water plane display one night!
The swimming pool complex itself was great, lots of little shallow pools for the kids to play and explore, 2 water slides for Dad, aqua and land aerobics for Mum (see the hilarious video below) and the main pool was an artificial beach with waves on the hour which the kids loved. Our 18 month year old likes to ramble around and we were quite happy escorting her on her loops in the sun. We also made good use of the children’s playground and found the friendly on-site shop very handy. The children’s toys were particularly good value. Though our kids were little young for the free children’s club we did pop in and it looked very nice. In fact, Dad and 3 year old enjoyed their first cinema experience together at the children’s club one night. The film was ‘The Princess and the Frog’ – it was in French but that made it even more of an experience!
As the weather was great we didn’t really need to leave the site much. On the two days it was less sunny we ventured out to Grimaud, a beautiful old town with lots of nice cafés and restaurants and took an early morning ferry to Saint Tropez from Saint Maxime which was great fun! The giant yachts in Saint Tropez are a site to be seen. There are also a great choice of beaches close to Restanques and Port Grimaud had a good choice of restaurants.
All in all we had a great family holiday with the water complex and the views the highlights. We may well be back.
Family Holiday to Brittany
This month we hear from Cecile Pons and her family, who won a competition to visit the Pierre & Vacances Port du Crouesty in Brittany. She shares her travel diary with us.
Taking the family to Brittany
“We live in Norfolk and we are a family of four consisting of me, my husband and our two little boys.”
Getting there
“On Friday 28th May 2010, we left home after a quick lunch and headed south. I had booked a hotel room on the outskirts of Portsmouth, as the ferry would be leaving early the following morning. This was the first time that we had decided to take our holiday during the normal school holiday period. If all went well, we would be arriving in Portsmouth at around 4.30pm. Not only, it was half-term, but it was a Bank holiday weekend. We arrived on the M25 and soon we were stuck there for two hours in a major traffic jam. What a great way to start the holidays!
The following morning, we boarded the ferry as planned at around 8.15am. The ship was full. Our children aged 4 & 2 were very happy running on the outside deck or spending frequent breaks in the soft play area. The sea was calm and lovely and we arrived in Ouistreham (North of Caen) at 15.00. We had another four hours of driving before reaching our destination : Pierre et Vacances resort in Port du Crouesty.”
On arrival at Port du Crouesty
Our apartment
“Our self-catering accommodation at Pierre & Vacances resort Port Du Crouesty a self-catering duplex apartment was spacious and could accommodate up to 8 people. It consisted of 1 x double bedroom ; 1 x single room ; 1 x room for children with bunk beds ; 1 bathroom with toilet ; 1 x shower room ; 1 x separate toilet ; 1 x dining room/living room with open kitchen. There were 2 single sofa beds in the living-room area. Everything was spotless and perfect for families.”
The resort
“The Port du Crouesty resort itself is well designed and lies beside the beach. It is built like a traditional Brittany village with slated roof and has a welcoming feeling. It offers a wide range of amenities ( shop, bar/meeting point ; launderette ; children’s clubs ; outdoor swimming-pool ; play area….). Our apartment was in “Rue de la Plage”.
What’s on-site at Port du Crouesty
“Port du Crouesty is a lovely seaside resort. There are many activities for all age groups ; sailing trips, fishing trips, walking on the beach or sight seeing in the beautiful region of Morbihan. There is also a large thallassotherapy (spa with sea water based treatments) centre for the holiday makers in search of holistic well-being.
There are many restaurants around the harbour ; what a treat to have a galette (savoury pancake) or a crêpe (sweet pancake) with a glass or two of cider.”
What we did during our family holiday to Port du Crouesty:
There are so many things to see and do in this beautiful region. Here is a small selection of what we did:
- Suscinio Castle (built between the 13th & 15th centuries)
- Vannes aquarium ( a fascinating aquarium. There is also a crocodile which was recovered from the Paris sewage that kept my children enthralled).
- Parc animalier de Branféré (This was a tremendous day out, where we could get close to the animals (giraffes, chimpanzees, ostriches, etc… There is also a splendid network of nets high in the trees… the children loved climbing in them and be closer to the sky !!)
- Bouncy castles paradise ( a large play area consisting of 20 bouncy castles of various shapes and grades for children and adults)
- Cider house ( a museum dedicated to cider and its fabrication with tasting)
Families at Port du Crouesty
“Typically, we would begin our days with a trip to the play area, as the children adored it. We then did some sight seeing and usually had lunch out. We would then come back late afternoon for a dip in the swimming pool. And after dinner, the children would go back to the play area one more time before retiring to bed.”
Summary of our stay:
“We had a wonderful time. It was beautiful to be so close to the beach. And as for me, I was delighted to stay in a Pierre & Vacances resort. This company is well known in France and England, and being French I was delighted to stay there. I was very impressed with the quality of the accommodation and would consider staying in another Pierre & Vacances resort in the future!”
Find the latest information and Pierre & Vacances discounts on Port du Crouesty apartments by visiting our website.
Pierre & Vacances currently have a summer sale, with up to 40% off last minute holidays in France and Spain. Find out more here.
