Family fun in sunny Frejus
With life being so hectic, everyone wants a family holiday - this year we chose Frejus in the South of France. With any holiday choosing the location is crucial. My priority is the sun, I am a bit of a sun-chaser; my husband's priority was slightly different - he wanted wine. This meant that we looking for a location that was south of the UK (with a beach) and that was in driving distance so my partner could bring back as many bottles of red wine as possible. So we decided to go for Frejus which is on the French south coast nestled between St Tropez and Cannes and we were going to drive the trusty van.
On a bright Monday morning (well damp actually, aka British summer) we ventured in the direction of the ferry. The decision on ferries or Euro Tunnel, timings of travel and the pros and cons is worthy of another Blog, just so I can go into the more detail. We went for P&O and had a pleasant trip as we landed in Calais and started to follow the sun to get to the fun. When you are travelling through France, especially with an 8 year old princess obsessed little girl, there is only one place to go and that is Disney Land Paris, with three days this was a must!
After the Disney focused interlude we headed to the coast. The French roads are, usually, smooth clear and an absolute pleasure to drive. With rest places every 20km or so, it is so much more enjoyable than driving in the UK. The tolls are something to bear in mind and the extra costs do mount up a bit - so be aware - all of the toll, or peages, take card, so they are not complicated.
We decided to stay at the La Baume Camping Resort (http://www.labaume-lapalmeraie.com/en/home-sp1.php - remember I can book it cheaper than they offer!) just outside of Frejus. The campsite catered for those camping under their own canvas, providing canvas, caravans or apartments. The Resort itself is developed around two social areas: La Baume and La Palmeraie, where there are bars, pools and parks, with the accom
modation set-up between the two sites. It doesn't matter what type of accommodation you are in, everyone has the opportunity to visit either of the two sites. I thought that the Resort was extremely well organised and the pools were very good. With slides, plenty of deep and shallow ends and a under 9 water play park, there was plenty of stuff to do around the pool.
What was interesting about these pool areas that we haven't experienced else where, was the fact that you had to take off your shoes before entering, no food (including ice creams) or alcohol was allowed anywhere within the pool area. This could be considered a double edged sword (especially the no-alcohol policy), but looking at it positively, you the pool area stayed much cleaner, you had a lot less sun lounger hoggers and less pool-based lager louts. The pools were supported by snack bars and a lovely, but expensive restaurant at La Palmeraie.
To venture outside of the Resort, you needed to drive or catch a bus. The busy road was
probably not ideal for walking or cycling, however the beaches of Frejus and Saint Raphael was about 8 km away from the Resort. The French beaches of Frejus and Saint Raphael were beautiful, clean, graced with white sand which were accompanied by plenty of places to eat and drink. A lovely family focused strip which was light on tack but high on quality.
A lovely area with lovely beaches. The Resort satisfied most needs, although you could not stay in the Resort for the whole trip.
