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FRANCE SEPTEMBER 2001
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Week 1
La Petite Camargue
Quartier du môle
30220 Aigues Mortes
France
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| La Petite Camargue is one of 13 campsites
in the Yelloh Village group www.yellohvillage-holidays.com
that extend around the west and south coast of France.
We chose La Petite Camargue due to its location in familiar
territory where we have visited over a number of years.Our
first impressions on arriving outside the campsite were
that it is a tidy and efficient site and these impressions
were proved to be correct when we found that the receptionists
not only speak their native language but also English,
Dutch and German. The booking in procedure is quick
and easy; the only practice that was different to our
experiences was that of leaving a deposit, in cash,
which of course would be returned at the end of the
stay following a successful caravan inspection.Normally
we pay a small insurance that works out to about 1GBP
per day, this saves time through not having to make
arrangements for inspections and also alleviates the
need to leave a substantial amount of cash. This first
site required a deposit of 600FF (Around 57GBP), not
too much of a problem as we would no doubt spend that
during our second week in France but we did have
to visit an ATM prior to arriving. The second site however
required 2000FF (around 192GBP) this of course would
be refunded on leaving but the inconvenience of having
to change it to GBP on your last day in France has to
be realised. |
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After taking possession of the key to
our caravan that was to be our home for the week, we
followed the directions that reception had pencilled
in on the site map. It should be noted that la Petite
Camargue is not by conventional standards a large site,
but large enough for us to take a couple of wrong turnings.
When we did find the caravan a few minutes later we
were well impressed by the sight that greeted us. Only
the pictures can adequately show the quality of the
accommodation and the quantity of equipment supplied. |
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We were more interested in making a cup of tea than
exploring the caravan and campsite at the moment,
having just travelled around 900 miles over 17 hours
without proper refreshment. A couple of things that
you will probably think insignificant struck us as
odd during our endeavours to fulfil an Englishman’s
priority. Firstly there was no kettle, the boiling
of water had to be performed with the aid of a saucepan.
Secondly, the cups were small, the size more associated
with a café or bistro. I drank a most welcome coffee
from one of these and had another seven refills before
my thirst was adequately quenched.
The caravan, which is one of many similar ones on
this site, was very clean and obviously well cared
for. The interior consisted of a main living/cooking/dining
area off which were the main bedroom, the second bedroom,
the bathroom and the toilet.
The level of equipment is very impressive; in the kitchen
area is a four-burner hob, medium to large fridge/freezer,
a microwave/grill, a sink/drainer with mixer tap and
also the hot water boiler that supplies the sinks and
the shower.
The living area has an L shaped seating area that coverts
into a double bed, a large table and two normal dining
chairs, enough room to easily accommodate six people
for meals. An electric wall heater and a tall cupboard/wardrobe
containing a fire extinguisher completes the living
area.
The main bedroom has a double bed, a wardrobe and overhead
cupboards.
The second bedroom has two single beds and a wardrobe
with overhead cupboards.
The bathroom has a sink with mixer tap and a shower
cubicle. For those males (or females for all we know)
that prefer an electric shave, there is no shaver point
in the bathroom, just a French mains socket. Odd that
the lights are low voltage in the bathroom but there
is an electric socket within 12 inches of the sink!
The toilet is a ‘normal’ flushing one (some people do
ask these questions). |
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Throughout there are sufficient lights
including one outside the caravan, one nice touch is
an extra switch in the bedrooms making it possible to
turn the light off from the comfort of your bed. There
are one or two extra electricity sockets available for
any electrical item you may have brought with you. They
are obviously French so an adapter will be needed.
All the windows are double glazed PVC and open in a
variety of ways. Privacy is ensured by the use of roller
blinds or curtains. The entrance door to the caravan
is very substantial with a good lock.
Included in the caravan is a safe (large enough for
such things as a camera and money but unsuitable for
anything the size of a laptop).
Outside the caravan is a large table and six chairs
set on top of a hard surface and underneath a gazebo.
A pair of sunloungers completes the inventory leaving
just enough room to park the car.
The only thing missing (other than a kettle and some
descent sized mugs) is a smoke alarm, a mains powered
model would be economical to run and would not require
batteries. |
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This site does allow dogs to stay (an additional
charge) and we only remarked about their presence
on two occasions, once when a dog was barking for
a short while and once when I opened the caravan door
in the dark only to be confronted by a particularly
large dog wanting to gain access to the caravan. Had
it been my daughter that had been caught unawares
by this dog she would have raised the whole site with
her screaming. That dog, we found out the next day,
belonged to a French family in the next caravan as
it could be heard bouncing about the caravan the next
evening. The campsite rules insist that dogs are kept
on a lead and under supervision at all times, that
they are not allowed in the caravans and that
any mess is cleared up immediately.
We have owned quite a few dogs in the past and do
appreciate the company of well-behaved dogs accompanied
by considerate owners. There was no evidence of dog
mess anywhere in the site.
Petite Camargue has to be complimented on the facilities
available so late in the season. We normally find
that a site shop tends to reduce stock as the closure
date nears. This was not the case here; plenty of
fruit, bread, vegetables and other groceries
were on sale at a reasonable price.
The very impressive 1000m2 swimming pool, tennis
courts, cafe/bar, table tennis, play area and
stables should offer something for everyone.
Out of the site and all within two or three kilometres
are the towns of Aigues-Mortes, le Grau-du-Roi, la
Grande-Motte and Port-Camargue. Our favourites are
the walled town of Aigues-Mortes and the coastal
town of Le Grau-du-Roi with it's many small shops
and restaurants spread throughout the pedestrianised
streets.
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Conclusion
It has been quite a while since we have had
such a peaceful and carefree week on holiday. We shall
certainly be visiting La Petite Camargue next year
(2002).
La Petite Camargue's website
can be found at
http://www.yellohvillage-holidays.com/yelloh/YV10/
Email:
petite.camargue@wanadoo.fr
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| Move on to Week 2
or see our review of Motours,
the company we booked with. |
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