A week at Eurocamp La Vallee Normandy – Review

Did we love it? Yes. Would we recommend it? Absolutely.

 

For the first week of the summer holidays we spent the week at La Vallee in Houlgate, Normandy in a Eurocamp Azure Holiday Home. We were less than a 40-minute drive from Caen Ferry Port which was the perfect location for us. Especially after the five-hour drive from home to Portsmouth and then the overnight Brittany Ferry. We loved travelling via Ferry and would do it again.

 

So why did we choose to holiday with Eurocamp? As a young girl, we would pack the car and drive to holiday destinations, pitch our tent or stay in a caravan and it’s something we haven’t done with George. We haven’t experienced France as a country so when we started to research locations and campsites Houlgate stuck out – as a great central point. As a family, we love to explore but also enjoy a base that has everything we need to entertain George. I love the way a Eurocamp holiday encourages you to spend lots of time outdoors. La Vallee certainly lived up to that. Such an amazing site with lots to do for us and George.

 

 

 

 

I received lots of questions about Eurocamp and the facilities whilst we were in France, so I thought I would answer them as part of our review. So, here are our thoughts from spending…

 

A week at Eurocamp La Vallee Normandy – Review

 

Was the Eurocamp Azure mobile home comfortable?

 

It was comfortable, bright, and well-designed. The open-plan living space is perfect for larger families and the shower was very good. The fact that the kitchen was stocked with all the essentials and more was really helpful. We did find the bedrooms a little small to maneuver but they catered for the three of us well. The beds were comfortable and considering the size of the rooms we had ample storage space. The addition of a BBQ meant that we enjoyed outdoor dining each evening.

 

We loved the decked terrace and the fact it was partly covered was a great addition, especially on the one day we had some rain as we could still sit out. We lived on this terrace, ate all our meals here, and enjoyed playing cards in the evening with a great view across the field. It also meant that I could happily allow George to play out of a morning or evening whilst watching.

 

We did have a wander around the rest of the park to see other Eurocamp accommodations and if truth be told I think we had the best plot (511) and holiday home. The Azure 3 bed is much bigger and looked and felt more modern than the others we saw. Our plot was at the top of the park near to all the facilities which made a difference to our stay. George could play in the park or the field without us needing to go with him as we could watch him from afar. We all felt safe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is there to do at La Vallee Eurocamp site?

 

Wow, where do I start? There is everything you need and more on the campsite. If staying on-site and shutting yourself off from the world is your thing then you have the perfect site in La Vallee.

 

There is a shop, a bakery (which opens at 8.30 am and there is always a queue), a restaurant with an indoor and outdoor space (our favourite spot, it was a sun trap and so relaxing) and a pool with water slides. But wait there is more. La Vallee Campsite also has a tennis court, huge fields, a volleyball court, a football pitch, two playgrounds, a FREE Kids Station (kids club), evening entertainment for the younger ones (in our opinion) as well as a takeaway service from the restaurant (the pizza was very good). Honestly, there is so much to do that you won’t be disappointed. We were blown away by the facilities and would highly recommend this site for families.

 

Take a look…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A week at Eurocamp La Vallee Normandy – Review

 

What is there to do in the area around Eurocamp La Vallee?

 

For those families that love to explore then you have also come to the right place. This site was the perfect blend for us, lots to do on-site but so much to see off-site. We love to explore.

Houlgate is so well positioned for this. We walked into Houlgate on our first day whilst waiting for our accommodation. It only took 15 minutes. We wandered past some gorgeous buildings on the way and quite literally were in awe of the architecture. So pretty. Full of culture. So colourful. The streets were lined with bunting and pretty blooms. There were so many gorgeous cafes and restaurants, bakeries lined with macarons and pastries, and a lovely beachfront which we visited almost daily. On the recommendation of one of the Eurocamp staff we even found a Fossil Beach off Houlgate Beach. Very exciting for George. A must-do.

 

I give you Houlgate…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is so much to do and see. So much. We visited 7 towns; Houlgate, Cabourg, Villers Mer, Honfleur, Deauville, Trouville Sur Mer and Juno. There is no need to feel overwhelmed as the great thing about Normandy is that you don’t need to spend a full day visiting each town. You can easily hop between towns if driving by car. We did just that most days. We enjoyed many hours stomping around the streets of some lovely villages.

 

I’ve written a separate blog post – a ‘Travel Guide to Normandy’ where I share lots of the beauty spots we visited. With recommendations and more photos. I will admit that Honfleur was our favourite. Again another spot a member of the Eurocamp staff helped us to plan. So do pop over for a read if you want to get off the campsite and explore the local area.

 

I give you Honfleur…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travelling to Normandy

 

We were very kindly gifted our trip to Normandy by Brittany Ferries. It was our first time as a family travelling by boat and gosh what a different experience to how we usually travel. We took an overnight ferry on the way which was interesting as it’s something we have never done before. Other than our cabin and where we parked our car we didn’t get to see the ferry at all. That said we had a super sleep in a cabin and woke up to a lovely sunrise in the middle of the ocean. I would recommend paying the extra to sleep in a cabin as it ensures we were rested for our first day.

 

Travelling via ferry allowed us to take our car which meant that we were able to do all the exploring and beach hopping I’ve mentioned above. I can’t imagine we would have enjoyed our trip half as much had we not traveled this way.

 

As you can see below our return journey was very different. So beautiful. We had a scrummy lunch, explored the decks, sunbathed, played ping pong, watched a movie in the cinema (at an additional cost), and generally had a blast. The views were incredible. The trip was peaceful and if truth be told surprised us by how quickly the time passed. I was amazed by how much there was to do on board. What a great experience. One for the memory book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Any negatives to Eurocamp La Vallee?

 

A few little things but nothing that spoiled our fun. On arrival at the campsite our accommodation wasn’t quite ready – we used the facilities which are predominantly for those camping. If truth be told I was a little shocked by how dirty they were – we visited them at 9.30 am so I can’t imagine how they would be by the evening time.

 

Our location is on the campsite. So, above you will have read that we loved our spot, and for the most part, we did. However by 8.30 pm the peaceful field opposite our holiday home was filled with families and very noisy teenagers playing music, swearing and shouting until 11 pm each night. The families didn’t bother us, not at all. However, the teenagers were a little threatening – two evenings were ruined because of them. This may just be how it is on campsites and like I said we haven’t holidayed on a site like this before.

 

Families leave towels on the sun loungers at 10 am then disappear. We saw several families return 3 hours later just as we were leaving to grab lunch. This shouldn’t be allowed. There is a restricted amount of sun loungers, let’s be fair to each other. Because of this on two days, we had just the one sun lounger between the three of us.

 

And lastly, I was a little disappointed that we had to make our beds. This holiday would have cost £1,538.80 for the week and for that amount of money, I think the beds could have been made up for us as part of cleaning the accommodation. What do you think? The bedding also had stains on it, which I’m sure were clean but perhaps a little old. But as they were included in the trip we didn’t have our own to change.

 

 

 

 

What we loved most about Eurocamp La Vallee

 

Are you ready?

 

The location and how much there was to do on and off-site. This site was the perfect one for us, lots to do on-site and so much to see off-site. Exploring Juno Beach and learning all about the thousands of soldiers who died was very humbling. We would have never done that had we not stayed here.

 

The fact that Kids Station was free and all the extra entertainment spots on the site were also free. I don’t think the website screams this loudly enough. Other than food and drink you didn’t need to spend any additional money which for a family holiday is brilliant.

 

The restaurant and bar were brilliant, the takeaway pizza was so good and we loved the location of the bar terrace. Each evening we visited between 5 – 7 pm and it was a highlight of our holiday. The wine was good (and cheap), the views across Houlgate were beautiful, and best of all we had some of our favourite family moments from the holiday playing cards on the terrace.

 

The fact that there was a BBQ which we didn’t have to buy gas for, a fully stocked kitchen with a fridge and freezer. Visiting the markets or butchers to pick out fresh meat and fish became almost a daily ritual.

 

The onsite bakery which the boys walked to each morning to collect fresh bread and pastries. A lovely little routine from our holiday.

 

The staff were brilliant. All of the Eurocamp and on-site staff working for the actual campsite were so helpful, friendly and fun to be around. The staff hosting the Kids Station were engaging and always had hoards of children following them. Everyone was happy to make recommendations and generally assist you in enjoying your stay.

 

As I mentioned we traveled with Brittany Ferries and therefore didn’t incur car hire costs so a ‘per family’ price rather than per person accommodation, we think Eurocamp offers an affordable holiday option for a family. Especially larger families.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From our little family to yours we hope you enjoyed reading all about A Week at Eurocamp La Vallee Normandy – Review. If you visit we promise that you won’t be disappointed. And if you have any questions please do leave them in the comments.