Over the May school half-term break, we flew off to the South of France arriving in to Beziers, a very short drive away from the resort Vias Plage where the 5 star Club Farret Campsite is ideally located. It appears that the end of May is still considered low season as the seaside town itself wasn't very busy but this didn't present a problem as there were many shops and restaurants open and the parc itself was so well equipped.
Welcome on Arrival
Due to some great flight times, we arrived at the parc at about 5pm and headed into reception where we met Anette, who spoke excellent English and gave us a super welcome. We received a site plan and details of the activities going on during our week, then I had to leave a 20 euro deposit to make sure we returned our all-access wristbands at the end of our stay and she directed us over to the Eurocamp reception.
The parc is set on two sides of a road but don't let the word road put you off as really it is just a way for locals to access the beach and a few houses. It wasn't busy with traffic and there is a marked crossing between the two sides. The Eurocamp area is on the opposite side to the main reception and I really liked this as it was the quieter side and we were away from the town area, which I imagine could get noisy during peak season.
Our arrival time was outside of the Eurocamp Couriers regular hours so I gave them a call from their reception and they were with us within about 3 minutes; it was great service. The kids quickly helped themselves to a chess set and badminton equipment from the well-stocked area that you can borrow activities from and Leanne took us over to our mobile home and explained how things work and what to do if we needed them. All in, it was a very smooth arrival and a fabulous welcome onsite at Club Farret Camping.
Our Eurocamp Mobile Home
This year we had a 3 bedroom Esprit home, which is one of the more basic models and I tell you this as it really is good enough. We found ours to be spotlessly clean and that always impresses me as it shows that the company care. There was everything we needed for the five of us to stay there for the week and we were able to cook meals in the kitchen and to relax fully.
Last year we had an Azure model which is a newer and higher spec mobile home and for us, the only noticeable difference was a lack of the covered deck area, but even with the Esprit we still had a good-sized deck area with a table, 6 chairs and a parasol.
I think pictures speak a thousand words, so have a look at the Esprit -
What we particularity liked -
- Spotlessly clean
- Really good comfy beds
- Able to order our bed linen and towels in advance so we didn't have to fly with them
- Extra pillows came 5 minutes after requesting them
- Dual blinds in the bedrooms with insect nets and blackout blinds
- All the kitchen equipment you need to cook full meals and in great condition too
- Freezer, fridge, cooker, microwave and kettle
- Lovely hot shower with a good powerful spray
- Door from the master bedroom into the bathroom as well as from the lounge, allowing it to be like an Ensuite
- Plenty of hangers in the wardrobes
- Super air conditioning that we could control ourselves
- Decked area with outside eating space and a BBQ
- 2 sun loungers outside
- Good sized private parking space right by our home
Room for improvement -
- There needs to be just a few extra centimetres of space in the bedrooms so you can move more freely. This does seem to be the same in all mobile homes, whether UK or abroad though
- The kitchen design meant you couldn't have two people cooking or washing up at any one time
- A fully covered deck area allows it to be used in the rain (and we did have a bit!)
- The mobile homes are closer together here than we've experienced on other parcs. I didn't find it an issue but my husband commented on it. It's not bad enough to put you off but a factor to consider if this is a consideration for you
On arrival, everything we had ordered was in our mobile home. We had packs of bed linen (£22.50 for a double bed and £16.50 for a single) and beach towels (£12.50 for 2 enormous ones), as well as a Welcome pack £12 (with items such as water, juice, wine, crisps, jam, tea and coffee) and an Essentials pack £4 with cleaning equipment and matches. Having all these things there when we arrive makes the world of difference and of course helps our luggage weight enormously. The only thing I wish was that the beds were already made up, but I guess if I want that I need to book for an Aspect model mobile home for next year.
We found the Eurocamp area of the parc to be well maintained and to have a family feel. There were lots of children playing games on the roadways and getting to know each other. At the start of our break, most of the families were German or Dutch but by the end, once we were in the UK school holiday time it was a mix of German and British.
There was a few times we needed to interact with our Eurocamp couriers during our holiday and all the interactions were positive. They gave us extra pillows, an extra key and bought us a fish slice and cafetiere, as well as answering questions about local restaurants and the town area.
Club Farret Camping Facilities
Right by the Beach - My kids are all pool fans so we didn't really use the beach much but it is a lovely sandy beach with nice clean water and you can enjoy hiring a pedalo. You access the beach directly from the parc and your kids will be bound to make some new friends there. If you fancy an evening for just the adults then there are some gorgeous restaurants along the front but be aware, they are pricey! Our usual trick was to enjoy ice creams down there in the early evening, whilst beach-combing or just chatting.
The Pools - This is a fabulous parc for families to enjoy. The absolute highlight for my kids was the pools and as there are three of them the choice is great. Each day at the Pirates Beach pool there is aqua fitness and we joined in with this once, it was great fun. Most of our time was spent at the two other pools - Tao Beach and the Aquadome which are next to each other. The Aquadome wasn't even supposed to be open when we stayed but they had finished the works early and we were so pleased they had, as it meant the kids had five slides available to them and the pool could be covered over if the weather got bad, which sadly it did!
The Arts and Crafts Room - I've written a whole separate post about the amazing facilities provided in this park. You can access the arts and crafts warehouse for two lots of two hours each day except Sunday. A wonderful German lady called Sabine is always there to coach and encourage you and it is all totally free with the exception of silk dying and then you pay five euros for your silk. It's seriously amazing.
The Kids Club - I can't actually comment on the kid's clubs as my near 11-year-old twin girls decided not to take part. Being at the top of the age range they wondered how relevant it would be for them and the teens club is only on for peak July and August months.
The club ran each morning from 10am - 12noon and they were quite happy getting up late, going to the shop to buy their fresh pastry and then heading to the craft room or the pool. Then also in the afternoon 3 - 5pm and again I just couldn't pull them away from the pools or crafting. From what we could see it looked as if the club would be excellent with all sorts of sports, art and play opportunities and it had its own dedicated playground and gated area.
Play Parks - As well as the great park area attached to the kids club there was also a big play park behind it with a nice sandy floor. There were swings, rockers, slides and a massive pirate boat climbing frame. Also by the Tao pool, there was a small play park area suitable for pre-schoolers with a slide attached to a climbing frame. Everything was really well maintained and looked fresh and in good condition.
Sports Facilities - There was a good selection of sports pitches available - football, basketball, volleyball, tennis and boules. There is also 4 outdoor table tennis tables and you can play beach volleyball as well. These were all in good condition and seemed to be super popular in the evening with teens and in the day times when the weather was not so good.
There is also a good fully equipped gym that adults can use during their stay without additional charge and a wellness centre with a jacuzzi, hamman, massages, sauna and various beauty treatments that you can book into for additional charge.
We loved the mini-golf at the top of the park, which is part of the resort but you need to pay extra for it. It was 3.50 euros for a child and 4 for an adult and also at the same place is a great creperie, so we took the opportunity to have a girls night out and had a wonderful time there.
Entertainment - We found the evening entertainment such fun, it was pure cheese and I say that in the very best way. We did Karaoke, joined in with a quiz night, played bingo and watched a show and I can honestly say that every night we all laughed, from 10 years to 44 years we had fun. It was great how the entertainers managed to make the show enjoyable and understandable in German, French and English. We came second in the quiz night, Miss M came second in alternate bingo and she also got a standing ovation for her karaoke rendition of 'This is me'.
Whist we were on Holiday the entertainment all happened inside the bar but during the summer months, it is outside by the Pirates pool where there is a big stage area. I must also mention that there is a mini disco for the younger ones from 8pm and whilst my girls felt a bit too old for this, they did know the dances by the end of the holiday! lol
Food and Drink - There's a fab shop on the parc and it is open long hours from 7am - 8pm, however, it really isn't cheap but then we found nowhere is. If you have a car definitely stop at the hypermarket and fill up, otherwise you'll be left like us using the local Spar on this onsite shop and paying a lot of money for the basics. Thankfully the fresh baguettes and pastries that we bought each day were reasonable at 90 cents for a baguette and about 85 cents for a pain au chocolat. We did find that the products they stocked were good quality and very fresh.
We used the take-away one night and I have to say I wasn't overly impressed. We pad 12 euros for a rotisserie chicken and two portions of chips. In itself, this wasn't a bad price but the chicken had been cooking since lunch s it was pretty hard and dry. The chips were good and the pizza that they cooked fresh looked good as well. Generally, the prices were comparable to the restaurants and take-away in the resort. Basically, it is a very expensive place to eat and you'll expect to pay about 8 euros for something comparable to a McDonald's meal. On our first night, we had a fabulous meal out at one of the local restaurants, but it was £60 for us all to have one course and a drink.
We didn't use the onsite restaurant so I can't comment on that but the prices looked comparable to all the other local restaurants. Expect to pay at least 12 euros for a main course each. The bar drinks were comparable in price too with local wine at a bargain price of 2.30 euros a glass and soft drinks at 2.50 euros.
In all, we had a super holiday - great family times, amazing fun in the pool, loads of crafting inspiration and some old fashioned relaxation. I do love a simple holiday with lots of wholesome fun. Thank you so much, Eurocamp.
- Address: Club Farret Campsite 34450 VIAS PLAGE
- GPS Co-ordinates: 43.291057 3.418942
- Beziers Airtport: 8 KM, about 10 minutes in the car
- Nearest Town with buses and trains: Vias, about 2 km
- Nearest big towns: Beziers (8km) and Agde (6km)
For further information on Eurocamp, please call 01606 787787 or visit www.eurocamp.co.uk. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter. I've seen some amazing offers on their website when I've been looking today and not just for term-time either!
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Disclosure: We were provided with seven nights accommodation in exchange for an honest review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.