5 Star Camping, Vendee – Castel Camping La Garangeoire
Believe it or not, 5-star Castel Camping La Garangeoire was our first taste of camping in France after we finally decided to cross the channel and see for ourselves what all the hype was about when it came to French campsites. We’d heard repeatedly of their reputation for being significantly better than the UK campsites and we were eager to see for ourselves if this was true. What can we say? We’re so glad we made the leap of faith, as this was without a doubt the best campsite and camping experience we’ve had to date and we can’t recommend to you enough to book a stay of your own!
Campsite Introduction
Campsite Location
Camping La Garangeoire is set in Vendee, an area of France known for its warm summer climate and endless stretches of golden sandy coastlines, making it home to some of the best beaches in France. Located 15km inland, only 10 miles away from some lovely beaches, the site has a distinctly rural feel, being set amongst 200 hectares of woodland, surrounded by tranquil countryside. The area is filled with walking and cycling trails with a great selection of nearby attractions, perfect for fun family days out. A car is highly advised for family travel to and from the campsite, and would also offer transport to nearby attractions, a little too far to cycle to.
Although it may be tempting to venture as far down South on a French road trip with kids, in search of really hot weather, remember it may be difficult to withstand high temps in a tent, especially when camping with kids. This is why we were initially drawn to campsites in Vendee France, due to the slightly cooler Vendee weather, yet with still plenty of sunshine.
Campsite Grounds
The grounds of La Garangeoire belong to a pristine Château, which can be found in the centre of the site. It feels a lot like the heart of the campsite, on show for all its guests to admire as they make their way around. Everywhere is well maintained, elegant and so colourful, with beautiful flower beds and tons of roses growing up dry stone walls.
The site, although not enormous, offers superb facilities, with lots of areas to relax and unwind, and we regularly agreed there was a wonderfully calm vibe to the place. We’ve previously been tent camping with kids, where sites can get rather rowdy at night, with guest noise and entertainment making it difficult to get to sleep, every parent’s nightmare ay? You’ll be pleased to know that their no-noise policy between 10 pm and 8 am makes for a perfect night’s sleep when camping with family. On one occasion when we were disturbed by a nearby tent at 2:30 am, our complaint was taken very seriously by staff, who sorted the issue out straight away.
Accommodation On Offer
Across the 357 pitches in total, we were amazed to see so many different style accommodation options. They range from the obvious grass pitches for your own tent or van, with some even having private wash facilities, which stand as an on-pitch hut, having inside a tidy shower, sink and western-style flushing toilet. They also have safari tents, hybrid tents, chalets and mobile homes already set up, for anyone preferring to not provide their own accommodation. La Garangeoire Eurocamp options were also readily available, for anyone preferring to book through them.
All their pitches offer a good size, ranging from 125-260m² and from what we experienced and saw walking around, all were nice and flat, with some having ample shade from trees if you prefer a shady pitch, and others with no shade, if you like a sunnier pitch. We particularly liked the hedges in between pitches, giving privacy.
Campsite Facilities and Services
The swimming pools were a huge hit with the kids, having 5 different pools to choose from, heated for added comfort. There was a large main pool, a smaller baby pool with a slide and waterfall, an undercover pool for those rainy days or to keep in the shade, a pool with 3 water shoots and not to forget a very small pool with a slide that Luca became obsessed with, due to it being, in his words ‘cute’. The pool complex did get quite busy on most days, especially around afternoon time, but we always found empty sun beds, albeit not always together, but sooner or later some together became available. The area was spacious enough to not feel claustrophobic, but still relatively small enough to not feel like you’d lose sight of your children wandering off.
The Lagoon
As well as the pool complex there is also a man-made lagoon area, surrounded by white sand, which we absolutely loved. As we chilled out on the sand, watching the kids play in the water, it actually felt like we were on a tropical beach! The water isn’t very deep being 90cm max, and is chlorine free, but cleaned with an environmentally friendly filtration system. It actually turned out to be the perfect place for Luca to practise his swimming, armband-free.
Play Area
The play area covered a large section and had equipment suitable for different ages. There were 2 tiny tot areas, fenced in, along with bigger climbing frame structures, for older kids with swings, slides and ropes. They also had an outdoor gym with resistance machines.
Food and drink options
Eating & Drinking
We didn’t eat at the on-site restaurant whilst staying at La Garangoire but did get food on a few occasions from their takeaway, which was handy after a long day when we were feeling too tired to cook back at the tent. They offered a good mix of meat and vegetarian options, and as a group, we enjoyed pizza, fries, chicken nuggets vegetarian burgers and even vegan nuggets, which were really good.
They have a nice bar and garden area overlooking the pool complex, offering drinks, small snacks and a range of ice creams, where we relaxed on a number of nights. There is also an elegant wine bar with outside seating, which – although we didn’t use it – looked very inviting.
The site shop sold a good range of essentials; groceries, fruit, meat, and beverages, not to mention fresh pastries each morning which were delicious! One thing we were particularly impressed with, was the site’s water vending machines, which were water stations, dotted around the site, where we were able to refill our containers with ice-cold filtered water, at a fraction of the cost of buying bottled water. This was not only very convenient but also eco-friendly helping to reduce plastic waste.
Sanitary blocks
The sanitary facilities at La Garangeoire, apart from being spotlessly clean, with ample cubicles so we never had to wait to use them, were also so much better than anything we’d ever experienced camping in the UK before. Previously in the UK we have often put up with showers that operate on a push system, you push the shower’s button and hot water comes out, but the moment you let go, the water flow stops. This makes showering frustrating and long, especially washing young children, when you really need both hands free. La Garangeoire showers not only had on-off water switches, but you also had the option of 2 shower heads per cubicle, one being hand-held, with changing water pressure options, and the second being an overhead monsoon shower head. The water didn’t go cold on us once during our whole stay and getting clean was enjoyable!
We also love the consideration La Garangeoire has made for those staying with disabilities and young children, offering family bathrooms, even having a full-sized bath (with toys) and also a waist-height baby bath with shower and tiny urinal. Sink-only cubicles had a hairdryer in them and the washing-up room offered double sinks, handy for washing, then rinsing utensils. The laundrette and chemical disposal outlet were all within the same area also.
Wi-Fi areas
La Garangeoire has wi-Fi in 5 areas of the campsite; reception bar, pool complex, shop, take away area, games room and play area. We found our mobile data to be very hit-and-miss when at the tent, but it did work smoothly when up at the main community part of the site.
Some of the other facilities on site which we didn’t use were:
- Games Room
- 4 private fishing ponds
- Equestrian Centre
- Tennis courts
- Football pitch
- Crazy golf course
- Archery course
- Spa
Activities Available
The amount of activities this place has on offer is mind-blowing, so much so, that we didn’t get around to experiencing all of them, due to being eager to explore the local area also. You could, however, spend 2 weeks here and have every day brimming with so many activities for the whole family, that you wouldn’t even need to step off-site to be entertained.
Our favourites:
Kids’ Club
Our kids loved the kids’ club, where staff made a real fuss of them and they were able to make friends with other children. We were really surprised with the amount of English tourists at the site, so the language barrier wasn’t ever a problem and they could communicate well.
Pedal go-karting
On site is a good go-kart track, with a range of go-kart sizes, so even little Luca, aged 3, could pedal his own kart, which he was absolutely buzzing about!
Mini disco
Set in the garden, the kids can boogie on down with the entertainment team, whilst the adults can sit back and relax with a drink in hand.
Trampolines & Bouncy Castle
They have 6 trampolines with safety net, for the kids to really let off some steam. All activities are supervised by site staff, keeping them safe. In the corner of the garden, they also have set up a bouncy castle, which definitely helps to keep the children entertained whilst parents are relaxing.
Boating
You can take your pick from canoeing, kayaks, pedalos and rowing boats on the Garangeoire lake
.
Crepe-party
Well, what can we say, we ate until we were ready to pop! This is such a lovely activity, which we all enjoyed. Within the garden area, there is a specific area with crepe tables. La Garangeoire provides the crepe mixture and toppings and you cook your own crepes to personal preference, using the cooking moulds.
Other Activities On Offer
- Teens Club
- Pony trekking
- Crazy golf
- Tennis
- Table Tennis
- Mini Golf
- Archery
- Football
- CrossFit
- Bike hire
- Pilates
- Wine and cheese tasting evenings
- French/ English lessons
- Boules
- Outdoor fitness machines
- Aqua Aerobics
- Orienteering
- Yoga
- Food & Accessories market stall
- Night swim
- Dog walking group
- Paintballing (offsite)
- Land art
- Crossing the lake (A competition to make the best raft to get across the lake in a race)
- Walking and cycling trails
Disclaimer: From the Vine Travel Time were offered a 10-night complimentary stay at 5-star Castle Camping La Garangeoire, in exchange for an honest review of their site. All views are our own, based on our personal experiences. We had the most incredible time here and thank the site most sincerely for hosting us.
Check out our: Top Things To Do In Vendée With Kids
