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Shamba Holiday Park (Hampshire)
by lyndsey1989
Shamba Holiday Park is located near Ringwood, Hampshire and is in easy reach of the New Forest. Myself, my partner and my niece who is 8 decided to visit Shamba in July with a 4 man tent. We had booked the pitch around a month beforehand and I think we paid around £25 for 2 nights (Friday and Saturday). We had asked to be next to the ... shower block and was told this would be no problem at all.
Upon arrival we were a bit wary due to the park appearing to be very close to the dual carriageway. However, you turn off from the road and go down a track which is about a mile in length before reaching the park so it is infact a good distance away and you can barely hear the traffic. My partner went into reception to sign in and was told we were right at the top of the site-as far away from the shower block as possible. After questionning this they were happy to move us, but only because somebody had wanted to be further away from the shower block and entertainment.
We had a basic pitch and set about putting the tent up. The ground was extremely hard despite a lot of rain recently and I would recommend using heavy duty tent pegs if you plan on visiting yourself.
The playpark was of a good standard and was of a decent size, it was all of good quality and looked relatively new. The swimming pool is good due to the fact that in good weather it is an outdoor pool but when rain comes it has walls and a ceiling which goes across to make it an indoor pool. I wasn't overly impressed with the pool as it was a bit small and there were no toys or anything for my niece, but it did the job. Please note that there are only 2 changing rooms in the swimming pool itself so be prepared to use the toilets or wait a while.
We were told there was entertainment on site but we could not find this. All there was was a bar/cafe with a number of tables and was not the sort of thing my niece was looking forward to. The games room contains a football table and pool among racing car games and so on.
The shower rooms were of a very high standard and were obviously recently refurbished. They were very warm and there was a good number of both toilets and showers so you never had to wait. They were very clean and the cleaner was often seen. They were also very warm!
I would recommend this campsite if you dont have children or if they are happy to entertain themselves as it was rather boring. The weather didn't help as on our visit we ended up going home early but I do not feel there is enough here to satisfy your standard family. However, I imagine it would be fine for just one nights stay.
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Colchester Camping Caravan Park (UK)
by nayland
This site is run by Rita and Roy Evendon. It is a lovely quite park with a lot of facilities close by. If you are looking for a park that is quite and back to nature
then this is the one. You will not be finding amusement arcades, burger bars,
or loud music! This is truly a peaceful park.
It is set next to a nature ... reserve known as Lexden Gathering Ground, it is a reserve that is looked after by the Essex Wildlife Trust and is great for walking your dogs and letting them have the freedom to roam about. In the spring it is known for it's abundance of bluebells which are lovely!
Lexden Springs Park is also a few steps away from the park and is a large grassy area with a small woodland to the side, it has a couple of seats for you to sit and relax. It is truly a very green area!
This park has been given 4 stars by the AA and 4 Rosettes by the Tourist
Information Board. It has 3 toilet and shower blocks which are free with hot water and are very clean. It caters for disabled people as well. There is a laundry room to do your washing in. There is an on site shop for getting any
bits and bobs you might have forgotten as well as a caravan accessory shop, if you need anything for your caravan of tent.
They have electric hook-ups and hardstanding ( which is great for not walking grass all over your van!). There are 251 Touring and Camping pitches. Motorhomes are welcome as well as caravans and tents.
You can book a seasonal pitch which is:
1st April 2009- 14th Jan 2010 is £1520
You can also store your caravan there as well and that is:
12 months standard £360 including VAT
12 months hard standing £420 including VAT
They have been awarded a Gold Storage Award and have 24hr CCTV.
There is also washing facilities to clean your caravan as well.
The prices vary for the touring so you would be best to check these up, but here as an example is one :
Touring caravan pitches: £15-19 per night
Per Pitch 2 people per night
They have 75 pitches.
There is a play area for children, but just down the road (1.8miles) is Colchester Town, which has a lovely large park with boating lake, swings and Colchester Castle is set within it. Colchester also has a few free museums, the Clock Museum being one of my favourites with its secret garden!
Close by also is Colchester Zoo which is really really great, it is hard to fit everthing in one day, so it might be worth getting a Gold Card if you haven't
travelled to far from home!
You also have Rollerworld to visit so after all these events you will be pleased to get back to your peaceful park and have a beer or wine outside
your van. At least the kids won't want money for the amusements here!!!!
I haven't been for a couple of years as we no longer tow a caravan, but I
would expect it to be the same or better!
The address and email is as follows:
Colchester Camping and Caravan Park
Cymbeline Way
Lexden
Colchester
Essex CO3 4AG
01206 54551
Email: enquiries@colchestercaravanning.co.uk
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Camping Caravaning El Escorial (Spain)
by cherryJ
*Location*
El Escorial Camping is a very large campsite located on the outskirts of Madrid. It is 50km from the capital, with a bus link from outside the camp entrance. Madrid can be reached by bus in around 40 minutes.
The site is set in 100,000 square metres of trees and surrounded by mountains, giving a true ... outdoors environment.
*Price*
For 2 people, tent and car we paid just over 25 euros, which is on the pricey side for camping, but you are paying for the facilities and location. Prices are per person, per car and per accomodation (ie, tent, caravan, motorhome). There is an extra charge for electricity but showers are included in the price. Bungalows are also available to rent, but they were very pricey at around 100 euros per night in early May.
*Reception & First Impressions*
The reception set up is very modern and secure. On arrival you take a ticket depending on your requirements and then go to the corresponding booth. There are security guards patrolling the entrances and an automatic scan is taken of your car numberplate. Access is then granted by automatic barriers that actually greet you by name (rather hi-tec!)
The campsite appears well kept and welcoming. The pitches are laid out in rows for caravans, and there are huge open fields for tent campers.
*Pitches*
We stayed in a tent and so were placed on the open tent field. There is plenty of space, and the grassy fields are lined with shade providing trees. You are free to pitch anywhere you like on the tent fields.
We visited on a Spanish bank holiday and so the site was very busy. We still had no trouble finding a pitch though and had plenty of privacy.
*Facilities *
There are numerous facilities on the campsite and plenty for children.
As well as a supermarket, the camp has its own restaurant and cafeteria. Ordering food is done in a novel way and involves making your selection at a vending machine, which then provides you with a ticket. You then take your tickets over to the till area, pay up and wait for your food.
Sporting facilities include swimming pools, a games room, tennis courts and courts for basketball, football etc.
A full entertainment programme is organised during school holidays, and there is a childrens disco and adult disco every night.
*Service*
Reception staff are efficient, well trained and professional. The staff we spoke to had friendly attitudes and were eager to help with our queries.
*Summary*
This would be a good campsite for a holiday, especially for families. For an overnight stop, the price is a bit high, as you are paying for extensive facilities that you probably won't use. However, it is a good base to use for seeing Madrid and certainly far cheaper than staying in the centre.
The campsite was well kept, washrooms were very clean and modern. Everywhere was kept in good condition and staff were polite and helpful. I would recommend this campsite.
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