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Eurocamp
by Peter Roberts
August 2009 was the third year in a row that my wife and I had gone with Eurocamp. In the previous two years we had minor problems, mostly caused by young, inexperienced and poorly managed couriers. But 2009 will be the last time we use Eurocamp. We stayed at four sites and this is a summary of our experiences:
Larochette, ... Luxembourg - we arrived and they tried to put us in a tent rather than the mobile home we had booked. We eventually got the correct accommodation and a free meal and bottle of wine as compensation. Young, student couriers with young, not as bright leader.
Herbolzheim, Germany - we asked about things to do in the area especially walking and cycle routes. The couriers could only point us at one city, two theme parks (we are in our 50s) and said that there were no walks or cycle tracks. We walked out of the campsite and found way marked walks and cycle tracks right outside the gates. The Tourist Office, a 15 minute walk from the campsite, showed us more to do than we had time for during our stay. Young, student couriers with young, not as bright leader.
Manor Farm, Interlaken, Switzerland - we cannot recommend this site highly enough. The couriers are middle aged and excellent. When we arrived the leader spent a bit of time finding out what we wanted to get from our stay and his advice was tailored to perfectly match this. All three couriers knew the area very well and each day at least one of them would check how we were getting on and give us new advice about our plans for the next day. Perfection! What we cannot understand is why Eurocamp do not feature this site in their catalogue - it is wonderful. There are only two warnings: no pool, but the lake is great; and little shade.
Rougemont, France - we found bed bugs in our mobile home on the first night. We were moved to a another dirty mobile home with an ever present smell of sewage for the rest of our stay. Although the lead courier promised us the world it took months and months of negotiations to get more than token compensation. I am thinking of putting the pictures of the bed bug infestation on a social networking site. Young, student couriers with young, not as bright leader.
Whenever we have experienced problems with Eurocamp there always seems to be student couriers lead by a not so bright, 'career' courier. They have scant knowledge of the local area. They only do the bare minimum or less and only appear at the end of your stay to collect a tip - they are never rewarded by us.
The best stays we have had have been where mature couriers are employed. They clean accommodation as soon as it is vacated, not just before it is needed, and have excellent knowledge of the local area.
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Camping Les Prairies Du Lac (Apremont, France)
by Pipris
Rented a mobile home on this site for a week mid September and enjoyed a relaxing holiday in surprisingly good weather. The campsite has mobile homes only, many owned by British and those I talked to seem to spend 3 or 4 months there during the summer - so good recommendation there. Very friendly site with a bar, usually open in the ... evenings. Not a lively young place by any stretch of the imagination, but good for families and those looking to relax, walk, swim, get to the beach, sightsee and enjoy the pleasures of French wine and food. A car is pretty much essential to get to the beaches at St Gilles Croix de Vie and the coast and the historic towns in the Vendee area. The medieval village of Apremont with its shops, restaurants and imposing 16th century chateau is 2 kilometres away, just about walking distance, where there is also a pretty lake with a sandy beach where you can swim (I didn't, too cold), fish or rent a boat or canoe.
All in all an inexpensive leisurely week which recharged my batteries.
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