LA CARABASSE - SIBLU CARAVAN SITE - FANTASTIC FAMILY HOLIDAY! (La Carabasse Holiday Park (France))

Member Name: LAURALILIA

Product:	La Carabasse Holiday Park (France)
Date:	08/01/09 (407 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: LOTS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN TO DO - CHEAP HOLIDAY TOO!

Disadvantages: NOISY AT NIGHT - POOL ON THE COLD SIDE IN THE DAY - YOU WILL GAIN A STONE EATING THE FRENCH FOOD!

La Carabase Holiday Park

This is a camping site owned by Siblu (the French arm of Haven Holidays) and is situated on the coast of The South of France, near to Cap D'Agde. If you are lucky enough to fly from Bristol then you can fly into Beziers. There are 3 different grades of caravan that you can hire.

I went to La Carabasse with my two children aged 8 and 11. I booked flights separately through Ryanair and booked the holiday itself with Tesco Clubcard vouchers. If you don't have vouchers then it may be cheaper to book with a caravan owner onsite, than with Siblu direct.

I wasn't keen on driving, so the receptionist at La Carabasse gave me a number for someone living on site, who I paid to come and collect us from Nimes airport (1 hour away). On arrival they were very kind and used a golfing type buggy to take our luggage to our caravan.

The caravan itself was a bit old and next time I would book earlier for a bigger and more modern caravan. We were very near the pool, so at night it was VERY noisy as the entertainment is on an outdoor stage. This didn't bother us, as we went to bed late anyway, but for info, it tends to quieten down about midnight.

The slides were great - very little queueing. The pool though I have to say was very cold, other families complained too. The children didn't seem to mind too much. They are also very strict about the use of balls and inflatables in the pool too. Sunbeds are free if you get there early and there is a large canopy where there was plenty of room if you prefer the shade. I think they were about £2.50 for the day.

Entertainment was good for the children and families at night and the drinks were reasonable. They did productions of Lion King and Chicago and speak in French and English. I didn't make use of the kids club though. There is a fantastic shop on site that sells fresh pastries, which were very reasonable. Mars Bars etc were around £1.20 so take stuff like that with you, it will be expensive if you don't stick to the authentic French fayre.

Bike hire is also reasonable - it was £70 for the three of us for the week. Table tennis is free - you just need to leave a refundable deposit.

The beach is about a quarter of a mile away, but this is from the front entrance, in hot weather it feels much further away! All in all I would return there, as my children really enjoyed themselves and the weather was hot, but not intense as there was often a breeze from the sea.

***PROS***
Good cheap holiday (especially if paying with Tesco's Clubcard Vouchers), with lots to do for children. The onsite bakery is divine. It is not too hot, due to being near the coast. Not really any queues for slides, which is good.


***CONS***
Not too many nice places to eat out, unless you want to travel. Can be very noisy at night. Pool too cold. The exchange rate at the moment will mean that it is not as good value as last year.


SUMMARY

I would give it 8 out of 10 and my children have asked to go back there this year. They said they loved the bikes, the pool and slides, the shows and playing table tennis.


***I have also posted a version of this review on Trip Advisor***

Summary: IF YOU WANT A HOLIDAY THAT IS PERFECT FOR CHILDREN, BUT NOT TOO EXPENSIVE, THEN THIS IS IT!