Camping la Simioune en Provence

We liked the relaxing atmosphere and shady pitches so much that our planned one-night stay turned into three. Our girls loved the lovely swimming pool, and the evening entertainment was a nice bonus. The toilets and showers were very clean, though remember to bring your own toilet roll. We also explored the local town and visited the Cascades, which was lovely. We were very happy and recommend it.

After being disappointed that the snack-bar closed at 19.30 instead of 20.00, as I understood verbally and from the signs outside reception, I left a one-star review. That was unfair to the rest of the campsite, which is fine. The shower and toilet facilities were good, there's a pool I didn't use, and the croissants we ordered were delivered to our pitch the next morning. It's quite remote, but that's okay, and the pitches have power, (drinking) water, and WiFi. I still have to keep the one star because of what happened within half an hour of posting. The owner and an employee searched around the campsite to find who had written the review. They found us, my elderly parents and me, got very angry and rude, and told us to leave. They even brought back the money we'd paid, apparently expecting us to leave immediately that night. They couldn't understand why we thought it was strange for a takeaway snack-bar to close half an hour earlier than expected. They kept yelling, and the woman had what seemed like a full tantrum. The campsite itself is fine, but, as other similar reviews suggest, some employees and the person who seemed to be the owner are very rude when you criticize anything. UPDATE: I strongly object to the false claims and personal information in your response. Sharing personal details without consent violates privacy laws, and I ask that you remove them immediately. Here are the specific inaccuracies: Claim: "It was written everywhere at reception and in the snack bar that we closed the snack bar at 7:30 PM." That isn't true. All the printed signs at and around reception said 8:00 PM. Only one handwritten note, right above the snack bar window, said 7:30 PM. Claim: "You waited until we closed the curtain at 7:52 PM." I got there at 7:40 PM, reasonably expecting the snack bar to stay open for another 20 minutes based on the posted signs. Claim: "You threw yourself at the snack bar door and drummed for a portion of French fries to take away. My 18-year-old employee had to lock herself in because she was afraid of you." That's a gross misrepresentation. I just tapped lightly on the snack-bar window to see if anyone was still there. Saying I acted aggressively or frightened anyone is false and offensive. Claim: "We came to tell you that your opinions and behavior were inappropriate and insulting." What happened was that you drove a golf cart around the campsite asking guests who had written the review. When you found our pitch, you angrily confronted my parents, intimidated and scolded them, and even suggested they should leave the campsite. I stand by my original one-star rating. Your response only adds to the concerns in my review.

It's a great spot just outside a village, peaceful and quiet, with plenty of shops in the nearest village. The service is friendly and quick to respond. The one drawback is that there's just one sanitary building for the whole campsite. When they clean it, you have to wait because they close either all the toilets or all the showers.

The pitches are spacious and set among pine trees, with that lovely pine smell and cicada sound that feels so typical of Provence. The owners and staff were kind, hardworking, and always smiling. There are two nice pools, including one for adults only, a snack bar open in high season, and lots of interesting places within an hour. It's a great stopover in the Rhone valley near the Autoroute du Soleil, so there's quite a bit of overnight transit traffic from people travelling on to Spain or Côte D'Azur. Thanks for a lovely stay. We'll definitely be back.