Le Caussanel

The staff were friendly and clearly doing their best, though there didn’t seem to be enough of them. The lakefront pitches without electricity were huge, with lovely views and lots of grassy space and trees. Keep in mind that premium pitches are in the second row, so tents or campervans without hookups may block the lake view. The facilities were a letdown. The washrooms were old, and often dirty by daytime or evening. There were no toilet seats, and despite the site being fairly full, all but two toilets were locked. Dishwashing and laundry had separate hot and cold taps. There was no sanitizer in the toilets, and not even soap. Mask rules indoors weren’t enforced, which was plainly illegal. The restaurant was the worst food we had in France by a long way. The fish in the fish and chips was muddy-tasting and bland, the Caesar salad had processed meat, and the duck breast was badly overcooked. Around 20:30 they turned people away, whether for takeaway or dinner, because they’d run out of food. Beautiful place, but it felt badly managed. I don’t know how it got five stars.

The pools were small and set apart, which made keeping an eye on the kids tricky depending on where you sat. The lake was good for swimming, though. It’s a lovely, quiet and relaxing terraced site with great lake views. The restaurant was pleasant, and the sanitary facilities were clean.

WiFi was slow and unreliable, and the website should say that some facilities aren’t available until high season. The staff don’t wear Le Caussanel t-shirts until then either, so they’re hard to recognize around the site, and the site vehicles aren’t marked with the site name. The lake view from a premium pitch can easily be blocked by tents without electricity set up in front, something their publicity doesn’t mention. The BBQ was too small to cook a meal, unlike Massereau, which provides a double burner planchet. There was no parasol base or hole in the table, so the parasol couldn’t be used. The plastic loungers were uncomfortable compared with the ones by the pool, where there were no parasols. There were no toilet seats either. I wouldn’t bother booking a premium pitch.

The toilets, sinks and showers were very clean. It’s a nice, very peaceful campsite with spacious pitches, and both the pool and lake are fun for swimming.