Flower Camping La Steniole

There’s a lot for children to do, with several places to swim, loads of kids around and a nice atmosphere close to nature. Nearby options include swimming at Longemer, climbing adventures at Agrosphere Gérardmer and karting near Corcorieux. The animation was probably okay, though our son only joined the soccer once. We’d consider going back. We rented a mobile home from the lovely, hardworking family. It had a great wooden veranda, but the home itself felt small, grey and a bit cheaply made, not cosy by Dutch standards. The white lighting was awful, so we used candles and put posters on the walls. The shower didn’t work properly: you had to turn it very hot to get warm water, and even a slight adjustment made it cold. The camping boss thought he’d fixed it, but he hadn’t, so we used the nearby campsite shower, which was fine. The mobile home was new, so it may still need some adjustments. They have a good bread service and a few things in a little shop. If you arrive on Saturday, be prepared for the pizzeria and restaurant to be closed. Shopping in Gerardmer is no punishment, though.

The bathrooms near the ‘lake’ were a mess because unsupervised children filled buckets with dirt and used the sink for water. The showers weren’t especially clean either. I’d hoped for a peaceful campsite in a National park, but the loud music from the bar area ruined that atmosphere. I was disappointed after the website description and some other reviews had given me higher hopes.

Bring as much as you can, since the campsite is quite remote and you’d otherwise have to drive into town. The pools were very nice, and the site was clean. The staff were extremely nice and answered all my questions. I’d recommend it to friends. One suggestion: mention the blue CEE camping electrical adapter on the website. I’d never heard of one before, since I’d never camped somewhere with electricity, and only found out about it while researching camping with electricity.

The pitches are lovely and spacious, and we liked the freecamp with its private loo. The campsite is in the forest and was very quiet when we visited, so we enjoyed the downtime. The woman at reception was nice and polite. We don’t care for swimming pools, so we didn’t use it and can’t comment on it. We’ll come back in warmer months when there’s a bit more life.