Camping du Valentin

The campsite looks lovely, especially after dark, with mountain peaks all around and beautiful stars overhead. The staff were lovely and helpful, the shop had the basics at slightly above supermarket prices but still fairly priced, and the toilets were usually clean and stocked with paper. We also appreciated being able to sit on the sofa at the back of the restaurant without having to order anything. If you're driving, it's a great base for hikes, though it's quite a way from town, which may suit some people and not others. Be ready for queues. From 18:30 to 20:30, we waited up to 30 minutes for a shower, and mornings could mean a toilet line too. One of the two toilet blocks is often closed for cleaning from 8:30 to 10:30, just as people are getting ready for hikes. The owner says the shower count meets the legal minimum, but it didn't feel like enough for a busy site. An extra sanitary block would help. A quick check for toilet paper at 8:30, with the full clean later, might also avoid closing a block at the busiest time. There are no lights within the campsite at night, which is lovely for stargazing but means you'll need your phone or a flashlight to find the toilets. I've never seen a campsite without night lighting before. There are also no outdoor water taps outside the sanitary blocks, another first for me. Our comfort pitch was noticeably sloped. The staff apologized and offered to try to move us, which we appreciated, but I don't understand how that spot qualifies as a comfort pitch. The ground could be leveled without much effort. The pitch included electricity and nothing else. At other campsites, a comfort pitch has come with a private picnic table, sometimes lounge chairs too, and there were no public picnic tables anywhere here. I've stayed at hundreds of campsites, and never seen one without a single shared table. It left me feeling the site cared more about maximizing profit than providing a comfortable stay. The pool is small, and the spa is tiny, with lots of rowdy kids in both. An adults only spa and a no jumping rule in the pool when it's busy would help. There aren't enough loungers or chairs around the pool, though they could easily double the number without making it feel crowded. A shelf for belongings and a reminder not to save loungers with towels while swimming would help too, since most of them were covered with towels rather than people. I'm giving the campsite three stars, mainly because the staff are so lovely. Honestly, it probably deserves only two.

The pitches were nice, but there were far too few showers and toilets for such a large, crowded campsite. In the evening there were lines for showers, and in the morning people queued for the toilets in the one open sanitary block while the other was being cleaned at 9:30, right when everyone needed it. For €35.20 a night, that was totally unacceptable. We later stayed at the municipal campsite beyond the center of Laruns, and it was great, with fewer people, no queues, and much fairer prices. We only stayed one night and had checked the price online. It showed €17.60 a night for two people, with no extra cost for us sleeping in the car, but reception charged us €35.20. It was the last pitch available, so we took it instead of risking not finding another campsite. The online price was for two or three days later, not a winter rate or anything like that. After the owner's reply, I added another screenshot showing that €17.60 was the final price, not a starting rate as they claimed. I could have booked the pitch at that price, but didn't because I expected to get the same rate on arrival. That's how it should work when owners don't lie.

We'd happily spend a week here just watching the mountains and eating the fresh bread, which came out hot in the morning. In five weeks travelling around France and Spain, this has been our favourite campsite. We were in a campervan with our dog and two children. The mountain views are incredible, and you feel part of the landscape. It's the highest campsite in Laruns, I think, and possibly has the best views. Ask for a pitch at the very back on the upper tiers for the best spot. The people running it, a woman and a man, were super friendly and kind. Pitches may be small, but they're well kept, and the facilities were clean. We'll be back!

We'd definitely come back if we're in the area. The campsite has a pool, restaurant, and all the other facilities. We had dinner there one night and tried the Basque stew, cooked out on the terrace. It was so tasty. The site is up a steep hill, but there's a path down to Laruns. We also drove easily to train d'artouste, where there was plenty of room to park the motorhome. The staff were willing and able to share information about the area.