Camping Parc de la Brenne Chalets

The hosts were kind and helpful, and the sanitary blocks were kept spotless. I liked how the campsite was laid out, with quiet nights and no traffic noise. The owner's dog stopped by now and then, which was fine. I stayed out of season, when there were few guests and it was very peaceful. It’ll be busier in high season, with cabins, safari tents and pitches, which will suit plenty of people. I’ll definitely stay again, and would recommend it.

We were there for an outside charity quiz, so I can’t speak to the tents or activities. We’d pre-ordered food as requested and arrived before the suggested time. There were six of us, seated at the table we’d been assigned, and our drinks were brought over. The food was meant to arrive by 7:30, but at 8 we were still waiting. We asked how much longer because there were people with diabetes at our table who needed to eat. We were told ten minutes at most. When it came, the food was cold, the bun was hard and still frozen, and compared with other tables, ours looked as if it had been microwaved. We showed the manager and complained. She said that was the French way of cooking. We had French people in our group who work in hospitality, and they disagreed. The manager then said there was a problem because people hadn’t pre-ordered. We reminded her that we had, and said those meals should have been handled first. She changed her tune and remade the burgers, without apologizing. The chicken burgers that came back were round patties, unlike the Kiev-style ones everyone else had. They were hot, but the buns were still cold and partly frozen. The quiz was starting, so I ate the meat, left the bun, and had some chips. They were okay, just ordinary cooked frozen food. The bill caused more trouble. The quiz flyer said the food cost 12€, but we were charged 13.50€. We were also billed for ten beers with syrup when we’d had three. The manager argued that 12€ applied only to fish and chips, not burgers, though the flyer didn’t say that. She reluctantly removed the extra food charge. When we asked for a discount because of the meal, she said we hadn’t complained. About the beer, she said our drinks had been brought to the table several times, so the charge was right, and that the syrup cost 17€ a bottle. We’d been charged 35€. She changed the bill again after agreeing that the price differed from the menu. On the third version of the bill, we paid, still without an apology. When we again mentioned that people with diabetes needed to eat, she basically said she didn’t care. Given the clientele she’s aiming for, that’s a terrible message about health conditions. She then said we had bad karma and called my friend a French b***h. My friend replied that the Germans are better. We do quiz nights regularly, so she’s lost the chance of regular fundraising business by refusing to apologize or admit the food was subpar. I don’t think they can handle more than ten people, definitely not a full bar. I wouldn’t recommend eating there for an outside event or with a large group; the manager didn’t seem to have the customer service skills to deal with people. I was sick in the early hours, and a couple of others in our group were sick too. I believe it was the food, though I fully expect the manager to deny it came from there.

We attended a charity quiz, so I can’t comment on the campsite or its facilities. We’d pre-ordered as requested and arrived early, but our food was served last. The buns were cold and frozen, and when we raised it, we were told that was the French way. They replaced the food reluctantly, just as the quiz was beginning. The burger was hot then, but the bun was still frozen. At the end of the night, they tried to charge us for drinks we hadn’t had. They also said we hadn’t complained about the food, and we had to pay. We were given three different amounts to pay. There was no apology, only rude, derogatory comments from the owner. I’ll never attend another charity event there. The owner's attitude was awful, and they clearly couldn’t cope with a large group.

We’re from Paris, and hardly anyone there was French, as most visitors seemed to be from the Netherlands. That gave us a chance to share a lot about our cultures, and everyone made us feel welcome. The family-friendly atmosphere was lovely, especially for children with disabilities. We knew very little about the campsite before coming, but were surprised by how much it felt like a place where anyone could feel at home. It’s a beautiful place to visit in summer, with wonderful things to see nearby. Everyone was kind, and the place is animal-friendly too, which was a plus for us. Thanks for the great hospitality. We’ll be back!