Camping Barataud

Pretty cool.

The beach was the one bright spot, just a five-minute walk away. We ended up leaving on Thursday instead of Sunday, after two days I was already at the end of my rope. When we arrived in mid-August, it was hard to work out how the campsite was laid out. It seemed to combine two sites, the map was confusing, and signs, especially for the second pool, weren't clear. There was no entertainment or activities, just an ice cream seller. The place felt isolated too. The roads were wrecked, with tree roots pushing up the tarmac and a risk of damaging your car underneath. The mobile homes were very old. The toilet flush button broke twice, and had only been patched up instead of replaced. The terrace boards were so unsafe that twice I nearly fell through them. On the second day we found the pools. The one that is usually covered was open despite the rain and temperatures below 22°C, so I suspect its cover mechanism wasn't working. The condition was awful, with sharp tiles, jagged edges and dirt everywhere. Nothing was cleaned during our stay, and the pool water was saturated with chlorine, perhaps to mask the poor state of things. The outdoor pool water seemed a little better, but around it was still dirty and neglected, with rubbish, product containers and abandoned objects scattered about like an open-air dump. There was one pétanque court for the whole campsite, and the mini-golf was filthy and neglected. The online photos and adverts also seemed at least ten years old and bore no relation to what we found. They were completely misleading. How can a campsite in this condition still be open?

It's a very peaceful campsite, only 150 metres from the beach, with two pools. Swimming isn't supervised, and there are no organized activities. That may be why it's so quiet, since families often choose places with daily entertainment for the kids. There aren't many staff, which also helps explain the unbeatable prices, but the people who are there are lovely. I'd happily recommend it.

There are two pools and the beach is close by, and the staff and manager are attentive. The manager, if that was who I spoke to, was very unpleasant. The campsite itself is poorly maintained, with unpaved paths, poor bedding, no rubbish bin, and an old terrace that hasn't been renovated.