Camping La Grand'Métairie

The children had plenty to do, from the pool and slides to the mini farm and playground. There are two kids’ sessions each day, often a mini disco in the evening, and family or adult activities such as quizzes and bingo. The programme is all in French, so I need to brush up before joining in. The bar and restaurant are well stocked and good, though I didn’t see a grocery shop. The owners are around much of the day and evening, and the staff are welcoming and accommodating. It’s a friendly place for families with younger children. We were given a pitch at the back, possibly because we used our ACSI card, though I can’t be sure. Getting there was tricky: the road is narrow and winding, with obstacles intended to slow cars, and the small pitch was hard to manoeuvre into. The sanitaires were fine. The nearby town is more of a sleepy village, but Jard-sur-Mer, La Tranche-sur-Mer and several other nice areas are only a short drive away.

Our four- and six-year-olds loved the pool and playground, and enjoyed walking around the small farm pen. We had fun pointing out the corn, pumpkins, mange tout, mint, strawberries and sunflowers growing around the site. There’s a big beach at le Rocher plage with plenty to explore, and a five-minute drive the other way takes you to jard Sur Les mare for a large supermarket and another beach. The area has what a young family needs. The restaurant can get a little overwhelmed, but it’s nice to relax with a drink or two. It felt like an authentic French camping holiday, with few English speakers, although most of the staff can speak English. We really enjoyed our stay and hope to return next year. The mascot also comes out around 9pm to draw people to the nightly shows. A great campsite and very good value.

The children, aged 2, 7 and 8, all had a really good time, especially at the swimming pool, which suited their ages. We stayed at Camping Grand Metarie for about 12 days and were very satisfied. The accommodation was clean, the facilities were all there, and the people were friendly. The beach is around 5 km away, with plenty of other things to do within a few kilometres too.

The campsite itself is nice, with a decent pool and a good restaurant. But the rooster in the petting farm started crowing at 4am and kept going until 9. I got no sleep at all. 😕