Camping les acacias du Medoc

The toilets and showers were dreadful, and we ended up avoiding them as much as we could. I’d brought our portable loo for nights, but the kids and I used it most of the time. My husband drove to McDonald’s every day to use their toilets. Even after the site’s “cleaning,” they stank. It seemed to mean a quick rinse and wipe, then soapy water sloshed around on the floor. One morning the cleaner’s water came under the cubicle door and soaked my feet. There was grime along the edges, floors stayed muddy and wet because the toilets leaked, and there were no seats, toilet paper, or hand wash. There was only one sink. The toilets were unisex, and cubicles on one side opened onto the urinals, leaving nowhere to pass if someone was using one. By 11 most toilets were unusable, with faeces smeared around. That says something about the people using them, but they still needed much more frequent cleaning. One cubicle had poo on the wall for our entire two-week stay. Another day, poo was tracked through the washing machine area and remained there until the floor was rinsed the next morning at 7. The showers were usually hot, but dirty, and the drains didn’t work well. Smelly, filthy rags were stuffed around pipes to catch leaks, and looked like they’d been there for 20 years. I had to wash the kids in a bowl of water at the tent because they refused to use the showers. We adults just put up with them in flip-flops after spraying everything with antibacterial cleaner. We emailed the office twice in French and got no reply. On our third attempt, we went in person. They didn’t seem bothered and said the toilets were cleaned twice a day, which they weren’t. I have photos. Even twice daily wouldn’t be enough. The block needs rebuilding, or at least a proper clean and maintenance. It’s years of neglect and poor cleaning, which is such a shame because it could be a great site. There were good parts: the pool area was great, though not quite the water park advertised, and fine for younger children. The main pool turned brown for one day during our two-week stay after overnight rain and chlorination. We were told it was safe, but chose not to swim until it was clear again the next day. The bar and bistro served good food. Fresh bread and pastries were lovely, and you could order them the day before. There’s a good play park, and the entertainment team was great. Some children could join in the disco and foam party, even though all the entertainment was in French and only some staff spoke English. One bouncy castle worried us: it had narrow tunnels inside, and bigger kids piled on top, squashing the little ones. Our original area was forecast to have wet weather, so we booked this place at the last minute on the way to the Eurotunnel to chase the sun. What a crying shame.

You’ll need a car for the beaches and nearby villages, but they’re all about 10 minutes away. We had a really lovely week: the mobile home was clean and quiet, and the pool was clean too, with artificial grass around it so it wasn’t slippery. The entertainment team put in a lot of effort and did a good job. We know the campsite recently changed owners, and they deserve credit for a great stay. The only thing we’d have liked was more guidance and indoor activities for rainy days, though we understand that wasn’t easy with that awful virus around. It’s hard to make sense of the recent bad ratings. Thanks for a genuinely great week.

The setting is peaceful and pleasant, which makes the shortcomings a shame. The mobile homes are quite nice, but the facilities are poor for a four-star campsite. The pool feels ridiculously small, and although two good activity leaders tried their best, the entertainment was disappointing with such limited resources. The bar stays closed during the day, and the speed bumps are so high that cars scrape them. It feels like corners are being cut everywhere. We won’t come back.

The daytime games and activities for kids were excellent, and the pool itself is nice. The mobile home was clean and had everything we needed, but the water pressure was very low, and on some days there was no hot water. The evenings were so quiet that, after 20 years of camping every summer, I went to bed earlier than ever. There wasn’t much of a welcoming, family feel, and the staff were close to unpleasant. Maybe they were just worn out at the end of the season, since it was the last week of August. The impression of the place was also hurt by the “so-called lifeguard,” smoking while on her phone with a group of men around her.