If you’re looking for the perfect family camping holiday in France, the Vendée region is hard to beat. This summer we packed up the tent and headed to Yelloh Village: Le Pin Parasol, a 5-star campsite on the edge of the beautiful Lac du Jaunay. With heated swimming pools, waterslides, endless kids’ activities, and easy access to the Vendée’s famous sandy beaches, it turned out to be the ideal base for a fun-filled 10-day adventure. From exploring castles and treetop trails to bodyboarding on wide Atlantic beaches, here’s everything we loved about our trip.
Travelling to the Vendée
Now the kids are a bit older, we decided to brave the journey in one go. Door-to-door it came in at roughly 14 hours, which sounds daunting but actually went pretty smoothly.
We set off from Bath at the bleary-eyed time of 5:30am, caught the 8:15am Brittany Ferries sailing from Poole to Cherbourg, and the crossing could have been calmer, but not too bad. From Cherbourg, it was a straightforward – if slightly never-ending – 5-hour trek down to the campsite.
Navigation was simple, with only a minor hiccup around Nantes where the traffic slowed. We finally rolled into Le Pin Parasol at 8pm, tired but excited to get the tent up and crack open that first cold drink.
Yelloh Village: Le Pin Parasol
This was our first experience of a Yelloh Village site, and we really enjoyed it. Although the site is large, clever landscaping meant it never felt overwhelming. The staff were super friendly and it had a very relaxed vibe. At just over €600 euros for nine nights, camping in France offers excellent value for money.
We’d brought our trusty Coleman Weathermaster 6XL tent, and our pitch easily fit both that and the van. Flat ground (no rolling off the airbed in the night!) and hedges for privacy made it feel like our own little patch. The only downside? Being close to the village centre meant we had front-row seats to the nightly entertainment – not ideal if you fancied an early night.
Facilities were brilliant. Two aquatic areas, heated pools, five waterslides, sunbeds for the adults, and endless fun for the kids. Beyond the pools there were free kids clubs, huge play parks, football pitches, volleyball, tennis courts, mini-golf, bouncy castles, and ping pong. Basically, the kids disappeared to make friends while we actually managed to relax – win-win!
Food-wise, there were two restaurants/bars, plus a handy on-site shop. Nightly entertainment included musicals, dancing and magicians. Not really our cup of tea, but well-produced and clearly popular.
The site backs onto the Lac du Jaunay, perfect for an evening stroll or hiring canoes and pedal boats. For anyone into gravel riding, there are some excellent bike routes around the lake and beyond.
The Surrounding Region
The Beaches
Vendée beaches are everything you’d want from the Atlantic coast: huge, sandy, and with plenty of space. We tried Bretignolles-sur-Mer, Saint Gilles Croix de Vie, and Plage Sauveterre – the last being our favourite. Each beach had lifeguards, and we all got hooked on bodyboarding.
O’Gliss Park
O’Gliss Park is a huge waterpark and very popular – so expect crowds. The rides were fantastic though, especially the rapids, which we may have gone on more times than we’d like to admit.
Explora Parc
Explora Parc was the kids’ highlight of the holiday. Think Go Ape, but with no time limit. We spent the entire day navigating rope bridges, ziplines and treetop challenges, and still didn’t manage to do every course. Great value for money and highly recommended.
Château d’Apremont
Château d’Apremont made for a fun couple of hours. It’s a picturesque castle with plenty of info in English and a good range of kid-friendly activities. The grown-ups enjoyed the history, the kids enjoyed running about pretending to be knights. Everyone happy.
Final Thoughts
The Vendée may not be the most dramatic or glamorous corner of France, but it ticked every box for a fun and easy-going family holiday. With great campsites, endless activities, wide-open beaches, and good weather, our 10 days at Le Pin Parasol flew by.
Would we go back? Absolutely.