La Reserve Holiday Park
, Aquitaine
La Reserve Holiday Park reviews
- Holiday Date:Sep 2009
- Advice: Great all round location
- Good For: Beach
- Board Basis:Mobile home owner
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
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4 readers found this review helpful
Myself and a group of friends spend usually about 5 weeks at la reserve with our familys in the summer in our own challet. But last year we went after our exams for a relaxing week without our parents.
Being regulars at La reserve we allready new the site well and many of the staff so it was like being back home. The site is clean and friendly and definatly a safe place for teenagers to go.
All being sporty, there was plenty for us too do, and we spent loads of time out on our boat, watersports, bike riding and exploring the sites and town, not forgetting time for us girls to sunbathe while the boys went out and about exploring.
The bars are friendly, and pretty cheap and all close about 2am, so there is a fair amount of noise on the campsite at that time, but it dies down quickly.
We had brilliant weather, and all came back with fantastic tans...people thinking we had been in turkey for 2 weeks, and not france for 6days.
We are going back this year after exams again to get pre-summer tans. This time in 4 weeks we will be back in La Reserve, aswell as in about 3 months with the family.
- Holiday Date:Jun 2008
- Advice: La Reserve-an amazing exprience
- Activities: definatly try out water sports, and bike riding
- Good For: Beach
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
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10 readers found this review helpful
La Reserve is advertised as a "family park" but on the manager's own admission it cannot be considered so during the peak months. The site is happy to cater for large single sex groups looking for a "good time". Bars are open until 2.00am after this bedlam breaks out with gangs of drunks roaming the park, shouting and fighting; to add to this Siblu's own staff start partying outside their mobile homes, which are scattered throughout the park, from 2.00am until 5.00 am. During 3 weeks we did not get any uninterrupted sleep. We asked for assistance from reception staff and then the general manager who simply shrugged his shoulders, saying that he only has a limited budget for security staff and he cannot control who rents the mobile homes. He said it is not a "family park" during peak periods. We first visited this park in the Autumn of 2007 when it was very quiet, it is in a beautiful location right on the lake and does have some good facilites for children. On the strength of this we decided to buy a mobile home for long term use by our family for summer holidays. What a mistake! Having paid 50,000 Euros for a new mobile home, Siblu were only prepared to buy it back less than 12 months later at 30,000 Euros after we discovered that it could not be used for a relaxing family holiday in the main season. The Company has hard selling techniques, does not give true and fair information and substantially overcharges for any facilities provided. For example, there is a small boat dock facility on the park which is not well maintained - to use this to berth a boat for the season their charge is 500 Euros. By comparison, there is a marina close by at the village of Gastes which is far superior and for which a season charge for a pontoon berth is 140 Euros. On investigation it has been established that the pitch rentals for both mobile homes and for touring/camping are virtually double or treble that charged in adjacent French municipal sites. On balance this site is worth a visit in spring or autumn because of its beautiful location, but beware of the possible dishonesty of the representatives of the operating company if you are tempted to purchase a mobile home for family use.
- Holiday Date:Aug 2008
- Good For: Beach
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
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5 readers found this review helpful
We have just returned from two weeks in a Lodge, we have 3 children (12,9and3)
This is the best camp site that we have stated at .....
Positive points:-
+ on site beach/lake (not busy and the water is safe/warm - ideal for younger children)
+ good swimming pools
+ well maintained site
+ restaurant/take away food both ok (maybe improved from previous years/comments by others or otherwise we are easily pleased :-) ?
+ location in pine forest (although quite remote - good for cycle tracks)
+ reasonable amount of days out (aqualand was good fun)
Negative points:-
- on site shop, restaurant and other all facilities are NOT cheap!
- current exchange rate £/Euro 1.20
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Siblu Direct
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2 readers found this review helpful
This resort is fantastic for kids. Set in a beautiful part of south western france about an hours drive from Bordeaux. You are not always guaranteed the weather as you are on the atlantic side but when its good its hot. There is so much to do. Bikerides along the lake, watersports on the lake, swimming indoors and out and various play areas dotted around the site. If you want to adventure out there are zoos to visit and childrens theme parks.
In fact it was that good we were fortunate to buy our own home there. Take plenty of factor 50 for the little ones.
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
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3 readers found this review helpful
A large open site in a beautiful, although very rural, area of south west France. The site itself was lovingly cared for and very clean. We had a fab caravan in a very nice grassy site with small trees for shade. We had air conditioning (which we hadn't booked) and I would definitely recommend this upgrade as the weather whilst we were there was extremely hot.
This is our 3rd year with Siblu and they have always provided us with very good quality accommodation and this year was no exception. Our caravan was new, clean and in a good spot.
The pool complex was well looked after with a dedicated lifeguard for each pool. Perhaps a little over cautious (their whistles were blown a lot), but this didn't spoil our enjoyment, although perhaps my 3 year old son would disagree as they were not at all keen on him going on the slides - fair enough.
We didn't use the kids clubs, but the evening entertainment was fine for a light hearted holiday.
Staff were very welcoming and friendly, especially in the reception. I would say the Siblu site gives a very fair representation of what they site offers.
Beaches - I would definitely recommend Biscarosse Plage over Mimizan. It takes longer to get to (30 mins car drive as opposed to 20 mins.), but the road between Biscarosse and Biscarosse Plage is lovely and the end result is a beautiful beach - white sand and aqua sea for as far as the eye can see. Whilst we were there the surf was quite gentle and both our 3 and 5 year olds were happy to run in and out of the relatively warm sea, plus great sand castle sand!! At both resorts the parking is free - yeap nothing to pay for the whole day!!! A bit of a maze through little streets to get to the seafront, but perserve, it's worth it!
Although the nearby towns were nice enough, not historical or picturesque. Recommend Dune de Pyla on a quiet, cool evening!
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Siblu
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1 reader found this review helpful
We have visited this site four times now and find that it has a lot to offer for adults and children alike. It is in a lovely forest setting with a very large pool complex and a lakeside beach which has lots of water sports to offer.There is a designated cycle path which runs from the site to the local villages.
The camp shop is very well stocked if a little more expensive than the local supermarket but great for convenience.
There is a good programme of varied entertainment and day time activities for adults and children also tennis courts, boules and a rather old decrepit crazy golf!!
The only negative comment we have is in regard to the on site restaurant, the food was awful, expensive and the service terrible!!. You are much better advised to travel the short distance to the town of Parentis where we found a lovely restaurant with realistic prices.
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
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1 reader found this review helpful
We stayed for two weeks in a lodge on the site. Not luxurious but perhaps more space than a mobile home.
It seems there are only two of these on the site. It was very clean and all the equipment seemed brand new. Weather was generally good. Children of 12, 10 and 6 had a thoroughly good time with lots of independence. We hired bikes on site (expensive).
The site is very attractive and well maintained. The pool areas are well supervised and the beach is very pretty although sometimes the water could be quite "scummy", we think due to boats on the lake. But there are some beautiful beaches on the coast - particularly Contis-Plage. They are well supervised and very clean.
Our main gripe would be the site restaurant which was pretty terrible. Both food and service were bad and unfortunately there are very few restaurants in the surrounding area so they have a captive audience on site. There is a very attractive beach bar but this was underused and only served drinks and ice creams. They would do well to start serving food at lunchtimes and evenings to give an alternative to the restaurant. We were not interested in the entertainment but at times it could be very loud at night going on until 1.30ish am. Reception staff were always very helpful. Very pretty area but not very much to see.
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Siblu
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1 reader found this review helpful
Excellent holiday and thoroughly enjoyed by ourselves and by our two children aged 6 and 3.
The facilities on site were of a super high standard. Three well run, secure, clean outdoor pools with fun water chutes and slides. One heated indoor pool which we used more that we thought we would when the weather was very hot and sunny. Plenty of lifeguards to oversee the proceedings.
Children's Clubs were a pivotal part of our holiday. Both enjoyed their respective clubs but our eldest boy aged 6 got a huge kick out of the Tiger Club. The minders were all very enthusiastic and the programmes were run very well. Thanks to Stef, Yan, Marine, Chloe and Clemance. Also a big thanks to Michelle in Paw's Club.
Evening entertainment was provided every night and again a super distraction for the kids which allowed us to mix with friends and enjoy the evenings.
Daytime activities were also available and we went to Archery, Paint balling, Go-Karts etc. There is also an on-site private beech with good sand for the kids to play with.
My only negative was for the restaurant on site. Very poor service and poor choice from the menu and it was very expensive. My suggestion is to avoid the restaurant. It will only frustrate you.
Many thanks to all the Siblu staff who helped make our holiday so enjoyable and I look forward to another Siblu Holiday in 2008.
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:French Holiday Centre
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1 reader found this review helpful
Not too pleased with this place.
Entertainment was rubbish, the restaurant could only supply chips they had no potatoes or vegetables.
The Lifeguards were like the Hitler Youth our youngest son was not allowed on the slides as he was less than 1 meter tall, our oldest son was not allowed in the pool unsupervised even though he is 8 and swims like a fish.
No floats are allowed in the pool.
When we complained the manager turned out to be a 20 year old life guard!
We had paid an extra £295 to upgrade our Caravan but found ours to be worse than the people who had not upgraded. Very overpriced.
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Siblu
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The camp site was ideal for young children as it has kids clubs for all ages, swimming pools, and a beach right at the camp site with a shallow lake for swimming.
Not very much to do in the surrounding area and the beaches at the coast have quite rough seas.
Super market on site is fairly expensive, so it is worth going to the supermarkets elsewhere.
Laundry facilities are available. The camp site is clean and well looked after.
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
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Have just returned from a weeks holiday in La Reserve Holiday Park. We went with our two children aged 2 years and a baby of 9 weeks and two other families. All in all had a fabulous time the weather was beautiful, although hotter than we expected, about 32 degrees all week so an air conditioned caravan would have been brilliant.
The whole concept of the holiday works well when you have children. The flexibility of having your own little home. I would definitely recommend having the excellence caravan range and the other families we went with both had the new range luckily, which were luxurious. We had one of the older ones and had to move plots because the outside area of our mobile home was very barren and dirty from the pine tree needles above, the best area in the park is the 'M' Section. I think decking outside every home is a must.
As we are very sociable fun loving people entertainment was important to us we were advised that from September it was inside but siblu prides themselves on keeping the entertainment going until the end of the season, this was true for about three of the nights but otherwise it was pretty poor, a football screen was one nights entertainment and I think they should be weather dependant because the outside atrium was a lovely fun area on a lovely evening like all our evenings were the inside club house was horrible because there was no air conditioning and the doors and windows had to be kept shut so it was about 140 degrees inside.
The staff were mainly lovely fun people however one of them who also was a lifeguard was horrible the pool area became like a boot camp when she was on duty she was definitely on a power trip with a whistle, it became a joke in the end. Also just a word of warning they shut one of the main pools to clean it all week so that was a shame.
But without sounding like a victor meldrew the holiday is what it is and it is fantastic value for money. I would also recommend a visit to st malo town if you go from poole to st malo on the ferry so leave early on the last day to accommodate this.
- Board Basis:Select
- Tour Operator:siblu direct
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16 readers found this review helpful
We have had experience of numerous French sites over the last 20+ years but have always been drawn back to La Reserve, probably because we love water sports and very few sites measure up to it in this aspect. So when they cut back on their touring pitches a few years ago we bought a mobile home. We found the sales team very helpful and straight forward, and unlike other feedback we did not experience any hard sell at all.
They do charge a significant mark up and the site fees are fairly stiff, but you can let your home when you are not using it and recover most of the costs. I would suggest buying is only an option for those who intend to use it a lot, but we are very happy with our decision.
La Reserve works on two levels. For the young family, it is a fantastic site with safety firmly in mind. In the high season both the extensive indoor and outdoor pool complex and the wonderful lake beach with it's gently shelving sandy bottom are supervised, and there are kid's clubs and entertainment galore. There are aqua slides but there is a minimum height limit so do be prepared for some disappointment from the very little ones.
Secondly it works for older kids and adults. The lake is a wonderful playground and the scenery is beautiful. Although you can hire sailing boats, windsurfers and canoes (at a price) many people bring their own. We keep our boats down there and there is secure storage in the nearby village at a reasonable price. There is a port on site for power boats and you can pull your sailing dinghies up on the beach (bring a chain to lock it up). The lake is brilliant for skiing and in the afternoon a good breeze builds up for sailing. Note that you can't use jet skis on this lake. Also note that you need a RYA powerboat certificate to use a powerboat of 10hp and above, and you also need to buy a local licence to use a boat on the lake.
The local Atlantic beaches at Mimizan and Biscarosse are magnificent, but bear in mind there is a reason why this coast is called the "Cote Savage". The waves are huge and although great fun for older kids, adults and especially surfers, they are not really suitable for very young children.
La Reserve is in the middle of a nature reserve so although you get a beautiful environment, it is off the beaten track. You really do need a car, either fly to Bordeaux (there are cheap operators that fly there) and hire one, or drive down. It is a good 6 hour drive from St Malo or 7 hours from Caen.
There are miles of very safe cycle tracks with bike hire on site - again it is at a price so I would advise those driving down to invest in a bike rack and bring your own. I worked out that for a two week stay you can buy a bike cheaper in the local supermarket than hire one!
Although it is an excellent family site, do bear in mind that in the high season it can be lively, which makes it ideal for teenagers. There is a nightclub on site so it can be a bit noisy around the vicinity of the club. I suggest if this is likely to be a problem for you, make sure you have a site well away from it. We are right down the front by the lake and generally don't have a problem. I certainly don't recognise the degree of problem that another respondent has mentioned. Out of high season it is very calm and peaceful.
The on-site shop is very comprehensive and there is a restaurant and take away on site which operate most of the year. I would echo other feedback that the restaurant could be better although we do eat there quite regularly. You have to remember they have a very short period to make their profit in so I think the prices are fair, as is the shop. There are however many good restaurants and supermarkets in the nearby towns.
These towns are very pretty but have limited shopping, but about 40 minutes away is Arcachon and it's fantastic bay and sand dunes and of course shopping.
The weather is generally very good and the typical day is about 25+c and sunny. However do remember that this is on the Atlantic coast and you can get the odd stormy day. On the other hand if the weather is blowing up from the Med you can get 30+c.
All in all it is a well run site that has appeal for everyone, but especially those who love water sports. If you have your own boats or windsurfers then bring them. Invest in a bike rack and bring you own bikes. It is not the cheapest site in France but then you get what you pay for.