Our last holiday in term time! Chloe (4) starts school in September, so this was our last chance to go on a summer holiday where we’re not paying premium prices.
We managed to bag some bargain flights for the 4 of us (£125), to Toulouse with Easyjet, which is a two and a half hour drive to Argeles sur Mer. We’ve been to Argeles twice before, it’s a really nice resort, with a long stretch of beach and quite a bit to entertain the kids.
Camping Le Soleil is probably the biggest Eurocamp park we’ve stayed at, and is situated just outside of the main resort of Argeles.
The Park
The park is right on the beach, we could nip down to the sea for an hour before dinner if we got bored of the pool. It’s worth bearing in mind, that the area near the nature reserves is a nudist beach, just so you’re not taken by surprise!
The pool was perfect for young children, Chloe (4) loved the slides, they all ended in shallow water which was good as she’s not a strong swimmer yet. There was also 2 large paddling pools for Will (2) too, I could let Chloe run around with her armbands on, as I could see her all the time.
The playground area was really popular, we were there in June, and the bar wasn’t open in the evenings there, but it might be in peak season. We spent quite a bit of time, going back and forth between the entertainment and the playground in the evenings.
The toddler trolleys were a great idea, we carted all our beach gubbins and children around in one. Chloe even fell asleep in the trolley, on the way back from the beach.
Eurocamp kids clubs
The Eurocamp run kids club was fab, and a step-up from any campsite run kids clubs we’d seen. The staff were really friendly and full of energy. Chloe was asking us if she could go back, when we picked her up from there. The activities were really fun. They had a Christmas party because it was 6 months to Christmas with Christmas carols and Christmas decoration crafts. There was also a chocolate party and a huge waterfight.
Argeles-sur-mer
If you go into Argeles there’s a couple of inflatable parks on the beach, which are a bit like soft plays. We visited Pirates Land. Try and head down in the early evening though, as they can get quite hot during the day.
We had a nice lunch at The Villa, which is on the sea front. They have a kids menu, and Chloe and Will got posh chicken and chips!
Intermarche, Argeles-sur-mer
If you have a car, I’d recommend getting your groceries from the big Intermarche hypermarket on the Route de Perpignan, on the outskirts of town. A shopping trip here is an experience in itself. There was a huge shark on display, being carved up into portions to be sold, and live lobsters in a tank. They have mini shopping trolleys for kids, although letting Will push one, was a bit dangerous!
Collioure
If you are staying in Argeles it is worth taking a day trip to Coilloure. It’s an interesting drive along the coastal road towards Spain, and Coilloure is very photogenic. Just don’t go on market day, as you’ll struggle to get parked, we had to go home again once, because we couldn’t find a parking spot. There’s a small aquarium there, that is worth a nosy at.
We were only here for a week, and at the end were sad to be going home. This was the first holiday since having children, that we had a chance to relax a bit. We were even able to have a bit of a nightlife! We were able to keep the kids up a bit later, and all have a lay in the next day – result!
We all had fun!
Nature & Nurture 