Great location, good weather, sandy beaches, fun pool complex... Bonne Anse Plage holiday park ticks all the right boxes for a great family holiday. Check out our 2009 review below for everything you need to know about this great holiday park in France.
A big park, with a small park atmosphere
There is no getting away from the fact that Bonne Anse is a large park with a lot of mobile home and tent pitches. However, because of a forest setting and an undulating ground it has the feel of a lot of smaller sites linked together rather than what could have been one overwhelming noisy site.
And, with no other holiday park adjoining or nearby it is actually a quiet park once the Bonne Anse evening entertainment has finished (promptly at 11pm) each night.
Superb pool complex with waterchutes
The pool complex at Bonne Anse is very good. At the centre is a large main pool with a smaller shallower one beside it. In addition there is a heated kids pool with slide for the younger children and 3 serious waterchutes that finish in their own plunge pools. The pool and slides are constantly monitored by a team of life guards so you can rest assured that safety is a top priority. And so is cleanliness, as we found when a young child had an accident in the pool and the entire complex was closed for emptying and cleaning for 12 hours!
The pool is well maintained and around the pools is seating - loungers and seats - for parents to stretch out in the sun. There is a small bar in one corner of the pool complex although this is not the cheapest place to get drinks or ice creams - but it is convenient.
Sandy beaches ideal for body/surf boarding
Bonne Anse is next to the beach for those that do not want to travel far. However, the better beaches are a short cycle ride or car journey away. 5 mins in the car either side of the park will take you to some great sandy beaches which are ideal for sunbathing.
And, don't forget your bodyboard, surf board or skim board because the waves and beaches are perfect for fun water sports. Most of the beaches have some life guard presence making it safer to swim and play in the waves.
Entertainment on Bonne Anse
The park is run by Siblu, although Eurocamp and Keycamp have a big park presence, and their entertainers provide good quality fun and entertainment each night for both children and adults. From the main covered stage area near the bar and amusements there is early evening (7.30pm) fun for children including games, singing, dancing and shows. Later in the evening the adult entertainment, which is still suitable for family viewing, ranges from singing, dancing to karoke and quiz nights. All the Siblu entertainment is simultaneously in English and French.
Children's/Kids Clubs
Eurocamp and Keycamp run Fun Station for All kids clubs throughout the season, catering for children from 5 to 16. Activities ranged from arts/crafts, games, sports, water games, tee-shirt making and a wholehost of other fun activities.
Siblu also run kids clubs at the site running them in both English and French.
On park shops
Although we usually venture out to the local SuperU for food supplies we found that on this holiday we simply didn't need to because the on-park supermarket/bakery, butcher, fishmonger and take-away made it a redundant trip. The quality of the meat and fish from the park shops was excellent and the prices were competitive enough to make travelling elsewhere pointless.
However, if you are looking for a wider range of products then there are a number of chain supermarkets within a few miles of the site and there are a number of local markets to investigate.
Cycling
It is also worth pointing out that Bonne Anse is a great place to take your bikes. There is a cycle path right around the site that takes you to all the best beaches. The town of Palmyre is also easy to reach by bike. There is planty of places to lock up your bike even at the local beach.
If you do not want to travel with your bikes then you can hire them on the park although it is slightly cheaper to hire them from the town.
Getting there
We took the Portsmouth - Cherbourg Seacat service which is just under a 3 hour crossing. The drive to Royan from the Cherbourg port is about 360 miles on a mix of motorway and smaller roads - about a 7 hour drive. Adding a 7 hour drive to the ferry crossing makes it a long day and so we chose to break up the journey stopping overnight at Nantes (about 4 hours from Cherbourg). Although this means we arrive a day later at the park we have found over the years that it is worth it as we are more relaxed in those first few days of the holiday than if we take the whole journey on in one go.
We would recommend you noting down the SatNav settings before you leave - we found they took us right to the park and therefore it was a relaxing trip! Once you are in the area, head for the well sign posted Palmyre Zoo and you will end up very close to the Park.
Which holiday operators?
Bonne Anse is undoubtedly a Siblu park so you will find plenty of mobile home accommodation. However, Eurocamp and Keycamp also have a big presence on the park offering mobile home and tent accommodation.
Our verdict
Superb. With over 10 years of holidaying in France, we felt that this was the best park we have been to. We had a great holiday and can thoroughly recommend Bonne Anse Plage.
