Where we stayed: La Yole, St Jean de Monts. This was a busier campsite than we’re used to. The main attraction for us was the swimming pools and we swam nearly everyday. It’s a caravan club site and host to Euro Camp and Canvas Holidays so there were lots of British families. Maybe that’s your thing? Maybe it’s not?

The campsite La Yole offers a warm welcome and all the services you will expect: spacious pitches with water, electric, drainage, pool complex with outdoor pools, fountains, wading pools, water slide and including indoor and outdoor pools heated to 30 ° C and jacuzzi, bar, take away, restaurant, shop, laundry, tennis court, wi-fi, gym center, children’s playground …

The 8km of sandy beaches have brought bathers here for a long time and the town of St Jean de Monts has grown up around its tourist industry. The seafront has been redeveloped in recent years to create  a network of footpaths and cycle paths with planting and parking set back from the front.

What we did:

Jardin du Vent in Notre Dame de Monts; an interactive garden dedicated to the wind and all things meterological. We spent a happy afternoon here. We took a a picnic and Youngest and I joined in with making our own windchimes whilst Eldest played with the giant lego in the garden.

Beaches It’s all about the beaches here. Golden sand, sunshine, beautiful sunsets and a clear sea. We spent a couple of afternoons on the beach, but given the heat we found the pools at the campsite an easier way to cool off. We sometimes took an evening visit to the beach when it was easier to relax and the sand was not burning hot!

Kulmino Chateau d’eau in Notre Dame de Monts. You can see for miles from the top of the tower (if you can stand the wind). THere’s lots of info about the local area, it’s history and of course, water. This was a memorable visit for Eldest as he lost a tooth here, proudly showing it to the lady at the reception desk!

Creperie La Bourrine d’Orouet. ‘La Bourrine’ is a style of single storey thatched house local to the area. This one is well worth a visit to see the traditional building and sample the delicious crepes.