Is this the one called Le Lac D'ailette which is nearish to Paris? We have just booked a Mon to Fri break here in the summer and I would also love to know what it's like?? Anyone been or going soon?

Hi Twinklestoes

When you book a Mon to Fri Break at a French Center Parcs do they organise the ferry/shuttle crossing for you or is it something you have to organise yourself?

Doe

Hi I think if you book with Center Parcs you have to organize the crossing yourself but we have booked through a tour operator (French Life) and they can organize it for you if you want it but their prices for the accommodation only are a little more than the center parcs prices I'm afraid

Chris is you use Tesco you can use your vouchers for the channel tunnel .paid over £100 then realised I could of got it for about £40 in tesco vouchers.

lyn

Thanks Twinkeltoes. I'll have a bit of a price up and get a French Life Brochure.

Cheers Lyn. Unfortunately I shop at Sainsburys.

I was just speculating as we haven't been to France for years, apart from Disneyland Paris which doesn't really count. I've been to CP here about 6 times and something similar in Holland and quite fancied this particular one in France for a short break it looks good on their web-site. I do like France, we did Eurocamp twice when kids were v small (about the time you were drowning yours in swimming pools LOL)

Sorry gone way off-topic.

Chris

me too chris . we had a great time in normandy last year and have thought about driving over to a different area but dont quite actually know where we would fit in let alone pay for another weeks family holiday and france isnt cheap on the spending money . I used to have a brochure from a french centre parks type called " gran dorado" or something like that . and their places in france , belguim and holland always looked good but that was in the days before HT when not only were we a one holiday a year family and we always chose to fly somewhere but I used make a hobby at collecting holiday brochurs and spend days with them spread all around me while I vegged out on the sette .but I believe they were bought out by centre parks so im assuming these are what were the gran dorado sites. .

lyn

Hi Doe, It's a shame you don't shop at Tesco as you can use the clubcard points to turn into deals to pay for the hol (including crossing) that is how we have paid for the whole Mon to Fri break! Also the new site in France (lac D'ailette) is in the new 2008 French Life brochure but not on their web site just yet for some reason just incase you have been trying to find it! It really does look a lovely site, we have never been to the European centerparcs either but have been to Sherwood and Whinfell here quite a few times. Also Doe, we must have similar taste in hols as I notice you have been to Lykia World where we are off to this May! Also part paid for by Tesco

Hi both

Haven't actually been to Lykia yet, but going this summer.

I've been to Longleat, Elveden and Whinfell not quite sure how many times, as we used to do these as 'second holidays' when the kids were younger.

Lyn

When I said I had been to something similar in Holland it was a Gran Dorado I stayed at, we loved it and I always meant to go back, but you know how it is. I don't see them in the brochures anymore though, so perhaps they have been bought out?

I do fancy this particular CP's though as if it's new it should be great. It's just fitting it all in really.

please chris dont start me looking at any more . I will get shot. anyway you know me , im still off to view the centre parks website .

lyn

Hi Doe, It's a shame you don't shop at Tesco as you can use the clubcard points to turn into deals to pay for the hol (including crossing) that is how we have paid for the whole Mon to Fri break! Also the new site in France (lac D'ailette) is in the new 2008 French Life brochure but not on their web site just yet for some reason just incase you have been trying to find it! It really does look a lovely site, we have never been to the European centerparcs either but have been to Sherwood and Whinfell here quite a few times. Also Doe, we must have similar taste in hols as I notice you have been to Lykia World where we are off to this May! Also part paid for by Tesco

me too ! My first Tesco holiday
do i know you from PTS ??!!

going to lac D'ailette for 3 nights in Aug
after 3 nights near DLRP to keep the kids big & small happy !

Hi

Gran Dorado (Dutch) were bought out a long time ago by centre parcs who have more recently also taken over sun parks (Belgium) Unfortunately this means you now pay CP prices. We went to Gran Dorado before the take over and it was great value, last I looked still better value than the UK parks but prices have shot up.

Pam

Hello all
Just to say that we have now been to L'Lac de Ailette (courtesy of tesco!) and it was great. Even if we had paid, it would have been substantially cheaper than going to a British CP during a school holiday period.
If anyone would liek more details, please ask.
Kate

Hi Kate, We are going here (Lac D'ailette) in August on a Mon to Fri break staying in Comfort accomodation.

Can I ask what type of accomodation you stayed in? What did you think of it?

Bike riding-is it very hilly at this park? Thanks

Hello
We had a VIP 3 bed cottage as we had to spend over £500 to use the tesco vouchers and the comfort cottage wasn't expensive enough. I think the main difference was that we has a dishwasher and an extra shower room downstairs. We had a lovely location, with a huge veranda overlooking the the lake. From the map given, there were a mixture of accomodation types with the lake view so I gues it was just luck. However if we go back, I'd try to request one.

It wasn't very hilly, nothing like longleat! We were the furthest away from the centre and it was a fairly easy cycle - just one big hill at the end that I had to walk up (actually not that big, my husband could cycle up it!). I don't know if you have young kids, but one negative was that they didn't have any tag alongs and the trailers had run out by the time we got to the cycle centre so my 4 1/2 year old had to use a back seat which was fine weightwise, but a tag along or trailer would have been easier.
hth
Kate

Hello
We had a VIP 3 bed cottage as we had to spend over £500 to use the tesco vouchers and the comfort cottage wasn't expensive enough. I think the main difference was that we has a dishwasher and an extra shower room downstairs. We had a lovely location, with a huge veranda overlooking the the lake. From the map given, there were a mixture of accomodation types with the lake view so I gues it was just luck. However if we go back, I'd try to request one.

It wasn't very hilly, nothing like longleat! We were the furthest away from the centre and it was a fairly easy cycle - just one big hill at the end that I had to walk up (actually not that big, my husband could cycle up it!). I don't know if you have young kids, but one negative was that they didn't have any tag alongs and the trailers had run out by the time we got to the cycle centre so my 4 1/2 year old had to use a back seat which was fine weightwise, but a tag along or trailer would have been easier.
hth
Kate

phew i am glad to hear that ! was very saddle sore after our week in longleat a few yrs ago ! lol

x

we loved Le Lac D'ailette too.had a premier cottage sleeping 6 from mon 11th - thurs 14th aug

fab site,lovely people,loved the aquamundo! easy to spend lots of time here!
bike hire reasonable and not many hills yay!
we were situated near the lake in a quiet spot

looking forward to returning next yr if frenchlife are still in deals

x

Hi Rachie

Can you advise on how busy Lac d'ailette was during August?
Thanks
Kate

We were there in August (got back a few days after RachieB!) in fact it is only 3 weeks ago today that we arrived there for our Mon to Fri break, the park was busy (you could tell this by the amount of bikes in the bike park) but it never seemed so, never had to worry about queues for anything but on our last night we had to wait an hour get a table in the pizza restaurant as they said they were full but I wouldn't recommend going there anyway as the service was appalling when we finally did get a table.

A good example of how it didn't appear too busy was on our photos that i showed my mother, she said "the place looks deserted!", even though it wasn't! There is a lovely white sandy beach there with sun beds on it and that was never busy either but then that could change if the weather is hot (wasn't bad when we were there, only rained on our last day which was check out day anyway)

It's a lovely place def recommend

Thanks T, that is really useful. Did the pool feel busy?
K x