Canvas Holidays Camping le Soleil France Review
Canvas Holidays
Camping le Soleil, France
Reviewed by Amanda Hayes
Canvas Holidays has a fabulous reputation having been trading since 1965. Starting with just 25 tents in France they now have thousands of different types of accommodation units spread across 80 campsites and 8 European countries. You can choose between France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Croatia, Germany & Holland and with them all sounding fantastic it was hard to know which to choose. Having a toddler we drew up a shortlist using the easy to use website and then called the booking team at Canvas for some personal advice. Our wish list was warm weather, heated pool, free wifi, near the beach, not too far to drive from the nearest airport and toddler friendly. Sounds impossible but someone from the really helpful reservations team came up with several options for us.
It was suggested that we might be interested in the free mini camper pack that is available on selected campsites and on hearing that it contained all the essentials for a stress free holiday, push chair, potty, baby bath, toddler table and chairs, bed rail, booster seat and toilet step we decided to pick from one of the 20 available sites. Having shortlisted to three we contacted the Canvas team for availability and decided that Le Soleil, Argeles Sur Mer, France fitted all of our needs perfectly, they offered to hold the accommodation for 24 hours whilst we checked on transport links which I thought was an excellent idea.
Having considered the problems facing drivers crossing the channel at the moment we decided to fly and found several choices from Gatwick, Stansted and Heathrow including Easyjet, Ryanair, and BA. After looking at combined flight and driving times we decided British Airways Heathrow to Toulouse was the most suitable for us as we could take a late night flight after work on Friday, take advantage of France’s competitive hotel rates and drive down to the campsite early Saturday morning.
Flights and car hire booked I got back on the phone to Canvas to complete the booking procedure. This was swift and pain free and helpfully offered several optional extras to make our trip easier, we decided on the mobile home option in lieu of sleeping under canvas, mini camper pack including buggy which was free of charge and also on the beach towel and bed linen packs to save space and weight in our suitcases. This option costs £63 for the family pack which then gave us four of everything including towels, beach towels and sheets so we had a spare just in case.
Just a few weeks later and we were on our way, directions downloaded and printed off the Canvas website. After an easy two and a half hour journey on French motorways at a toll cost of 17 Euros we arrived on site noticing a Canvas Holidays reception on the left and a general reception on the right. We parked up and after some debate headed for the Canvas reception area first. We were warmly greeted, signed in and asked which extras we would like other than a cot high chair and buggy that had already been placed in our mobile home. After choosing a potty and step stool we were sent to the main reception to sign in, collect our keys, wristbands and site map whilst the Canvas rep collected the extras and waited outside to show us to our accommodation. After a fairly short wait we were done and collected our car to follow the rep in his buggy to our mobile home. On arrival I was surprised to find just how close the units were to each other but after having a good look round the site later we realised that it’s just pot luck and some plots are more spacious or sunny/shady than others.
Having not stayed in a mobile home for many many years we were pleasantly surprised on how will equipped it was. We had two bedrooms, one with a double bed and one with bunk beds and a cot, two bathrooms one with shower and one with just a WC & basin and a fully equipped kitchen area. The kitchen really did surprise me with a full size fridge freezer, microwave and full size oven & hob, a lot to pack in a small space but it worked. Plenty of storage space helped with wardrobes in both bedrooms and cupboards squeezed in wherever there was room. Outside the unit was a decked area with table & chairs for six and a gas barbeque. The friendly Canvas representative showed us where we were situated on the map and how to get to various parts of the site. On hearing me mention our need to go food shopping he asked us to pop in to reception on our way out and he would give us a map of the local area and show us how to get to the hypermarket which he duly did saving us from driving around wasting time.
Kitchen fully stocked it was time for exploring the site. There is everything you could need at Le Soleil but the first thing we came across was a lovely wooden play area with slides and climbing frames and it took us a while to get away! Adjacent to this are tennis courts and fitness equipment, the children’s club with bouncy castle and a café bar and newsagents so you can grab a paper and coffee and watch your children enjoying themselves on the play area. We then found the pool complex it was huge and the water lovely and warm as it is heated. Even the adults’ pools were heated to the perfect temperature negating that horrible sharp intake of breath when you enter a cold pool. The pool is split into several areas all of different depths and the shallower pools have slides and an excellent curving flume suitable from tiny tots to adults. There is also an adult’s only section with a swim up bar and sit down area.
The beach can be accessed from several locations on the site each only a few minutes’ walk, it’s a lovely long sandy beach but be warned it’s very windy so you do need your beach shelter or parasol to be comfortable. It was pleasantly busy when we were there but I can’t comment on how busy it may become in high season but it is a very long beach.
Although we were staying in a mobile home we took the opportunity whilst there to check out the shower and toilet blocks. This were modern, well maintained and meticulously clean with specialist sections for washing pots & pans, washing clothes and washing yourself. Separate children’s and disabled toilets where also available. If you didn’t fancy washing by hand you could take a trip to the on-site laundrette where for 4 Euros you could use the washing machine and 2 Euro 50 the tumble drier. Also on site is a shop selling all manner of items including fresh bread and two restaurants one with take away section should you wish to pick up a pizza or cooked chicken.
Entertainment (20 Jun-31 Aug) includes discos, live music, football, aqua aerobics, trampolining, , children’s club, scuba diving and volleyball .Table tennis, bicycle hire, boules & pool tables are available year round. There is so much to see and do here you literally don’t need to leave the site but there are lots of interesting places to visit nearby including Carcassonne and Collioure where we spent several hours exploring and eating fine French cuisine.
Evenings at the mobile home where spent cooking in the well equipped kitchen followed by a relaxing glass of wine and a game of cards after our little boy had gone to bed. Although very hot in the day the temperature really dropped at night and we found it too cold to sit outside after dark, the bedrooms also become very cold indeed early and late season so bring something warm to wear in bed or if driving an extra blanket.
A quick mention for those that can’t do without internet access Wi-Fi is free and quick all over the site including inside the accommodation and doesn’t require a lengthy log in procedure.
Le Soleil is a large site with over 1000 pitches but it didn’t feel at all crowded, there is plenty of room to walk or cycle round at your leisure and use all the facilities on offer. Both the tents and the mobile homes provided by Canvas were of a very high standard and I can also highly recommend both the onsite staff and booking reservations team. All were polite friendly and helpful, quick to respond and full of useful information. We received a mid-week visit to our accommodation just to check we were happy with everything, which we were, and someone from the team was always around the site or in the reception area if you had a problem or just wanted to ask a question. One little niggle I had was that the Canvas folder left in each accommodation was very generic and didn’t provide any information about the area, location of markets, site opening hours etc.., you needed to go to reception for this. It’s a minor point but an addition I would like to see.
Apart from that tiny item it’s a big thumbs up to all at Canvas Holidays for a fantastic time for our family. We will be using them again without a doubt as there are so many fantastic locations to choose from, I have already been on the site checking availability and the lodges near Paris look like a fantastic winter break!
Rating: 5/5 
For more information or to book your own Canvas Holiday visit www.canvasholidays.co.uk or telephone 0345 268 0853.
