There they were, a small team of twenty somethings, with tanned skin, wearing shorts, and t-shirts, along with the pre-requisite ankle bracelet, bought from a local market, a little tatty and worn …a badge of honour for their summer working in the sun.
In that instant, at 7 years old, I knew I wanted to be like them.
That was my first impression of life as a holiday rep on a resort in Europe; an idyllic, simple life, but with the responsibility of making someone’s holiday memorable.
Fast forward 20 years, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked in 5 countries, 16 campsites, had hundreds of team mates, and met thousands of customers whilst working for a large company; and now, I have my own little business, Votre Vacances.
I wanted to bridge the gap between the traditional mobile home holiday, and the boutique hotel experience, combining customer service and the real personal touch, with complimentary luxury touches including hand wash and lotion, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, as well as tea and coffee supplies; whilst still maintaining the ideal of creating a family holiday where memories are made, and anecdotes of the holiday repeated and recited for years to come!
Votre Vacances provides 8 chalet style mobile homes, in the old orchard of Chateau La Foret. The 19th Century Chateau at the centre of the park, stands on the spot of a medieval fortress, and evidence of the Chateau’s past can be found everywhere, from the bar and games room that are housed in what was the old stable, to the restaurant and massage rooms located in several of the original farm buildings including kennel and pigsty’s.
The buildings of Chateau La Foret may be from a fairy tale land of Prince and Princess, but the facilities are well and truly of this century, including swimming pools, a tennis court in the old walled garden, bouncy castle, mini-farm and mini-golf in the courtyard, Lakeside Café (which serves incredible Crepes!), and one of its most unique attractions, Le Grand Defi, an action adventure course with zip-wire obstacle course, paintballing and laser tag.
It would be easy to spend the duration of your holiday at the Chateau, but you’d be missing out on all the Vendee (a region often overlooked) has to offer.
The Vendee itself is situated on the West coast of France, just below Brittany, and just above La Rochelle, and as such makes it an easy region to get to, especially if you have little ones, as there are several airports nearby including Nantes and La Rochelle with regular flights from the UK, as well as ferries to Le Havre, Caen, St Malo and Roscoff, from Plymouth and Portsmouth with Brittany Ferries.
The Vendee is known as the region where the Atlantic meets pine forests, and lush salt marshes, as well as having a micro-climate similar to the Riviera; and offers over 250km of coastline- with a large sandy stretch only a 15 minute drive from Chateau La Foret, as well as 900km of cycle paths and routes that stretch the length and breadth of the region.
We would love for you to come and explore a new destination, whilst enjoying the freedom of a traditional camping holiday, accompanied by the facilities of a boutique hotel, with an historic backdrop.
If you would like to experience a truly family friendly holiday in one of Votre Vacance’s luxury boutique style static caravans then make sure to use the discount code “Mumbler” when booking for a fabulous 15% discount on your 2016/17 holiday.
For more information or to book you can visit the website http://votrevacances.com
