talk to me about camping cheques??

[scaramanga]

Hello. We have booked part of our holiday (taking own tent france) but are now looking for a campsite in Normandy for the end of the trip (prob 4 nights). I have never used camping cheques and dont know anything about them. Are they worth using? We go on Monday night so I dont know if I have left it too late anyway if they have to be posted out? I just went quickly on the website and they seem to offer paper cheques and silver and gold cheques. Bit confused here and keen to know the following-

1. Are they worth it - do they save a bit?
   
2. Any good recommmendations sites normandy or even outside calais area where camping cheques accepted. Not huge site - but pool essential
   

thanks

[scaramanga]

anybody????

[cheerup]

hi

Camping Cheques are 15 euros if bought from the french website or £13.95 each if bought from the UK site (plus an admin charge of a few euros/pounds). You can see which sites take them on the website. The Cheque pays for two adults, a pitch and electricity. Extra people/children are charged at the campsite's normal rate. Sites that take them tend to start taking them mid to end August. You do have to buy them in advance or get a silver/gold card that you can load them on to. I don't think that you would get any of them in time for next Monday. Which is a shame as there is a nice site that takes them in Picardie - the Val de Trie but not sure what date from.

The other good scheme is ACSI Camping Card. You order a book listing all the campsites (all over Europe, lots more than Camping Cheques) which comes with a card. You then show the card to get discounted low season rates of 12, 14 or 16 euros depending on campsite (some even include 2 kids under 6 in the rate).

hope that helps!

[scaramanga]

thanks for that. I ordered some camping cheques this morning and paid for special delivery so will be here monday morning. We dont set off until monday night. If any prob and they dont arrive I can use them another weekend in this country or october halfterm.

Val de Trie - just read some reviews and not all favourable. Just bit bothered about toilet facilities as some reviews seem critical of them. We dont need kids clubs but I do like clean loo and shower - preferable single sex - when were you last there and what did you think? I know sometimes those who post reviews are more likely to moan - so could be that. Also is surrounding area nice? thanks.

[cheerup]

Scaramanga - did you get your camping cheques in time? Where did you end up using them in the end?

We stayed at Le Clos Cacheleux (using the ASCI card) so don't know about the toilets at the Val de Trie as we only used the facilities there - bar/cafe & pool. I think the pitches at Le Clos Cacheleux were much bigger and the toilets were fine, single sex, clean. The surrounding area was lovely, not that different to rural hampshire/sussex this side of the channel, and a very pleasant surprise if you're expecting Calais like we were! In general I think that the ACSI scheme is more flexible and gives you a greater choice of sites. That said some of the camping cheques sites are great and if you know where you want to go and it's in the camping cheques scheme for your dates it makes sense.

We managed to buy 7 cheques for 50 quid and used 5 of them at the L'hirondelle, Drome from 25/8 and the other two at the Lac D'Orient in Champagne on the way home. Very different sites but both excellent. It made the last week of our summer holiday really cheap as we only had to pay supplements for the children of a few pounds each night.

[dagg1969]

Hi All?My partner & I are planning to campervan around Europe (Germany, a bit Switzerland, bit of Italy, Croatia & a bit Austria) around Sept-Oct 2013. The plan is 8 weeks, 2 of those 8 weeks will be spent with family and the other 6 weeks travelling. During the 6 weeks we would only be staying at each campsite no more than 1-2 nights only. I did the maths (roughly) on how much I?d be saving with the camping cheques but it doesn?t really seem worth my while?.I?d only be saving a couple of dollars a night (not even). What are your thoughts or maybe I just don?t understand how it works LOL! Can someone help me out!

[cheerup]

6 weeks travelling without staying at any campsite more than 1-2 nights sounds pretty gruelling but then we are tent campers and by nature quite lazy! Camping cheques might not be worth it for you as you will be travelling low season rather than mid season. If you don't want electric hook up they will be even less worthwhile for you. The other scheme, more flexible than camping cheques as you don't have to buy any in advance (and the book inc. card is only about £14), is the ACSI Camping Card. All depends on the sites you want to visit and their low season rates though. If you really just want a legal place to park your van there will be aires and municipals cheaper than any of the scheme rates - check when they are open until though. The ACSI book is really handy for locating sites and reliable about their opening periods. Personally, I don't think you've much to lose from getting the ACSI book and card - even if you only spend 7 nights on those sites you'll have paid for the book!