La Palombiere Campsite, Sarlat

...and were staying at the La Palombiere Campsite. Things looked promising from the outset as the campsite was highly recommended in the Rough Guide for the Dordogne book and fiends spoke highly of it as well.

Getting There

Our journey there was pretty good, using Euro tunnel it was an eight hour drive with the only tricky bit the drive through Paris and we broke it up with an overnight in Orleans. The other alternatives ...
...of car hire added in or a ferry to Northern Spain and a drive up through the south however both of these options would have been more expensive and not so convenient especially as the flight would have restricted the amount of things we could bring which is not ideal when camping.

The location of the campsite is about 7km from the popular tourist town of Sarlat and was relatively easy to find using the route finder on Google maps, ... more

This years camping expedition to France was one I was really looking forward to as we were visiting the Dordogne and area of France I had long wanted to visit. As always we booked with KeyCamp and were staying at the La Palombiere Campsite. Things looked promising from the outset as the campsite was highly recommended in the Rough Guide for the Dordogne book and fiends spoke highly of it as well.

Getting There

Our journey there was pretty good, using Euro tunnel it was an eight hour drive with the only tricky bit the drive through Paris and we broke it up with an overnight in Orleans. The other alternatives would be flights into Toulouse or Bordeaux with the cost of car hire added in or a ferry to Northern Spain and a drive up through the south however both of these options would have been more expensive and not so convenient especially as the flight would have restricted the amount of things we could bring which is not ideal when camping.

The location of the campsite is about 7km from the popular tourist town of Sarlat and was relatively easy to find using the route finder on Google maps, indeed this system seemed to work better than relying on sat nav as two people I spoke to had got very badly lost using two different systems. You know you are there when you come across a small cemetery that resembles an allotment as it has a number of small glass constructions in which some of the graves are housed, something I had not come across before.

The Campsite Setting

The setting for the campsite is lovely, it is a wooded campsite with the ground rising and falling in a number of slopes, this means that it is not suitable for those who are not very stable on their feet as in particular the slope of the road / path from the main buildings and bar to the campsite accommodation is quite steep, certainly in the morning on the way to get breakfast my calf muscles were aware of it on the first day or two.

The large trees provide ample shade and there is a wonderful view out from the terrace bar across the valley which is a carpet of green. The plots are quite generous and each one has its own parking space which is often adjacent to your plot. There are two main roads that run off from the main entrance road and all of the plots branch off from these with each branch having its own name and usually consisting of about four or five plots for tents or three or four mobile homes.

Most of the big camping holiday companies can be found on the site including Keycamp and Canvas Holidays whilst it is also possible to book accommodation through the campsite or pitch your own tent or mobile home. Pitches cost from 7 euro up to 15 euro 10 cents depending upon time of year and facilities required and there are supplements to add on to this depending on occupancy levels, accommodation from the campsite starts at 300 euro per week up to 920 euro in the high season. The cost of our holiday which was a twelve night visit in the school holidays was just under £700 which includes the crossing and a discount as a repeat customer of Keycamp.
I must admit I was very impressed with our pitch and the fact that the campsite was really clean and well maintained. Our pitch had just enough privacy without feeling isolated as we could still greet those around us and of course at night people tend to sit around chatting while the BBQ is cooking.

With Keycamp the tent is already provided, including beds and kitchen facilities as is the BBQ and our tent was clean on arrival and well maintained, it stayed pretty dry when there was some heavy rain however being on a slight slope helped with the drainage.

The Facilities

The campsite boasts a range of excellent facilities. The most impressive was the fact that the restaurant and bar had a great terrace with a lovely view. The menu at the restaurant in the evening was focused on traditional regional dishes and there was a good selection of food as well as a couple of set menus, one of which was billed as a gastronomic delight while the other was a more traditional dish of the day style option and the prices were comparable with those in Sarlat. We never actually ate in the restaurant however we were told that the food was very good however the service was on the slow side, the only reason for us not eating there was that at 9.00 the evening entertainment kicked off which meant you really wanted to have eaten before that started otherwise you had kids racing around all over the place and this was too early for us. At lunch time there were light meals and pizza available as well as sandwiches.

Within the main building there was a shop which also served fast food, the bread in the shop was always freshly baked and was much better than any of the baguettes we bought in the supermarkets, it was open from 8.00 until late into the evening and the croissants and pain au chocolate were really good. It had a limited range of basic supplies and also stocked most of the UK papers 24 hours after they were issued.

The reception was mostly staffed by the two campsites owners and they were friendly and helpful the couple of times I needed to speak to them about outside attractions and generally the campsite had a relaxed feel to it. There were pay phones and internet access available within the bar area. The building itself is worth a mention as it is built in a traditional style with a tiled roof.

For those not staying in a mobile home the shower and toilet blocks are an important facility. There were two modern blocks on the campsite however I still felt that it needed at least one more block as at certain times there were not enough shower cubicles and you had to wait. The showers were spacious though compared with other sites I have visited with space to keep your clothes dry, the most impressive thing by far was the fact that the water was always hot in fact this was by far the best campsite I have visited for providing hot showers. Generally the areas were kept reasonably clean but I did feel more could be done, there appeared to be two cleaning cycles a day but there were occasions when some toilets ran out of toilet roll and the quality of the cleaning was somewhat lacking some of the days, given the number of staff I saw and the fact that one day the cleaning was being done by one of the owners there may have been some recruitment problems.

Things to Do

The focal point of most campsites is the pool. The campsite had a reasonably large rectangle pool overlooked by the bar terrace. There were two slides then running down into a splash pool at a lower level. In addition there was a toddler's paddling pool with a small slide and an area of fountains that randomly squirt water. The pool itself was not life guarded, on the plus side he water was clean, there was adequate sun lounges and space to sit around the pool however on the downside there were no sun umbrellas and the surface around the pool was really rough making it quite uncomfortable to walk on in bare feet, whether this was deliberate to stop people running or just bad design I'm not sure although the latter is more likely in my opinion.

The campsite also had a range of facilities for those who want to be active including bike hire, tennis courts, table tennis, volley ball court, mini football pitch and two children's play areas aimed at different age groups. All of the big operators ran kids clubs as well as there being one run by the campsite with activities in the morning, afternoon and evening with these being displayed on a notice board.

Locally there were a number of walks and the option to canoe down the Dordogne as well or alternatively you can just sit outside your tent, reading a book and enjoying a nice glass of wine.

Summary

This campsite boasts an excellent location, it is great for visiting the caves and local chateau as well as the lovely town of Sarlat where the supermarkets can be found. The wine vineyards around Bergerac are a 90 minute drive away and the scenery is breath-taking everywhere you turn.

The campsite is very busy however it was not noisy at night once the bar closed at midnight as cars were not allowed on site after 11.00 or before 8.00 in the morning. Mostly it is popular with English visitors and French nationals with a spattering of Dutch and Irish holidaymakers.

The facilities are good and for me the only improvements would be an extra shower block and something being done about the surface around the pool.

The staff are friendly and helpful and if you are booking through someone like Keycamp you also have reps on the site as well. The campsite is very clean and there is a recycling facility as well and most importantly for those with children it felt safe and there is plenty for them to do. Most importantly for me the croissants are excellent and the area boasts some great wines to sample.

For some idea of the site check out
http://www.lapalombiere.fr/gb/presentation.htm

Thanks for reading my review. 

...less