Before choosing your campsite

Contract options: stock up on extras

When you reserve, generally you sign a contract in two parts. First, you have the rental accommodation or campsite pitch, for a certain number of people for a specific time. The second part includes… the options.

The options can be grouped into different categories. The first are indispensable, the second aim to make your life easier. The third group are the little extras that will make your camping stay unforgettable and encourage you to come back again. Here is a list of the most common options.

Not vital - but almost!

Cancellation insurance:

Depending on the campsites, this represents between 1 and 5 % of the total rent. It means that if anything happens, you can cancel your stay and get back the money you’ve already paid. But please note, the reasons for the cancellation are very specific. It may be because someone in your family has passed away, you’ve lost your job, there’s been an accident resulting in serious damage to your vehicle, your holiday dates have been changed by your employer, etc.

Electricity:

When you rent a campsite pitch, very often the basic electricity access is 6 A. If you have some kitchen equipment or electrical appliances, you may find this is not quite enough. In this case, you can opt for the higher rate of power, 10 A.

Pets:

Going camping with your pet is no problem, providing that it is not an exotic pet or a breed of dog that is officially listed as dangerous. Otherwise, the pet will be accepted on a camping pitch. On the other hand, some campsites may refuse to accept them in all or part of their rental accommodation (chalets, mobile homes, etc.).

To make your life easier

For babies:

©

Going away on holiday with a very young child often means a packed car boot. Most campsite can provide you with folding beds, high chairs and baby baths (or a special cabin in the sanitary facilities). Very often, this is a free service, or at the most, costs a few euros a day.

 

Sheets:

When you rent accommodation, the campsite provides duvets and/or a cover. You’ll need to bring your own sheets. For an extra fee, some campsites can provides you with ordinary sheets or disposable, non-woven sheets.

Refrigerator:

If you’ve planned to go camping with your family and want to avoid stocking up on groceries each day, you’ll need to keep them fresh. A lot of campsites rent out fridges for a few euros a day.

Barbecue:

In the same way, rather than taking your own barbecue with you, you can rent one onsite or even better, use the shared barbecues – a great way to meet people.

Bikes:

Campingfrance.com
© Campingfrance.com

Most campsites offer bikes of all kinds and all sizes for rent. So, unless you want to make the most of your holiday to eat up the miles on your own pricey bicycle, there’s no need to overload your car even more with all the family’s bikes.

End-of-stay housekeeping:

When you rent a mobile-home or a chalet, you’ll arrive in clean and tidy accommodation. So when you check out, you have to leave it in the same condition or else you may have trouble getting your deposit back. If you don’t want to spend half a day tidying up your accommodation at the end of the stay, the “end-of-stay housekeeping” option may be attractive.

The extra little something to round off a campsite holiday

Hotel-style services:

There are several different names for them - Premium, VIP, Gold, etc. - but more or less the same kind of services are involved. Some campsites have top-of-the-range accommodation with extra “hotel-style” services. These include, among other things, beds made on arrival, housekeeping at the end or during your stay, towels, half-board and even breakfast delivered to your door in the morning, etc.

Wellness area:

DR
© DR

If you’ve decided your holiday will be a chance to get in shape and take care of yourself, some top-of-the-range campsites have just what you need with some excellent facilities. Along with all the usual features - spas, saunas and hamams - they often have trained staff for massages and other health or beauty treatments. There is a charge for these services, and you can reserve them when you’re there, or in some cases, when you book your stay.

 

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