After months of painstaking research on your behalf (it REALLY was exhausting travelling around Europe to review all of these parks!), we'd like to tell you, that although we enjoyed our stays with all of the tour operators, the one's that really stood out for us were Thomson Al Fresco, Siblu, Eurocamp and Suncamp holidays. Not only were their holidays exceptional value for money, but from start to finish their staff always went the extra mile, from booking our travel arrangements with call centre staff, to the holiday reps being on hand to help day or night. Want to hear our honest opinions of the top tour operators? Well carry on reading our reviews below!
Why Thomson Al Fresco- tips and advice
Operating 55 campsites in France, Italy, Spain, Holland, Croatia and Austria, Thomson Al Fresco offer quality family holiday parks and guaranteed fun with a name you can trust.
With years of experience they’ve got family holidays down to a tee!
Al Fresco’s accommodation tends to be newer than some of their competitors so can be modern and clean in comparison.
They also have some exciting plans for 2012 including a Summer Games programme for children which will surely capture the imaginations of children in the year of the Olympics.
Book online and save up to 25% on early or late summer holidays (low season). Special discount ends 31st March.
Check the website to see which offers give you the best saving
Book with just £100 deposit.
visit Al Fresco website
Why Eurocamp - tips and advice
Almost everyone has heard of Eurocamp, and with good reason! Not only do they offer more choice in more locations than their rivals, but their wealth of knowledge and experience is truly impressive.
For a while, Eurocamp basked in their well earned glory, but in doing so, they let a few of their high accommodation standards slip a while back. They have since invested in new mobile homes and tents to make outdoor living a luxury. The holiday reps are very friendly and helpful (we even tested them out on a few awkward scenarios), and they have different kids clubs' for all ages, even for teens!
Eurocamp offer many extras from cots to linen packs. But be careful if you go on a multi park stay, as the linen packs are charged per park, so you may be better of taking your own or buying a cheap set from your local supermarket at home. When choosing a park, be careful to research if the park has the right kids clubs' to suit your family, and bear in mind that many activities on the parks are generally hosted in summer months.
Whether your budget is big or small, as Eurocamp has a huge selection of accommodation, and an even larger selection of parks, there is a holiday to suit everyone's pockets. If your only using the accommodation to sleep in, and intend to spend all your time exploring, then you could save money by choosing a more basic accommodation type. We found that booking a holiday online tends to be cheaper as more offers are available.
Book with just £99 deposit.
May Half Term from £45 per party per night
visit eurocamp website
Why Siblu - tips and advice
Siblu tell us that their name is French for ‘happy families’ and they're not wrong! So committed are they to great family holidays that most of the holidays parks they feature on, are exclusively theirs, ensuring that Siblu’s high standards are maintained in every aspect of the holiday.
Along with their well maintained parks, they also have outstanding swimming facilities including pools with waterslides and chutes, padding pools for little ones, and some parks with heated indoor pools.
Siblu also run 4 children's club's throughout the summer season that cater from the ages of 1-14. Siblu pride themselves on all their activities and you’ll be glad to know that kids clubs are free.
Accommodation selection on Siblu parks are a little dated with the basic range being rather small for a family with 2 children, the other two accommodation types are recommended. In most of their accommodation, there is no air conditioning, so they can get rather hot. The staff on the parks are very friendly with the holiday reps ensuring customers have all their needs catered for.
Book for only £25 deposit.
May half-term holidays from £50 per night offer ends 29th March 2013
visit Siblu website
Why Suncamp holidays - tips and advice
Suncamp holidays have modern up to date mobile homes on a large number of holday parks across Europe. The pitches generally tend be the best across the individual parks, often decorated with greenery and comfortable outdoor lounge seating.
For a class above the rest, Suncamp offer a new concept in camping, 'the Royal lodge'. This is a very spacious and luxurious designer tent specially developed for campers who appreciate style and luxury.
Suncamp have a very easy to use website and we often found the best deals can only be bookable online.
visit Suncamp website
Why Keycamp - tips and advice
For the last few years, Keycamp have been upgrading their mobile homes, so the majority of them look fresh and modern. The Keycamp holiday reps are usually friendly and helpful, and the kids clubs are great fun, catering from the ages of 1 to 17. Keycamp also send out pre-holiday travel packs, which include useful things like maps, destination guide, beach bag, and a couple of fun toys to keep the kids busy. In the busy summer months, Keycamp host tons of activities to entertain youngsters from climbing walls to football and scavenger hunts. Although not all parks have a full range of children’s clubs, so don’t forget to check before you book.
With so many different types of accommodation on offer, and so many holiday extras that you can add on, it can often be quite confusing to decide which is the most suitable for your family. So we recommend either the Villagrand or Villanova on an average budget, and if you are travelling by car, then you can save money by taking your own linen with you. We bought one of the 'welcome packs' that Keycamp offer as an added extra, and found that it was not good value for money. The items were smaller than we thought they would be, and for the items we actually used, we could have got them cheaper at the park shop.
Keycamp holidays are bookable through travel agents, and through Keycamps' call centre, but as usual, the best deals we found were always online.
keycamp special offer: 7 night holidays under £500 for the whole family
visit keycamp website
