Self Drive Camping trip To Disneyland Paris
We drove down to Dover and stayed overnight so we could catch the early ferry the next morning and by 11am local time in Calais we were on our way. 2.5hrs later we arrived at the campsite. The weather was beautiful, sunny and warm which was a nice surprise. We were early for check in but thought we would see if we could get our keys. We queued at the check in point for Al Fresco holidays and out of the 3 mobile homes we had booked, 2 were ready which was perfect. We got the keys and went in and found everything we needed for our holiday. The emplacements were huge and we had 2 mobile homes next door to each other with the 3rd being just behind, so that was perfect. The kids had their scooters so had the freedom to scoot around in safety. After an hour or so we had the keys to the 3rd mobile home. We unpacked then headed off to the supermarket to get some essential groceries and more importantly beer!
That evening the temperatures dropped considerably - it was really cold - I think about minus 2 degrees. We did have heaters in the mobile home but they weren't amazing. Luckily we were provided with duvets. The next day was Sunday, and was spent exploring the campsite and testing out the amazing pool area which was covered with a glass sliding roof. Closed for when the weather was a little chilly as it was on the Sunday, but open when the sun came out later in the week so we had the best of both worlds. The pool was split into 3 areas, a main pool with a shallow and deeper end, then a kids pool that was just calf deep for adults and had some little slides, then there was the splash park area. There were also 2 waterslide areas - a twisty one and a faster one that my eldest aged 8 loved! I loved the slides too but the splash pool was freezing!
The rest of the site had loads to cater for everyone - a massive lake where you could buy a fishing permit and fish all day if you wanted, you could also rent swan boats or canoes there too. There was a little café/bar with amusements such as a bouncy castle, trampolines, bungee trampolines and a go kart track. Next to this was the man made beach with perfect sandcastle building sand and a paddling lake which wasn't too deep but really made it feel like a beach with the waters edge.
Onsite facilities include a minimarket, a bakery, a takeaway/ice cream parlour and a restaurant and bar area with various entertainment on during the week such as disco's, karaoke and quiz nights.
On Day 3 we decided to venture out for the day. We got up early and headed to Compiengne which was half an hours drive away. We parked up in a long stay car park (€9 for the day - bargain) and crossed the river to the train station. For €14 per adult return we caught the train to Paris which took just over half an hour - direct into Gare du Nord.
What an amazing day - we saw all the main sights - Sacre couer, Moulin Rouge, Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees, then we headed to the Eiffel Tower for a few selfies before taking a boat trip down the Seine courtesy of Bateaux Parisiennes. Ater this we headed up to the Tour Montparnasse 56 where we had the most amazing views of the whole city including the Eiffel Tower (I'd choose this over the Eiffel Tower any day), before taking the metro back to Gare du Nord and catching the train back to Compiegne.
Tuesday was my birthday so was a day of relaxing - or it should have been if I hadn't noticed I had a nail in my tyre so with the help of the reception staff on the campsite I took the car to the garage for a repair. We needed it, as on Weds we drove just over 1hr to Disneyland Paris...... fulfilling the dreams of my 2 children (and I think us adults were just as excited!) Disneyland Paris Parking for non residents is €30 per car per day! We were in 2 cars, so we decided to park at Val D'Europe where a full day in the multi story was €4.50. We then took the RER 1 stop to the gates of the Disney Parks. A day of fun and laughter ensued, we watched the parade then slowly made our way home to Berny Riviere.
We spent Thursday on the beach - wow the weather was hot, and Friday was a day for souvenir shopping and our last dip in the pool and a ride round the lake on a swan boat.
We had to check out of our mobile home and drop the keys off by 10am so we packed up and hit the road. We spent the afternoon in Boulogne, before heading to Cité Europe for a few essentials before heading to Calais for the ferry home. We had been advised to get to the port early as queues for passport control were likely to be long - but actually it was very quick and easy. So much so we were placed on an earlier sailing getting back to British shores an hour earlier than planned! The boat was fairly quiet and a nice smooth sailing. An obligatory wander around the duty free, and a Starbucks coffee later we were home.
We all had an amazing week - helped by the weather from Weds onwards hitting the mid 20's. It was so easy to do, and we found it very handy having our car with us to be able to get around and about.
If you are contemplating your own European Self Drive Adventure - do give me a call. It is the best way to see everything on our doorstep, and there are some wonderful campsites within a couple of hours drive of the major French ferry ports, or further afield if you fancy!