Below, Megan Carr writes about her recent holiday in France staying at Les Villages Nature Paris with her partner Richard. We gather from her review that they have found the perfect place for their next holiday with baby in tow.
“One of the most important things about organising a family holiday is finding a place which can cater to everybody’s needs – old, young, energetic or more the “lazing on the sofa” type. Les Villages Nature Paris is just that – a multi-generational playground. Nestled in the forest on the outskirts of Paris, a large campsite with a variety of activities, restaurants, and accommodation types, it is the perfect place for a family get-together. The sort of holiday where you can spend a few days doing a whole lot of nothing, or a whole lot of everything with your loved ones.
Les Villages Nature Paris Accommodation
We stayed in a Comfort Cottage which was equipped with everything needed for an easy few days. It included a fully stocked kitchen for our self-catering needs, although we most definitely made good use of the on-park restaurants! From Miam Miam Burgers for an easy lunchtime with the whole family to Restaurant Cépages for a romantic date night, the restaurants will satisfy whatever you are craving. A particular favourite of ours was Cépages which we visited twice during our break.
One evening we went just for cheese and wine, Although I have to say that going to a restaurant for cheese and wine when you’re pregnant is a form of torture I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy! ‘Pasteurised cheeses only and a bottle of de l’eau, please?’ just doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, you know? The saving grace was our final night when we ate again and I enjoyed the most beautiful risotto. Frankly I would quite gladly eat it every night for the rest of my life.
We All Love a Croissant
Breakfast options on site were slightly sparse, and we found it odd that many of the restaurants/cafes didn’t open until midday or later. We headed to the Farm Shop for breakfast on a couple of the days. With quick continental options, it did the job but I wouldn’t say it was worth the cost. We had breakfast delivered a couple of times too. Great croissants! The on-site shop, although expensive, was a bit of a treat as well – pizza slices, a salad and pasta bar. Whenever we were after a quick snack, this was the place we headed.
AquaLagon – What a WaterPark
Moving on from the restaurants, the park itself has a multitude of various activities that the whole family will love. The main attraction is obviously the swimming pool. Jazzed out with slides, lazy rivers, jacuzzis, it’s the perfect place to tire the kids out for a day, or everyday for that matter. Of course, my favourite place was the Deep Nature Spa situated above the pool area where we enjoyed massages which relaxed us into oblivion. The Pregnancy Serenity Massage for me and a bespoke massage for Richard had us drifting off within minutes.
Activities Aplenty
We also partook in terrarium building – a random activity, but something we had wanted to do for a while. Who knows why. Taking out one of the electric boats on the lake for a little jaunty in the afternoon sun was a great opportunity to do some local bird watching! If we’d wanted, we could have gone bowling, made a stuffed toy, done a Ninja Obstacle Race, ridden on segways, climbed rocks … The list is endless. Fancy being a Farm Hand for a day? Well here you can!
Where Is It?
The park itself is located close to Disneyland which is just a short bus ride away. This means of course that Les Villages Nature is a great place to stay for those visiting the parks but not wanting to pay the extortionate costs Of Disney hotels. It’s also around an hour or so train journey from Paris itself. We ventured here for one of our days to spend the day ambling the city, visiting the Catacombs and bankrupting ourselves at some of Paris’ local restaurants.
A Multi-Generational Dream Holiday
All in all, I would heartily recommend Les Villages Natures as a fun, family holiday for the whole gang regardless of age. It’s a place where you can do things together or break into groups and do things separately. There really is something for everyone to enjoy. I can safely say that once Baby is born, we’ll be able to holiday here with the grandparents. Each family can have their own accommodation and ‘own time’ but equally we can come together whenever we want. Granny and Grandad might even want to spend quality time with Baby and babysit for our Date Night at the same time.
In a nutshell, the whole family will come away feeling content with their French break – and probably ready for another holiday!
By Megan Carr (mum-to-be) with some help from Richard McCormick (dad-to-be)
