Before we left for our first holiday abroad in three years, I read some Trip Advisor reviews of Camping Cote d'Argent, which were largely positive, if a bit mixed. The one I enjoyed the most was the one that likened the place to a refugee camp. The reviewer was shocked to see tents and lots of people and children and bicycles. This made me laugh out loud as clearly the visitor as unused to staying on holiday parks. But, strangely, the outraged reviewer was kind of right. There is a sense of it being a bit like a refugee camp (not that I have ever been a refugee and I accept that my statement is a bit flippant, but there you are): lots of people from different nations are thrown together in close proximity and have to rub along together, living in tents and cabins. There are lots of children on bikes and teenagers in groups and babes in arms and there is washing on lines and a mish mash of vehicles. But the thing is, that's what makes this place so brilliant. ||||So some detail. We went for the last two weeks of the summer holiday and the atmosphere changed markedly during the middle weekend. For the first week, the place was packed and there were great shows in the evening (more on that later), the pool was busy and getting a lounger was tricky, there was a buzz about the place and it felt lively and alive. On the last weekend in August, just about every French family went home, leaving the site 40% full, almost exclusively with German families. The atmosphere therefore necessarily changed: it was quieter, more sedate, there was no entertainment in the evenings and the day time organised activities slowly drifted away. It was a different week therefore but no less enjoyable. ||||It is really important to note that even when the place was heaving, it was never rowdy. Noisy, yes, but never rowdy. And although the bar area was noisy until midnight, away from this things were quiet, bordering on silent, by 10pm. There is no official policy on music I don't t ink, but I am pleased to say that no one felt they had the right to impose their choons on other people. Except in the shower block sometime, but we could just about live with that.||||The place is very, very clean. Every morning the staff were visible cleaning pathways of sand and pine needles, disinfecting the pool entry area, skimming the pools etc. There was a constant presence of ground staff emptying bins and if anything needed doing in your cabin, someone was there in minutes. Sanitation blocks for those in tents were excellent: big, well designed and spotless.||||The pool is brilliant. Warm water and lots of slides. My only comment is I do not understand why the French are obsessed, and I really do mean obsessed, with not wearing shorts in the pool. I had to buy and wear a ridiculous pair of trunks the like of which I haven't worn since I was ten.||||The 'spectacles' put on by the animatuers in the evenings are really good. My 10 year old daughter wanted to go and see everyone and I was happy to go with her. My only comment would be that the seating for the shows is badly set up: priority goes to those eating in the (expensive) restaurant and there is not enough seating for others and it is badly positioned. That really is about my only criticism.||||Our cabin was small but clean, functional and had everything we needed to support ourselves for two weeks. Take your own pillows. The French don't understand pillows.||||There is not a huge amount to do in the local area, but the beach, which is 300 metres away, is jaw droppingly amazingly wonderful. We spend days and days there and if you are a surfer you will be in paradise. There are a good few, reasonably priced places to eat along the strip on the way to the beach and even ore if you can be bothered to drive in to Hourtin fifteen minutes away. Hourtin also provides two supermarkets and if you want to drive for an hour, you are in the greatest wine region in the world (sorry Burgundians), where you can make wine tours and tastings. Bordeaux itself is a bit of a trek.||||If you want a relaxing, peaceful, adult orientated holiday, don't come here. It's not for you. If you want to keep your kids entertained, play on a world class beach, have fun and not feel like you are being ripped off, then this is the place for you.||||We had a great time.