Flower Camping Les Ilates | Camping 4 étoiles Ile de Ré - Loix — Hotel in La Rochelle

Ile de re is beautiful. Flowers Ilates leaves a lot to be desired however. Of all the sites we’ve stayed whilst travelling france (7) this is undoubtedly the most basic. The pool is fine and there are things on site to keep the kids entertained - bouncy castle/park. Location is pretty good, but we had a bike and a car so we were not restricted. |However, the campsite fell short on numerous areas. Please bear with me as I explain. |The pitch we were given was far too small for the caravan - slightly confusing as there were people in tents with very large corner pitches!? The staff explained that the site was fully booked and that was very much the end of it! thanks to the numerous other residents (not staff!) we got the caravan in on an angle. |The toilet block needs a thorough revamp to say the least. It’s really quite grim, definitely the worst we experienced throughout our 4 weeks travelling. It’s unclean. There a 3 toilets (one of those 3 is disabled). One of the 3 would always be out out of order. The flush button was missing on the other, it was just the exposed mechanics on the wall, you get the picture. |The washing machine is €6 per wash, the issue being that it only accepts €2 coins. Dryer is €4, again only accepts €2 coins. There is not cash point. Reception sometimes had change for a note but not always. On all the other sites they operate either by card or a token system so this was just an annoying inconvenience. |I wanted to rent a bike and was told there were none available - I asked the staff about the rows and rows of bikes next to reception and were told they were electric - they weren’t electric, and I’m not an expert on these things ! The other lady in reception followed me out and told me they had the exact same confusion yesterday and gave me the details of where they went in Loix for rentals. Still don’t know what all those spare bikes are for… |The final straw was when we returned from a 1 hour bike ride to find an unbelievably rude note stuck to the awning from ‘the direction’. It’s stated, ‘thanks for looking after your pet. Pets are not made to spend all day, in the Sun, without water, disturbing the neighbours. Thank you for making any necessary adjustments’. Honestly, I couldn’t believe it! Please let me make clear, beyond doubt, that our beloved dog had been walked, was left surrounded by shade, he had a bowl of water and he was left for ONE hour - he would not keep up with the bikes in midday heat (he’s 12!). I asked about the note at reception, corrected all the inaccurate information stated and asked what they preferred residents did with their pets, I was unable to leave him in the caravan/awning as it would be FAR hotter…In short, no response. In all honestly I would have complained about the letter further but I was acutely conscious of the fact that we were going to need a lot of help to get the caravan out the pitch at the end of our stay and (heaven forbid) this would require staff input!!!|Sorry for the long review - Definitely visit Ile de re, but take my word for it: there are far better sites to...

My recent stay at this campground was quite disappointing, and I feel compelled to share my experience. There were several major issues that made our camping trip far from enjoyable.

Firstly, the sanitary facilities were severely lacking and poorly maintained. The limited number of toilets were often out of toilet paper, and even worse, there was no soap available for handwashing. To make matters worse, the toilets were frequently dirty with feces, making them unsanitary and unpleasant to use.

Furthermore, the campground's washing facilities left much to be desired. The only washbasins were located inside the shower cabins, making it impossible to wash hands if the showers were occupied. Additionally, the available washing machine was ancient and not particularly hygienic. The exorbitant price of 6 Euros per load for washing and an additional 4 Euros for drying was simply unreasonable.

The camping pitches were also disappointing. They were small, lacked privacy, and were often dusty with dry and worn-out grass. It was far from the picturesque camping experience we had hoped for.

The bike rental service was decent, but the requirement of a whopping 1000 Euros deposit for three small e-bikes was absurd. After negotiation, we managed to bring it down to 500 Euros, but even that felt excessive. We have never encountered such a high deposit for rental bikes, even for more expensive sports bikes.

The Wi-Fi service was another letdown. It required an email address and forced us to receive unwanted advertisements. Furthermore, the Wi-Fi coverage was spotty, and we could not access it from the entire campsite.

In terms of communication, the mobile network reception was a complete disaster with all French providers, adding to our frustration.

The noise levels at the campground were intolerable, especially on Sunday evenings. The kids' disco blared incredibly loud music, followed by a family program with obnoxiously loud music and terrible commentary. Even from our distant camping spot, the noise was overwhelming and disruptive until late into the night.

All these issues, in isolation, might not have compelled me to write a review. However, the fact that we paid a staggering 80 Euros per night for a 6-meter long van, two people, and a dog, and were forced to stay for a minimum of two nights, was outrageous. I would have overlooked the subpar sanitary conditions for a different price, but not at such an exorbitant rate. It's simply unfair and exploitative.

In conclusion, I cannot recommend this campground to fellow travelers. The poor sanitary conditions, exorbitant prices, and lack of consideration for campers' comfort make this a place to avoid. If the management addresses these issues and revises their pricing strategy, the campground might become more appealing in the future. But until then, it is best to look for...

Firstly, the positives. |The location is fab, if a little remote and Loix is the loveliest small village imaginable (the bread and the pastries in the local patisserie are to die for).|Our pitch was excellent, secluded but right beside the centre of activities.|However.|The staff couldn’t care less and there does not seem to be anyone in charge.|As we arrived after hours (8pm on a Saturday), there was nobody there to let us in. There was a basket on the windowsill, with envelopes with names on them, but no fob to raise the barrier. We had to ask one of the other residents to let us in.|I went to reception to ask for information about hiring a bike to be told that all the info I need is in my welcome pack (one leaflet).|There is no soap in the toilets. There is hand sanitiser at the door on the way out, but it was empty and when I mentioned it to reception, it took 24 hours to be replenished.|The animation is poor. We made our way back from a day trip to be there for our daughter to go to the pool party at 3pm. She came back after 5 minutes, as the pool party consisted of a member of staff playing music and sitting there.|The staff join in the activities, but not to help. They participate in the bingo (which you have to pay for) and compete for the prizes.|We went to the karaoke. Our daughter put her name down and we sat there for 2 hours, whilst the off duty staff sang for each other’s amusement, taking up the seats at the front and copping off with each other. My daughter never got her turn.|Events are cancelled without notice, so if you make plans to go, then tough. |The food is overpriced and of a poor quality (i.e. pizzas with minimal toppings for €15 to €17, Planche tapas chaud for €18 which consisted of the cheapest frozen supermarket onion rings, mozzarella sticks etc.). |The kitchen staff seem overloaded and the waiting staff prioritise their smoke breaks over serving the customers. We had more than one occasion where drinks that were ordered did not arrive.|I’d love to go back to Ile de Ré but I’ll spend my money...