Camping La Citadelle - MAEVA — Hotel in Loches

Ah what a shame. We loved the town of Loches, with its beautiful architecture, independent bars, restaurants and shops, and an amazing market on the Saturday!

However, the campsite isn’t good enough to warrant a paid return visit. Well use a local free aire instead.

We’ve stayed at dozens of campsites and pitches across France and this is one of the most disappointing. The cost is relatively high (but perhaps appropriately high given the location) yet the campsite is let down by poor communication and toilet block cleanliness.

There are lots of little issues too (listed below) that let the whole campsite down and mean we wouldn’t return. Despite feeling uncomfortable doing so, I felt they deserved to know so I gave feedback to reception and was told it wasn’t their fault! An apology and further questions to help them improve things would have been nice! Regarding the toilet blocks they said they “clean them three times a day but people are just dirty”. Most campsites don’t struggle with this! They need a change in attitude, or possibly the team.

Pros: Walking distance to beautiful town of Loches Quiet Big pitches if you pay for premium pitch Pool Water slide good (when working) Bouncy castle and play area Lovely bar staff Decent beers and wines at reasonable prices Home made pizza - we didn’t eat any but saw the dough being made(!)

Cons: Very poor communication from reception on multiple issues - locations and availability of facilities, not telling us things weren’t working until we complained about them, when given feedback saying “it’s not our fault” etc… Dirty shower and toilet facilities that are not cleaned deeply or regularly enough Cold showers Washing machines not working (only one was, which we only found out after complaining at reception that it wasn’t working… yet no sign had been put on machine, nor were we told which machines worked when buying the tokens(!) Water slide wasn’t working first day (no information about it though), but was working second day Quite a lot of mosquitoes so we got a lot of bites Kids Karts are 5 EUR per hour making them nearly pointless as it’s rare my kids want to use it solidly for an hour - other campsites provide these free Relatively high cost of washing machine (5 EUR per wash is double paid elsewhere) Non-premium plots look small and lack privacy Entertainment board perhaps a...

We booked a superior pitch which was advertised with a cabin attached with a private shower/toilet and kitchen, the perfect point of our holiday to get some washing done and spread out a bit. We completed the form, inc confirming the size of our near 8m Motorhome..|We did arrive a day early, totally my fault, howere as the site was only 15% full, no issues, we were allocated a standard pitch for one night as our cabin was not yet cleaned. We got set up and went across to see what our allocated pitch was like. A small culdesac , 8 pitches, each suitable for a Campervan. Our allocated pitch was 5.5m in depth, so we would have had to block any access and intrude on the opposite pitch. Width wise, we would have had 2cm to spare between the wash cabin and a tree. Clearly no one was checking the booking form v the pitch dimensions.|We went back to reception and explained expecting an apology, all we got was “non refund” repeated.|We identified a standard pitch ourselves from the vast number unoccupied, but were told it had no electricity. So the pole in the middle of the pitch with working electric must have been our imagination as we stayed on it for 4 nights.|I wrote an email to the stated address (the same one that this morning sent me a receipt and asked for this review), on night one, explaining the situation and that it was impossible for our vehicle to actually fit on the pitches. I asked for a refund of the difference in the price between the two types of pitch, but received no response.|I do find this sad, there are significant choices of camping in France, the small number of occupied pitches were primarily from the U.K., and a smattering from Belguim. It’s part of a very large group, you would expect better processes to be in place around pitch allocations especially when they ask for dimensions.|We’re now at Camping Bel at La Tranche Sur Mer, the welcome was superb from all 3 reception staff, and we were escorted to our pitch and asked for approval. Another big group, but clearly different approaches to the importance...

Scruffy Review of Camping la Citadelle Reviewed June 9, 2022

Some say you should never go back……. However, sometimes you’re pleased you did, and sometimes you wish you hadn’t! This experience belongs in the second category. In 45 years of caravanning in France this is only the second time I have felt disposed to declare my disappointment in writing. I hope that indicates the seriousness of my comments. When I telephoned to reserve a pitch at la Citadelle Loches, my inquiry was greeted with warmth. Sadly, when we arrived that person was not on duty and the reception we received from the two people on duty was cool. We first stayed at Camping la Citadelle in 1998. We stayed again in 2002. Because we had fond memories of our previous visits, we thought it would be nice to go back again. It wasn’t. Having set up the caravan we decided to walk around and see how it had changed. Well, the word that sums up the overall impression is – scruffy. Doors to the facilities propped open with broken pieces of paving slab. No hooks for clothes/towels near men’s basins. One of the washing -up basins had no waste pipe attached - so if you used that basin you soon discovered your feet were getting wet – this happened to me! Waste bin area was untidy and some bins overflowing. The entrance to this area is uneven and very stony, and hazardous to anyone who has difficulty walking. The hot...More Date of...