Camping Val de Boutonne — Hotel in Saint-Jean-d'Angély

I picked Val de Boutonne because of its location, roughly halfway between the southern Dordogne and St Malo and ten minutes off the A10 autoroute. The reviews were good and it looked ideal. I booked two nights. ||||It turned out to a gem of a site. It's busy because of the location with lots of comings and goings but it still managed to remain quite tranquil. It's alongside a river and lake which has been turned into something of a lido although separated by the camp fence and a small road. There's a decent pool as well although speedo-style trunks only. So it seemed to have a fair few regulars and longer stayers as well going by some of the setups and the mobile homes and cabins dotted around.||||Touring pitches are of a decent size rather than generous although we were allocated a larger and easily accessible one for our caravan. Room for an awning or gazebo and car. You will probably need a 50 metre mains cable though.||||The old centre of Saint-Jean-d'Angély is attractive in an understated and unspoilt sort of way and around 20 to 30 minutes walk. There are some decent restaurants and an excellent market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. ||||But what makes this site special is the hard working couple - and their daughters - who run the place. There's no restaurant. So as well as running reception and supervising the pool through the day, they've set up some long tables and chairs under a marquee, acquired some catering kit and hold regular soirées. The last night we were there it was moules frites and very good they were too.||||It was a great night, as enjoyable as a couple of Michelin-starred meals earlier in our holiday. There are also communal dinners on some other nights.||||There is a "but" coming and that is over the wash blocks. Effectively there is only one and it is rather dated betraying the site's municipal origins. We were told they are due for a refurbishment ready for 2018. But then according to some of the earlier reviews here that was said last year.||||We'll find out though as we would certainly...

Looked ok on arrival but later Noisy shouting youths by the river were drowning out loud music from a cafe. Then there was some kind of outdoor Disco event nearby which started up, all vying to give you no peace for the entire afternoon and evening. Disco kept us awake until 2am. (On the weekend). No toilet paper ! Really! Come on this is modern France, there are now wall mounted toilet paper dispensers available, fellow campsite owners have fitted them all over Europe, paper on the floor is a poor excuse sir, who cares if you are only 3 stars, that hasn't stopped others from providing toilet paper. It can be recycled if you find the odd piece on the floor. Also strange toilet set up with unisex urinals ? I was glared at by two elderly women using the nearby sinks. Gentlemen don't turn around too quickly! Poor Wifi free for 30 mins or €3 a day not the cheapest. The high hedge around the site does not afford the view of the river as shown, there is also a road in between. The prominent sight is the large recycling Wheely bins on full view at the end of the toilet block. No nice walk around the basin / lake anymore the footbridge over the river has been shut and barricaded . Few power cabinets with lots of sockets and water taps means potential for trip hazards everywhere. I had to drive over two cables! . My electric safety equipment flashed warning Reverse Polarity. Oh, and a €300 charge if you use too much of their 10amp electricity which is automatically added to your account ? There is also information on every cabinet that insurance is invalid if you use a 'non dedicated plug' ? Not sure if that includes UK 13 or 16 amp plugs? Looking at the warning might be best not to use this site if you have a hybrid or BEV vehicle! First impressions for my brief overnight stop and use of facilities, this site is the worst Acsi partner site I have visited. I don't think my feelings on the matter would improve if I stayed longer. Reception staff were pleasant though....

Lovely, peaceful site on the banks of the River Boutonne and 15 minutes walk into the beautiful town of St-Jean d'Angely. It's around 30 minutes' drive to the coast from here and from mid-June, the pool is open. We were visiting mid June 25, and it's hellishly hot, but the site has lots of trees offering natural shade, which is very welcome. The toilet and shower blocks are new, by the look of things - and unisex. Bring your own loo roll to the toilets. A previous reviewer was somewhat shocked about the lack of loo roll or toilet seats, but in my experience, that's not unusual in France. However, they're spotlessly clean, which is more important. Reception staff are charming and speak good English. Please note Reception closes for lunch and reopens at 2.30pm. If I have a complaint (it's a small one), there are no bins on the site, apart from a small one in the washing up area. There are recycling bins a short walk from the site, but nowhere for paper or cardboard or general waste, which I ended up putting in a bin near the river. Other than that, it's a lovely site in a gorgeous location in a beautiful part of France (and a great 1st night stop if you get the overnight ferry to St Malo). Highly...