Eurocamp Holiday Review: Le Pin Parasol, Vendée France

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If you’re looking for a fun family holiday in France, without too far of a drive from Calais, this Eurocamp Holiday Review is all about Le Pin Parasol – a 5 star Yelloh Village resort in Vendée. I’ve included our experiences, photos, details about the Eurocamp accommodation, what there is to do locally (including the amazing Puy du Fou and Le Grand Défi Adventure Park), driving time from Calais, the closest airport and everything else that you need to know. We had such a great time – it’s one of the best sites we’ve visited and a great option if you’re after a bit of luxury, this immaculate campsite had high standards and their 5 star status was well deserved!

We always try to travel on a budget, so if you’re looking to explore the UK and Europe with the kids (in an affordable way!) then have a browse around my blog for loads of money saving tips and budget holiday reviews. And if you have any recommendations, please let me know – you can follow our travels on Instagram too!

Holiday: June 2025 (Gifted)

Yelloh Village Le Pin Parasol Review

In June 2025, we embarked on a little road trip to France using Eurocamp campsites to hop between as usual. We drove from Calais to Vendée to spend seven nights at Le Pin Parasol Campsite, before driving on to the Dordogne for five nights at Saint Avit Loisirs campsite. We really enjoyed our stay at Le Pin Parasol – it’s a fantastic campsite that caters well to kids (and adults!) of all ages and we’d definitely stay there again. So here’s my review and everything that you need to know about staying with Eurocamp at Le Pin Parasol in central France.

What was Le Pin Parasol like?

Le Pin Parasol, in Vendée, is a fantastic holiday park and a brilliant option if you’re on the hunt for a 5 star Eurocamp holiday. All of the entertainment, the restaurant, the shop and the family pool area were right at the front of the site grouped together. This made it really easy to access everything, and kept the area for the accommodation really quiet and peaceful. The stage area, with its tiered seating, was very grand and there was a bouncy castle nearby for little ones too. At the far side of the park was a second swimming complex (very posh!) and a spa too so we were spoilt for choice when it came to swimming pools. The whole site was really clean and well maintained, and the staff were lovely, so it’s definitely a great option for a family holiday in France.

There was a lot going on, all of which could be found on the app, so if your kids love kids’ clubs and entertainment there’s plenty to keep them busy. They also run a teen club with activities for older ones too, and the site has a lot of facilities on offer as well. There’s a large play area with sports courts, playground equipment and a BMX track area, as well as other play areas dotted around as well, a games room for teens and an indoor play space for younger kids. You could also hire bikes, which was definitely very popular as there were loads of kids cycling. The site is also situated on the gorgeous Lac de Jaunay – we had a lovely wander around the lake which has it’s own restaurant and offers activities like canoe hire over the summer months.

Food wise, we didn’t try the food in the restaurant but we did use the takeaway service. My husband and daughter shared a pizza one evening, and we all had some chips. The only thing I would say is that the chips were really pricey – they were only small individual portions but they were priced at €4 each which I think was a bit steep for the size of them. The shop was absolutely fine for the odd bits and pieces, or a baguette for lunch (€1.30), but we did our main food shop at a Lidl nearby. It was around a 15 minute drive and meant we could stock up for the week to cook at our holiday home. We absolutely loved our stay at Le Pin Parasol and this was such an easy review to write because I honestly can’t recommend it highly enough!

What were the swimming pools like?

The swimming pools at Le Pin Parasol really stole the show for us – we do love a waterslide on a Eurocamp holiday but the posh pool was amazing too so I’m going to do a bit of a photo dump in this part of my review as there’s so much to show you. There were lots of different pool areas and waterslides to choose from – and they were such good fun! So, first up let’s talk about the family pool complex. This is in the main area of the park and home to an outdoor pool, an indoor pool, a splash pool for toddlers and several waterslides. We spent most of our time at this complex because the kids loved the slides!

The dinghy slide in particular was absolutely brilliant, and the animation team did activities like splash competitions (to soak the staff) so Finn and Lola had a great time. The water was a really nice temperature, which is something I rarely say! And there was quite the heat wave when we visited, with temperatures in the 30s so we spent a lot of time there! There were lots of comfy sun beds around (free), with a big area just for sun beds at the bottom of the waterslides, so if you like to lay out there should be plenty of space.

The toddler area was also lovely, and the indoor pool was surprisingly popular given how hot the weather was – though perhaps people were happy to escape the sunshine for a bit! A few things to mention about the swimming side of things – there are staff around wandering the area but there isn’t a lifeguard properly monitoring the pool so make sure you keep an eye on the kids. Boys will also need to wear speedo type swimming shorts – and they are strict on this so make sure you pack some. (Though the staff were so friendly and did break the news to people in a very gentle way, and they sell them in the shop!)

At the other side of the site was the super posh swimming pool – so if you’re after a bit of luxury that’s the spot for you. There’s an outdoor swimming pool, with more of a family vibe, and then a gorgeous pool from which you can swim from indoors to out. It was absolutely stunning and I’d definitely recommend spending some time there too – though the kids will likely drag you back to the waterslides at some point! There was also a jacuzzi pool just for adults, so if you can escape the little ones for a bit that’s a good place to relax. And, although this site was really family-friendly, I think the facilities at Le Pin Parasol actually make it a really good Eurocamp holiday option for those travelling without kids too.

Local Area: What is there to do near Le Pin Parasol?

Puy du Fou Theme Park

One of the main reasons that we picked Le Pin Parasol for our family holiday was it’s proximity to the Puy du Fou Theme Park. It’s an hour’s drive from the site, but absolutely worth the trek, because oh my goodness it’s such an incredible place to visit. It’s nothing like your standard theme park experience – there isn’t a single ride, the whole park is filled with these elaborate shows set around different periods of history. We were absolutely blown away by the quality of the sets and the shows – which had us mesmerised the entire day! It was like being on a movie set with fire, stunts, fight scenes and all sorts. You absolutely can’t visit Vendée without spending a day there – check out my Puy du Fou Family Guide for all the details.

The beach

About a 20 minute drive from Le Pin Parasol you’ll find Les Sables-d’Ollone – a lovely seaside town with a huge stretch of sandy beach. There are loads of restaurants and bars overlooking both the beach and the marina area, so it’s a great place for a beach day with the kids or a meal out of an evening. There’s a car park near the seafront, and another slightly further back by the boats – and the ice-cream shop along the seafront sells great ice-cream so it’s worth a visit.

Le Grand Défi Adventure Park

Le Grand Défi Adventure Park is just a 7 minute drive from Le Pin Parasol campsite and we found ourselves there twice during our stay – it’s kid heaven and another reason why it’s a great resort for a family getaway with older children. This place is incredible! The high ropes course has more than 40 course options at different levels, zip-lines across the lake and through the woods and all sorts of challenges to keep the kids busy. My two managed about 2.5 hours before they were shattered! 😂 It’s like Go Ape on steroids – the site is absolutely huge and Finn and Lola absolutely loved it! As well as this, there’s laser tag, paint-balling, an aqua park and other activities. Finn and Lola also did the aqua park and said it was the best one they’ve ever been to! Check out my Le Grand Défi Guide for all the details. (Coming soon!)

Other things to do near Le Pin Parasol

Vendée is a great spot for a family holiday, as well as those brilliant days out you can also have an island visit (choose from Ile d’Yeu or Ile de Noirmoutier) which are both in driving distance. Or check out the animals at Planète Sauvage Zoo, cycle the Vendée, step back in time at Talmont-St-Hilaire Castle, or spend a day at Château des Aventuriers which has loads on offer for families with young children. Make sure you check out my article: The 10 best things to do in Vendée with kids for all the details and even more ideas for family days out.

Was the accommodation good?

This was our first stay in Eurocamp’s poshest holiday home and I have to admit that we did absolutely love it! The Ultimate Plus holiday homes are a pricier option, so it’s not something we’d be able to book all the time but we were gifted our accommodation for this trip and we did enjoy a taste of luxury! I’ll definitely be looking to upgrade every now and then if the price difference isn’t too much, for some of our future stays, because it really was a great holiday home. Considering that Le Pin Parasol is a posh campsite, it seems very fitting to be doing a review of this type of Eurocamp holiday home as part of our stay. The large decking was awesome, with a huge lounge seating area, an egg chair that Lola lived in, a dining set and sun loungers too – we spent so much time outside!

In the kitchen area we had a fridge freezer, an oven, a large dishwasher, a microwave, a toaster, a coffee machine and a kettle. There was also air-conditioning (thank goodness as we went in a heat wave!) and a TV too. We don’t watch TV much on holiday but it’s nice to be able to relax in the evenings if you want a break from being busy, and it had satellite TV with English channels which was fantastic! As it was Eurocamp’s Ultimate Plus range we got towels and bed linen included, and the beds were pre-made too which makes life a bit easier when you arrive. It also came with free wifi for one device.

The holiday home also seemed very new and it was spotless. We loved its position at the edge of the campsite as it was so peaceful and felt really private. This style of accommodation is definitely larger than other types too, we had lots of space with a seating area and a dining table in the main living room, and more room to move around in the bedrooms. There was a toilet and a shower room by the kids’ rooms, and then we had an en-suite with a toilet, shower and sink off of our main bedroom. Our accommodation had three bedrooms – all of the rooms had blackout and bug blinds on them and the beds were really comfortable so we slept well.

Just as a side note, if you’re looking at other accommodation types for your trip to Le Pin Parasol, for some reason (even though cleaning is included in all other countries) in France you can only get the cleaning service included if you book from Eurocamp’s higher level ranges of accommodation. So, to have it included as standard, you’ll need to book a Premium Exclusive holiday home or something from their Ultimate range. If you book from their other ranges you can pay extra to add the end of stay cleaning on, or tackle it yourself if you want to. We tend to book a Premium Exclusive in France to solve this issue, whereas for other destinations we’ll opt for Comfort, Comfort XL or Premium as it’s included anyway.

For more info on the accommodation options, and to find out what to pack / what’s included, read my post: Eurocamp Holidays: Which accommodation should I choose? What’s included?

What facilities are on site at Le Pin Parasol?

The shop on-site had bits and bobs but for a full shop I’d recommend going off-site, it more expensive than the local supermarkets. They had freshly baked bits, essentials and also extras like beach bits / goggles. A fresh baguette was €1.30 – so it would be easy to have cheap lunches and picnics if you wanted to pack up a picnic. Aside from fresh bread, we did our main shopping for the week at Lidl, which was 15 minute drive away and generally priced similarly to our usual shopping back home. We stocked up on things like ice-creams too (as the holiday home fridges have a freezer section) and it definitely saves a lot compared to buying them from the resorts.

We were able to park directly in front of the holiday home that we stayed in, making it easy to load and unload the car of luggage and food shopping. Most Eurocamp accommodation doesn’t come with a TV – it’s only included with their higher ranges – so it’s handy to take a tablet or laptop with you with some movies for when you want a quiet evening if it’s not included with your holiday home type.
All of the staff that we met on our trip were friendly, helpful and spoke very good English. The site is cashless so you can either use a credit/debit card or use your wristband to pay for any extras you want on site. They can be topped up and have a chip in them if you don’t want to carry your card around with you.

Getting to Vendée, France, from the UK

Le Pin Parasol is about a 6.5 hour drive from Calais, or just a 4 hour drive from Caen, if you’re taking a road trip for your holiday in Vendée. Your SAT NAV might take you through an emissions zone along the way, so make sure you check the route and get a Crit’Air sticker if needed. We forgot but luckily the Waze app routed us around it but it did add on a bit of extra time. I think this resort is a great road trip destination as Vendée isn’t too far from Calais or Caen so it can be done in one day easily if you’re hopping on the ferry. If you’re new to road trips, this article is a great place to start: How to road trip on a budget around Europe – the ultimate family guide! You can book your ferry / Eurotunnel travel directly through Eurocamp, or check out the Direct Ferries website to compare prices across routes and providers.

If you’re wanting to fly to Le Pin Parasol then the nearest airport is Nantes which is just over an hour away. If you’re flying I’d definitely recommend hiring a car for this one to make the most of what Vendée has to offer as it’s a great spot for days out with the kids. Use the Skyscanner website to find the cheapest flight prices – it’ll compare airlines, airports, dates and times for you without you having to do all of the leg work! And, check out the Sun Transfers website to see prices for airport transfers, or Expedia is a great place to start if you plan to hire a car.

How much does a Eurocamp holiday at Le Pin Parasol cost – was it good value for money?

Hopefully my review has been helpful – our 7 night stay at Le Pin Parasol in Vendée, France, in a Eurocamp Ultimate Plus holiday home was worth just over £1000. Our stay was gifted, but if you’re looking at similar dates for next year (we went in June) Premium holiday homes seem to be around £700, and the Ultimate options are about £1000. This averages out at around £100-£150 per night. Despite it being dearer than some of our other trips, we really enjoyed our stay and this site definitely offers good value for money – it’s one of the nicest places we’ve stayed and we loved our posh holiday home too! With good adventures within driving distance as well, I can’t recommend this one enough! For more information, and prices for your dates, click here to check out Le Pin Parasol on the Eurocamp website.

As we home-educate the kids, we are fortunate to be able travel term-time which is a great money saver, but if you’re restricted to school holiday dates then look for May half-term getaways – they’re always so much cheaper than the summer holidays! But, having said that, affordable school summer holiday travel is possible – I went hunting on the Eurocamp website and found 50 family holidays under £1k for August 2026 – with prices starting from less than £300! (There were more but I ran out of steam! 😂) You might also want to check out my article: The 25 best Eurocamp family holidays in France for kids for more great family-friendly getaway options in France, or if you’re set on Vendée check out: Eurocamp France: The 5 best Vendée holiday parks for families.