Eurocamp Holiday Review: Le Pin Parasol, Vendée France

Table of Contents

If you’re looking for a fun family holiday in France, without a long 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 the ports nearby, 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 deserves its 5 star status!

We try to travel on a budget so, if you’re looking to explore the UK and Europe with kids in an affordable way, have a browse around the blog for tips, guides and reviews. You can follow our travels on Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok.

Holiday: June 2025 (Updated June 2026)

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. 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 a fabulous 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 run a teen club with activities for older ones too, and the site has a lot of facilities on offer. There’s a large play area with sports courts, playground equipment and a BMX track area, as well as other play areas, 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 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.

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 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 as it was cheaper. 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 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. There were lots of different pool areas and waterslides to choose from – and they were such good fun! I’ll start with 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 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. Males 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, breaking the news to people in a very gentle way, and they sell them in the shop!)

The fancy swimming pool was at the other side of the resort – 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 where 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 – 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 – it was like being on a movie set with fire, stunts, fight scenes and all sorts. If you’ve got older kids, 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. The ice-cream shop along the seafront sells great ice-cream so it’s worth a visit. For something a little bit special, the sunset boat trip looks fab or take a trip to Les Sables-d’Olonne Zoo.

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 fabulous for older kids! The high ropes course has more than 40 course options at different levels, zip-lines across the lake 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!

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 could 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 12 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 absolutely loved it! The Ultimate Plus holiday homes are a pricier option, so it’s not something we’d 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. 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 which makes life a bit easier when you arrive. It also came with free WiFi for one device.

The holiday home 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 larger than their other ranges, we had lots of space with a seating area and a dining table in the main living room. 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 Eurocamp accommodation types for your trip, (even though cleaning is included in all other countries) in France you can only get the cleaning service included if you 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 typically opt for Comfort or Premium as it’s included anyway. For more info on holiday home options, check out my Eurocamp Accommodation Guide.

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 was more expensive than the local supermarkets. The bakery bits were cheap though – perfect for lunches and picnics.

We were able to park directly next to 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.
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 Le Pin Parasol from the UK

Le Pin Parasol is a great road trip destination as Vendée isn’t too far from the ports in Northern France – the drive can easily be done in a day if you’re hopping on the ferry. Le Pin Parasol is about a 6.5 hour drive from Calais. Eurocamp have access to discounted ferry slots to Calais which are usually significantly cheaper than booking directly. The prices fluctuate but a return on the ferry from Dover to Calais is typically around £100 and the Le Shuttle Channel Crossing is around £250.

For the following ferry routes, you’ll want to head to the Direct Ferries website to compare routes and hunt out the best price for your journey. Le Pin Parasol is easily accessible from these 3 ports in Brittany/Normandy too:

St Malo: The ferry from the UK to St Malo takes 6 hours from Poole or around 10 to 11 hours from Portsmouth. Once you arrive in St Malo it’s a 3 hour drive.
Caen: The ferry from the UK to Caen usually runs from Portsmouth and takes around 6 hours. The drive from Caen to the resort is around 4 hours.
Roscoff: The ferry crossing from the UK to Roscoff operates from ports like Plymouth, taking around 6-7 hours. Once you reach France, you can expect a drive time of around 5 hours.

If you’d prefer to fly to Le Pin Parasol then the nearest airport is Nantes which is just over an hour away. Use the Skyscanner website to find the cheapest flight prices – it’ll compare airlines, airports, dates and times for you. 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.

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! 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! And, for even more fabulous holiday options, check out my article on the 10 Best Eurocamp Holiday Parks in Vendée for Families – there are lots of brilliant resorts in the area!