Last May half term I went to La Mare Chappey in Normandy with my family, hubby and two kids. The area is beautiful and I highly recommend you think about Normandy for your next family holiday, the beaches are lovely and there is so much history to explore, there really is something for everyone. Here’s a little insight to how we got on… Mel x
Intro
We had a wonderful week in Normandy for May Half Term 2018. We left home Friday afternoon & drove via the Euro tunnel & arrived at La Mare Chappey late in the evening. Even though we were arriving late, Audrey was around to greet us which was lovely. We awoke to beautiful views of countryside & pretty stone barns the following morning.
La Mare Chappey is perfectly situated to give you the best of the countryside and coast. Located close to a small village in the unspoilt & tranquil Normandy countryside and only 25 minutes to some wonderful beaches.
Accommodation
There are four child-friendly holiday cottages and an apartment within the complex. We stayed in a 2-bedroom cottage (Bumpkin) which was a good size. Every cottage has Wi-Fi, sky TV, DVD player, heating & toys. The kitchen was well equipped including a dishwasher and coffee machine and included on our arrival were the breakfast essentials of bread, milk & cheese, which meant we didn’t have to dash to the supermarket 😊
The cottage is a converted barn and so the bedrooms had high vaulted ceilings. The second bedroom (twin room) was large enough to accommodate 2 cots. There were also 2 bathrooms. The downstairs was open plan with doors leading onto the patio, which had a great view of the gardens, play equipment & pool. The patio had a BBQ, table & chairs and a sun canopy.
There is a separate laundry room which can be used at anytime and is free of charge.
Bistro & bar on site – food can be chosen & ordered in advance from a menu that is emailed to guests. There is a weekly BBQ in the Bistro which is a great way to meet other families.
Grounds
The grounds are really well maintained by Geoff. The cottages sit around a central courtyard, which has a lovely water fountain with tables & chairs to sit and relax. The buildings are made from traditional stone and are very pretty. There is a large lawn area for ball games, plus another area with lots of play equipment, also a hot tub and the swimming pool.
Play
There is loads within the complex to keep the kids busy. The pool was wonderful, fenced off with plenty of chairs, sunbeds & umbrellas and really warm (heated to 28). We swam every day. There are swings, slides, a Wendy house, large trampoline, basketball net, football net and lots of space to generally run around and play outdoor games. The indoor play room was also very well equipped and my two enjoyed the table football and air hockey.
The bouncy castle was put up every afternoon/early evening. The grounds were very safe & secure, we were able to sit on our patio and watch the kids play.
Personal favs further affield
We all loved Carteret Beach, miles and miles of soft sand with lovely warm turquoise sea.
We walked & paddled for hours, there is a café & ice cream kiosk on the beach – the adults were able to have a beer while the kids had an ice cream, perfect 😊
The light house at Barneville – Carteret was good fun to climb and the view was amazing.
Out and about
Briquebec Market on a Monday – beautiful French village with cobbled streets.
Sainte -Mere-Eglise and the Airbourne Museum.
City de la Mer in Cherbourg – great museum with a deep aquarium (deepest in Europe!), La Redoutable – a huge nuclear submarine which you can explore and the baggage hall for the Titanic in the original huge art deco transatlantic liner terminal.
Food
We had fab weather & BBQ’d in our garden every day 😊
