This time last year I was heavier by the day, pregnant, struggling to walk and I was longing for some proper sun and summery weather. So when Siblu holidays were looking to work with bloggers I tripped over myself wanting to do it. The exchange was they cover accomodation and the ferry and we cover transport, food and other incidentals.
We chose the destination for it’s warm climate: We went to a Siblu holiday village in the Charente Maritime region in France, Bonne Anse Plage. This was a longer drive than I would normally (or is that sanely?) choose with such a young baby. Getting there was an adventure in itself! However we were hedging out bets on better weather the further south we ventured and still sticking to driving maximum a day; without having to fly and think of compact packing.
We won this bet: We had very nice weather- 24- 32 degrees C and only one rainy day. This was at the end of July.
Speaking of weather: If you venture into hotter climates with a young baby, make sure you take a fan! Moving the air around in the heat will help keep mum and baby cooler. Obviously never direct the fan directly at the baby, otherwise you will have a wheezy baby not able to feed properly in one go and demanding constant feeding.- I learnt that lesson a couple of weeks later. 
During our stay we realised that such a holiday park with static caravans offers some advantages over other forms of accommodation:
- It’s more comfy than a tent or a touring caravan;
- you get some outdoor space right outside your door unlike in an apartment or hotel;
- there are generally more facilities than if you rent a house;
- and finally it’s very good value for money.
Our criteria for choosing the specific location was: the facilities on site and near-by: We had 3 children to make sure were happy. I knew Little Miss and Little Man needed things to do and not be stuck with our schedule for Mini Man.
The Siblu site – Bonne Anse Plage- was perfect for this: It has a large swimming pool complex with several heated pools, 3 big slides, 1 small slide and a baby slide.;
there are children’s clubs twice a day;
The mascots for the park, among them Lilly soon became favourites among children
there are lots of extra activities on site (mini golf, archery, a climbing wall) as well as entertainment in the evenings;
and a beach nearby (this beach ended up being a lot further- a good 20 minute walk- than the marketing material had led us to believe).
Our holiday tactic with Dadonthebrink was divide and conquer with the Littlins. This principle worked perfectly for everyone to have a very relaxing and fun break.
Having everything on site meant we didn’t need to hurry anywhere- in the mornings getting out was not fraught, the Littlins and Dadonthebrink left as soon as they were ready, Mini Man and I had a slower start and joined up with them later, usually at the poolside. This made coping with a 6 week old so much easier- on hot days we stayed in the cool of the caravan longer. One very hot day we used our paddling pool right outside our door to cool down instead of going to the swimming pool.
We planned to do a lot more outside of the site, but ended up venturing out very little. This was purely because it was easier to stay put: the Littlins loved the site and the facilities and didn’t actually want to go elsewhere. With a 6 week old it is easier and less stressful to be in one place than in and out of a car, wondering around, not knowing where one will be at the next feed time.
This holiday turned out to be a rather relaxing and enjoyable holiday for the whole family and I would highly recommend it… even though it didn’t start out that way.
Disclaimer: We were given a return ferry trip by Brittany Ferries and week at a site of our choice by Siblu holidays. This, however, does not affect my views and opinions shared. Those who read my blog know I don’t hold back. 
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[...] Find out what worked for us…in tomorrow’s post [...]