Résidence ★★★★ Vacances Bleues Le Domaine de Camiole

The more the merrier is always my thought with long, sunny and adventurous holidays, so eight of us decided to pack our bags, friends and family together in a luxurious and cosy villa in the Var. Two jolly cars drove on the road between the shimmering sea and the pointy mountains – there’s nothing quite like driving through Provence – and arrived at our magnificent residence; our luxuriously comfortable villa with a garden and pool, what more could we need!

It felt like we had our own holiday home in the South of France, how exquisite! We parked the cars in our private garage and placed our suitcases on our ground floor and a round of satisfied sighs was released before the kids rushed around choosing rooms. The villa was perfectly decorated and equipped; the kitchen came with everything we would need for the week and was furnished with rustic furniture and tiled in smooth terracotta. French doors let the light flood in and led out to the patio, our own private garden and pool. There was a cosy living space with sofas and a television, before we came across the bedrooms all furnished with plush beds and enough furniture to not live out of our suitcases. My friend and I were in our element here in this charming little pied à terre. We were planning our week as my sister-in-law walked over to help, leaving the men to deal with the over-excited little ones.

We were situated in the small village of Caillan, but we couldn’t let this fool us, because we were right in the centre of where we needed to be! We were located between the mountains and the sea, between the glamorous St. Tropez and Cannes, with all the glittering destinations of the Riviera at our fingertips yet adventurous and natural activities still abound. We couldn’t miss a trip to Lake Saint Cassien and have fun with horse-riding and canoes, or a trip to visit the fascinating caves in the area. One thing was for sure; we weren’t short of things to do.

And this was without even counting the array of activities our residence provided. At the centre were two large swimming pools separated on two floors where the water from the top pool decadently cascaded into the bottom one, whilst surrounding this area was the most spectacular panoramic view of the Canton de Fayence. There was even an indulgent outdoors hot tub! Nearby was an area called “The Square”, evoking a delightful authentic Provençal charm with a fresh fountain, soft sofas and pétanque pitches. In addition, whenever we didn’t feel like putting our full-equipped villa kitchen to use, there was the residence’s tradition Provençal restaurant, so we could savour some of that classic, fine French food!

We were informed about the convenient kids’ club which organises exciting indoors and outdoors activities for the little ones from trampolining to drawing. Whilst the kids were safe at their club, the adults could indulge at our club… otherwise known as the spa! I was planning a girly afternoon detoxing in the steam baths, sauna and bubbling away in the warm hot tub. The resting deck looked divine, soft sofas and large double beds topped with a thatched canopy; this was my sort of place to relax.

Whoever thought you could combine family fun, adventure, glamour and relaxation all in one place? It was all ours at the Residence**** Vacances Bleues Le Château de Camiole!