We stayed in the five star La Sirene Camping in Argelès-sur-Mer for one week, in the height of the summer holidays in August. The kids, and us, absolutely loved the campsite. It was immaculate and had everything we needed for a family holiday.
Argelès-sur-Mer is a French seaside resort on the Languedoc coast. With its 7 km blue flag sandy beach (which incidentally is the last wide sandy beach until you reach Roses in Spain) it has become a very popular holiday destination for families. It has an abundance of campsites to choose from in the area and it is especially popular for families looking for plenty of family activities and entertainment to keep the kids busy while they’re away.
Introducing La Sirene Camping in Argelès-sur-Mer
La Sirene Camping is a sprawling resort spread over 57 acres. It has lots of different caravan or mobile home type accomodation based on the site which are available to rent through numerous well known travel operators including Eurocamp, Canvas holidays etc. This gives you lots of options in finding the right accomodation for you. The plots for the accomodation were all very generous and very private so you don’t feel on top of each other.
The grounds were always immaculate, as were all the communal areas, which is exactly what you would expect from a 5 star resort. Being located just 900 metres from the sea, it is also a great base for exploring Argelès-sur-Mer and its surrounding areas.
Food & Shopping at La Sirene Camping
When we were on holiday we mainly did a mix of self catering or eating out at local restaurants. Apart from our first night and one take out, we didn’t really sample the restaurants on site. However, what we did sample was good, albeit it was mainly fast food orientated, with french fries, burgers and pizzas.
We had ice-cream and cocktails at The Sirene Beach Club, which is a nice bar based next to the main waterpark area. It has sand underfoot and straw umbrellas and is all decked out in a typical beach theme. Not that we tried it in an evening, but apparently they have live music there most nights.
The supermarket was very well equipped for an on-site camping shop. There was plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh baguettes and croissants, store cupboard favourites and a selection of regional wine. If you have a car, there are numerous larger (and cheaper) supermarkets a short drive away.
The La Sirene Waterparks
Probably, the biggest draw for the kids, or certainly for ours, was the huge onsite waterpark. Apparently it is the largest waterpark in Argelès-sur-Mer. It has a large outdoor pool, indoor pools, several water slides and a childrens lagoon area with ropes and a climbing wall. It was pretty hard to drag them away from it.
There is also an adult only pool with massage jets and pool beds but I wasn’t lucky enough to escape and try it out. Whilst there is room to sunbathe around the pool area, in the height of season it is pretty busy. So whilst you might be able to secure an area, it wouldn’t be the most relaxing. We loved the waterpark but preferred to visit it for a swim and some fun and then head back to the caravan or go out rather than staying there all day as it was so busy. We also found that by visiting it either first thing in the morning or last thing we avoided the peak busy periods.
In addition to the main waterpark at La Sirene Camping, you can also visit the smaller waterpark at the neighbouring park. Whilst slightly smaller, this was also a great waterpark and was typically less busy than the main one.
Family Activities and Entertainment at La Sirene
La Sirene Camping caters well for kids from little ones to teens. There are a few small play ares scattered throughout the resort with a larger one situated more in the centre. The large play area has trampoline nets, swings, zip lines and climbing frames.
There is a small 9 hole crazy golf course too, which whilst needs a bit of a revamp was enjoyable enough and was free to use.
If you haven’t taken bikes with you then you can hire them at the resort along with bike carriages for toddlers. The park and the area of Argelès-sur-Mer is mainly flat making biking everywhere easy.
You can also organise and book other activities on site such as diving with the Mermaid Diving School or kayaking with Blue Bear. We didn’t get to try either of these as our little one was too young but they sounded fun.
There is a full entertainments programme with nightly entertainment ranging from mini musicals to discos and karaoke. We saw a Disney pantomime musical on our first night which was pretty cheesy but the kids enjoyed. The shows are very popular so its best to get there early to secure a seat. Also worth noting is that the entertainment can go on quite late and is pretty loud. We were lucky that our caravan was far enough away from the main area so its worth looking at where you will be based before you book.
They have lots of kids activities running throughout the day including table tennis and volley ball along with some adult activities such as yoga. You can also book the kids into the kids clubs. We didn’t use these but they seemed to be very popular.
The Accomodation
We stayed in a three bedroom caravan with air conditioning. It had a nicely laid out interior with a table and chairs and a faux leather sofa, a small kitchen area and the three small bedrooms, the main with a small ensuite.
They were also able to turn one of the beds into a cot for our little one which was ideal. The whole caravan was nicely decorated in neutral colours with a splash of colour.
It was fully equipped with crockery and had a small welcome pack with some coffee and cleaning items which tided us over for the first night.
Outside it had a small decking area, a griddle, some sun loungers and a patio table and chairs with an umbrella. It was a nice size pitch and as it was located up one of the smaller side streets it was very private and quiet.
Where to go in the area
Argelès-sur-Mer has an old town area with typical side streets and a traditional market. It also has a long stretch of promenade which has a designated bike path and this will take you all the way along to the Marina. The Marina has a number of boutique shops and restaurants which serve up plenty of seafood options. They also have a good selection of kiddies options, pizzas and ice-cream to keep the little ones happy.
Whilst we liked Argelès-sur-Mer as a base to stay, we preferred the quainter villages in the surrounding areas. Not far away, around 12 km, is the very quaint and charming town of Collioure. With its cobbled streets, buzzing squares, numerous restaurants, impressive castle and small bay, it is well worth a visit.
Banyuls-sur-Mer, another nearby coastal resort with a small crescent bay is also very pretty. Banyuls is well known for the local wine production, and there are several caves where you can do a spot of wine-tasting.
Perpignan Town is only 25 km away and is a good bet for a bleak or rainy day. We wandered around the old town, had some delicious pizza and then explored the Palace of the Kings and St Jeans Cathedral.
Getting There
Nearest airports are Perpignan, France (25km) and Girona, Spain (75km).
Our Verdict of La Sirene Camping Argelès-sur-Mer
There is so much to do on the site that you don’t ever have to leave. However, as we prefer to get out and explore the surrounding areas, we used La Sirene as more of a base. The only thing is that you are paying for all the extras that come with a five star resort whether you use them or not. So if like us you don’t tend to use them you may wonder whether its worth it. Saying that, we really enjoyed our stay and we would happily return.
Additional Information:
For more information about La Sirene visit: www.camping-lasirene.fr
Our accomodation was booked via: www.topsun.co.uk
Are there any brilliant campsites you would recommend in France? Let us know in the comments below.
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Please note: We paid for our holiday and La Sirene did not know we would be writing a review.
This looks fab – I love recommendations for future holidays! The caravan looks gorgeous.
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The caravan was fab. I was a little nervous about what to expect but it had everything we needed and was super clean too.