The Alan Rogers / Caravan and Motorhome Club Awards - Results 2018
Presented at the Vakantiebeurs, Utrecht on 10th January 2019
The awards have a broad scope and before committing to our winners, we carefully consider campsites which are featured in the Alan Rogers guides and the Caravan and Motorhome Club 'Venture Abroad' program, taking into account comments from our site assessors, our head office team and, of course, our members & readers.
The award winners come from the four corners of Europe, from Portugal to Luxembourg, and this year we are making awards to campsites in seven different countries.
Needless to say, it’s an extremely difficult task to choose our eventual winners, but we believe that we have identified a number of campsites with truly outstanding characteristics.
In each case, we have selected an outright winner, along with a highly commended runner-up. Listed below are full details of each of our award categories and our winners for 2018.
The Alan Rogers Campsite of the Year Award
The Alan Rogers Campsite of the Year Award
Séquoia Parc, is just 7 km from the beach (Marennes-Plage). This is a high-quality family campsite in the heart of the Charente-Maritime region, set on the grounds of La Josephtrie, a castle with beautifully restored outbuildings and a courtyard area with a bar and restaurant. Sequoia Park is more a resort than a camping site; mobile homes outnumber pitches 3 to 1; however, both enjoy all the facilities of this fantastic site. On-site, there are 148 touring pitches available, which are divided by established hedging, and all have a good degree of shade; there are four different pitches available, with level 1 just offering a pitch whilst level 4 offers private sanitary facilities. The pitches are between 120 and 140m² with 6/10A electricity connections. The site itself is in a rural location surrounded by forest with no public transport links.
The Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite of the Year Award
The Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite of the Year Award
Camping Nature Parc l’Ardéchois is a very high-quality, family-run site within walking distance of the amenities of Vallon-Pont-d’Arc. It borders the River Ardèche, and hugely popular canoe trips are run directly from the site. The campsite is just 4 km from the famous Pont-d’Arc, a huge limestone arch spanning the river, and its river beach. A drive along the gorge is a must, with spectacular viewpoints.
Progress Award
Progress Award
This award reflects the hard work and commitment undertaken by particular site owners to improve and upgrade their site. Candidates for this award included existing sites which have undergone a far-reaching improvement programme, or campsites which have passed into new ownership and benefited from substantial investment in terms of time and money.
Winner
Sportcamp Woferlgut, a family-run site, is one of the best in Austria. It lies in the village of Bruck at the northern end of the Großglocknerstrasse mountain road in the Hohe Tauern National Park, near the Zeller See. The level grass pitches are marked out by shrubs, and each has 16A metered electricity, water, drainage, cable TV socket and a gas point.
Runner up
This popular site is run in a personal and friendly way. The 200 pitches for touring units (some with hardstandings for larger units) are laid out in small groups, divided by hedges and trees and all with 10A electrical connections. Cars are mostly parked in areas around the perimeter and 100 static caravans, confined to one section of the site, are entirely unobtrusive. Reception, a pleasant, good quality restaurant, bar and a snack bar are grouped around a courtyard-style entrance which is decorated with seasonal flowers. The site has a small outdoor, heated pool (13.5x7 m) with a separate paddling pool and imaginative children’s play equipment. A member of the Holland Tulip Parcs Group.
Welcome Award
Welcome Award
This award takes account of sites offering a particularly friendly welcome and maintaining a friendly ambience throughout readers’ holidays.
Winner
A real haven of peace, located at the shores of Lake Pareloup, the 5-star campsite of Les Genêts has lots in store for your stay in the Aveyron and offers for both families and watersports fanatics. The 163 pitches include 80 grassy, mostly individual pitches for touring units. These are in two areas, one on each side of the entrance lane, divided by hedges, shrubs and trees. All have 6A electricity (waste) water drainage.
Runner up
This popular site is in a quiet location with fantastic views of the dramatic mountains of Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. Neat, orderly and well-maintained, the site is situated in a wide valley just 1 km. from Lake Thun and 1.5 km. from the centre of Interlaken. The English-speaking owners lovingly care for the site and will endeavour to make you feel very welcome.
Innovation Award
Innovation Award
Our Innovation Award acknowledges campsites with creative and original concepts, possibly with features which are unique, and cannot, therefore, be found elsewhere. We have identified innovation both in campsite amenities and also in rentable accommodation.
Winner
Camping Kikopark Playa is a smart site nestling behind protective dunes alongside a Blue Flag beach. There are sets of attractively tiled steps over the dunes or a long boardwalk near the beach bar (suitable for prams and wheelchairs) to take you to the fine white sandy beach and the sea. From the central reception point (where good English is spoken), flat, fine gravel pitches and access roads are divided to the left and right.
Runner up
Plitvice Holiday Resort is a charming campsite situated just a short distance from Croatia's Plitvice Lakes National Park, one of the most spectacular natural wonders. This campsite offers an array of opportunities for relaxation and exploration within the stunning Croatian landscape. There are 99 pitches for touring and are of average size and are on grass or hard ground, with many slightly sloping (levelling blocks useful). Some have partial or full shade, and all have 16A electricity. One of this resort's standout features is its diverse accommodation options. Whether you're an avid camper, an adventure seeker interested in modern treehouse stays, or someone looking for comfort in mobile homes or cosy lake houses, Plitvice Holiday Resort has the perfect accommodation to suit your needs and preferences.
Seaside Award
Seaside Award
This award is made for sites which we feel are particularly suitable for a really excellent seaside holiday.
Winner
Las Dunas is an extensive, impressive and well-organised resort-style site with many on-site activities and an ongoing programme of improvements. The site has direct access to a superb sandy beach stretching for nearly a kilometre, with a windsurfing school and beach bar. There is also a much-used, huge swimming pool, plus a large double pool for children.
Runner up
Ca’Savio is an extensive, family-owned site that is almost 50 years old. It is in the traditional Italian style and is set on a wide, sandy, Blue Flag beach that is safe for swimming. The beach is separated from the pitches by a pleasant open area and a row of bungalows. There are many activities here, some requiring additional payment.
Country Award
Country Award
This award contrasts with our former award and acknowledges sites which are attractively located in delightful, rural locations.
Winner
De Papillon is perhaps one of the best and most enjoyable campsites in the Netherlands. All 245 touring pitches are spacious (120-160 sq.m), all have electricity (4/10/16A), and TV; a further 220 have water and drainage. An impressive, new sanitary block has state-of-the-art equipment and uses green technology. There is a new entertainment centre with an outdoor auditorium for children, and the water play area by the adventure playground and covered, heated pool are among the most imaginative and exciting we have seen, making it ideal for families. The restored heathland area offers opportunities for nature lovers; there is also a large fishing lake and a swimming lake with beach area and activities. A member of Leading Campings group.
Runner up
Located in the Peneda-Gerês National Park amidst spectacular mountain scenery, this excellent, well-run site offers modern facilities in a truly natural area. The national park is home to all manner of flora, fauna and wildlife, including the roebuck, wolf and wild boar. There's plenty of scope in the immediate area for fishing, riding, canoeing, mountain biking and climbing, so outdoorsy types take advantage of the quality mountain hospitality and enjoy the clear, fresh air and activities amidst the dramatic scenery.
All Year Award
All Year Award
This award acknowledges sites which are open all year round.
Winner
A busy site and the only one within Paris, set in a wooded area between the Seine and the Bois de Boulogne. The site is quite extensive but nevertheless becomes very full with many international visitors, with noise well into the night, despite the rules. There are 410 pitches of varying size (including mobile homes) of which 313 are marked, with electricity (10A), water, drainage and TV aerial connections. An improvement and development programme including a new toilet block and restaurant was carried out during the winter of 2014/15. Reservations are made for pitches – if not booked, arrive early in season (mornings).
Runner up
This large, mature site is alongside the main N340/A7 Costa del Sol coast road, 12 km. east of Marbella and 15 km. from Fuengirola. The Costa del Sol is also known as the Costa del Golf and fittingly there is a major golf course alongside the site. The site is set amongst tall pine trees which provide shade for the pitches (there are some huge areas for large units). The 250 touring pitches, a mix of level and sloping (chocks advisable), all have electricity (10A), but long leads may be required for some. There is a separate area on the western side for groups of younger guests.
Family Site Award
Family Site Award
Many sites claim to be family friendly but this award acknowledges the sites we feel to be the very best in this respect.
Winner
This impressive site in the grounds of the Château des Ormes is in the northeast part of Brittany, in an estate of wooded parkland and lakes. With many facilities and a wide range of accommodations such as treehouses, floating cabins, wooden chalets, etc. Of the 696 pitches, 136 are for tourers (most with 6A electricity, some with 16A and their own water and wastewater). They are of varying sizes (80-150 sq.m), and there is a choice of terrain – flat or gently sloping, wooded, walled or open. The rest are occupied by tour operators (560) and mobile homes (120 to rent).
Runner up
Situated in the lovely wooded hills of central Luxembourg, this is a top-quality site with fees to match, but it has everything! A large, central building housing most of the services and amenities opens onto a terrace around an excellent swimming pool complex with a large fun pool and an imaginative water playground. This peaceful area has many excellent walking and cycle trails, and day trips to Luxembourg, Vianden Castle and the Mosel Valley are accessible from here.
Small Campsite Award
Small Campsite Award
This award acknowledges excellent small campsites (fewer than 150 pitches) which offer a friendly welcome and top quality amenities.
Winner
A charming site amongst the olive trees, set high on a hill to catch cool summer breezes. Matilde, the daughter of the Martin-Rodriguez family, and her husband run this site with enthusiasm and hard work, and visiting here is a delightful experience. Everything is immaculately kept with excellent amenities and standards.
Runner up
Situated in the mature grounds of an old hunting lodge, later an arboretum, le Haras is a rather special site. Well managed and well kept, with plenty of lush vegetation, it is tucked away in this corner of Languedoc-Roussillon, barely 10 km from the coastal resorts of Saint-Cyprien and Argelès-Sur-Mer and offers wonderful views of the snow-capped Pyrenees. The village centre is just a few minutes walk and is famed for traditional glass making, featured on the site. It's a comfortable site popular with British visitors wishing to explore the beautiful Catalan coast and highlights like Banyuls and Collioure, perhaps hopping over the border to Spain (20 km away).
Video Award
Video Award
This award reflects sites which have invested significantly in innovative video content and production.
Winner
Camping la Roche Posay is set in eight hectares and has direct access to the Creuse river on which fishing and canoes are popular. There are over 200 pitches, of which 85 are used for mobile homes to rent. Access around the site is good for larger units. The pitches are all large and 10A electricity is available. This is a good, well run site by the helpful owners John and Angela who are British. There is a sense of spaciousness where you can relax in a convivial atmosphere. Many different types of trees offer a mix of shade and the site is pleasantly landscaped.
Runner up
The Château des Marais campsite is a good base for visiting the château at Chambord and the other châteaux in the Vallée des Rois. The site, providing 115 large touring pitches in avenues, all with electricity (10A), access to water and drainage and ample shade, is situated in the oak and hornbeam woods of its own attractive, small château. Twenty-five designated motorhome pitches are on hardstanding and grass. An excellent swimming complex offers pools with two slides, two flumes and a lazy river. There is an on-site tourism office where bookings can be made. Used by a UK tour operator. There is also a pizzeria separate to the main bar and restaurant.
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