Although the cove isn’t the same as Plage de La Mine, it is great for a walk and explore.

 The path can be picked up on the right hand side when you are walking down to Plage de La Mine by following the new signs.

The signs take you along a nice wide path which runs through the forest:

Before emerging out at the cove down some newly constructed steps:

Although the cove isn’t a typical Vendee Holiday beach with miles of golden sand, it does offer an opportunity for sunbathing when the tide is out and a chance to walk along the beach and explore the rock pools when the tide is in!

We are still taking bookings for summer 2012. 

Give us a call on 0044 1942 602104 or get in touch by email:

info@thomasjamesholidays.co.uk

A new climbing rope frame has arrived on Camping L’Oceano D’Or in Jard Sur Mer just in time for the summer season starting! Along with the pirate ship i’m sure the climbing frame will provide hours of fun!

We are still taking bookings for summer 2012. 

Give us a call on 0044 1942 602104 or get in touch by email: info@thomasjamesholidays.co.uk

Special Offers 2012

All offers are for three bedroomed mobile homes without decking unless stated.

• 12th-17th June (5 nights)  Semi Covered Deck Save £52 Was £177 Now £125  

• 18th-23rd June (5 nights)  Decking Save £57 Was £167 Now £110 

• 23rd-30th June (7 nights) Save £100 Was £299 Now £199 

• 15th-21st July (6 nights) Save £150 Was £599 Now £449

• 17th-28th July (11 nights) Save £155 Was £1055 Now £900

• 22nd-28th July (6 nights) Save £150 Was £599 Now £449

Please email specialoffers@thomasjamesholidays.co.uk 

 or contact us via the ‘contact us’ page or telephone us on 0044 (0) 1942 602104 quoting ‘special offers’

We are still taking bookings for summer 2012.  Book now to ensure you can get the special offer you want ! Give us a call on 01942 602104 or get in touch by email: specialoffers@thomasjamesholidays.co.uk

Located 20 km from the Vendee mainland, the island is accessed by boat or by flying to the islands small airport. 

The fast ferries leave regularly from Fromentine (before you reach Noirmoutier) taking just over an hour and in the summer months from St Gilles Croix de Vie and Noirmoutier. If you wanted to take your car or travel at a more leisurely pace a daily car ferry also runs between Fromentine and the island.

It is a relatively small, rugged and picturesque island being 10km by 4km at its widest points, and has a winter a population of 5000, which rises quite considerably in the summer when the tourists and holiday makers arrive! 

The main town of the island, and also the port by which you will arrive if you take the ferry, is Port Joinville. Being the main port on the island Joinville is a busy place with cafes, bars, restaurants and shops lining the quayside.  Not to mention the many fishing boats bringing in their catches of tuna and lobster, for which the island is renowned for.

It is also the best place to sort out bike hire, or if you wish car hire to explore the island’s small roads and pathways. By far the best way to explore is by bike, the island has a few marked cycle routes but maps are readily available allowing you to make your own itinerary to visit the islands sandy bays, chapels and castle.

Port de la Meule is the other port on the island, it is a small harbour housing a few small fishing boats with a natural rocky inlet and makes for a nice cycle from Port Joinville if you are visiting the island on a day trip. There are also a couple of cafes set up along the way if you fancy a drink or something to eat.

The island is steeped in history with neolithic markings having been found on a number of stones and the island was occupied by monks during the tenth century. It also has an impressive castle built on rocks alongside the island. The ‘Vieux-chateau de I’le d’Yeu’ was built to protect the island from foreign invasion and was put to the test in 1550 when the Spanish tried to take the island but ended up retreating back into the sea.

The island also has a great number of beaches and hidden coves, which are fantastic for swimming and sun bathing!

We are still taking bookings for summer 2012.  Book now to ensure you can spend a day on Ile d’Yeu this summer! Give us a call on 01942 602104 or get in touch by email: info@thomasjamesholidays.co.uk

Enjoy the video!

We are taking bookings for summer 2012.  Book now to ensure you can spend a day at Puy Du Fou this summer! Give us a call on 01942 602104 or get in touch by email: info@thomasjamesholidays.co.uk

Visitors to the Vendee islands often describe them as being like stepping back in time, as well as having a more relaxed pace of life.

Ile de Re is situated off the coast by La Rochelle. It is 30km long and 5km wide and consists of ten small communes (villages), fine sandy beaches, ports, pine forests and salt marshes.

The island is UNESCO protected, with the villages having 17^th Century cobbled streets and whitewashed cottages. It has a strict policy on building and development which has helped to conserve the character and charm of the island.

Access to the island is either by boat or via the 2.9km toll bridge, completed in 1988, which links the island to La Rochelle.  The toll for a car is €9 between 12^th Sept and 19^th June, and €16.50 between the 20^th June and 11^th Sept. A bus service also runs from La Rochelle centre and is a cheaper way of getting to the island if you don’t want to take the car.

The best way to explore Ile de Re is by parking up the car and hiring a bike from one of the many bike shops situated all over the island. During the building of the bridge the island council decided to improve access and constructed 100km of cycle tracks. Most of these are excellent tracks and are for cyclers and walkers only meaning you don’t have to worry about traffic so are great if you are with the children!

As is usual along the Vendee coast the island enjoys a mild climate and is known for its production of ‘fleur de sel’ (flower of salt) in its many salt beds located throughout the island, as well as for its oysters beds and fresh fish.

The main port and capitol of the island is Saint Martin-de-Re. It’s a lively bustling place with a nice boat filled harbour and an array of beautiful and chic shops more akin to Paris than an island! However this does mean prices are a little on the steep side if you fancy a shopping spree.

Two villages on the island received an award for being on a list of ‘the 151 most beautiful villages in France’; Ars-en-Re and La Flotte-en-re. La Flotte has two fortifications within the town; ‘Fort de la Pree’ built in 1626 was used by the French against the English during an attempted invasion of the island in the 17^th Century led by the Duke of Buckingham. The second and older fortification is an abbey ‘L’Abbaye des Chateliers’ was built by Cistercian monks in the 12^th Century.

The best beaches on the island are situated on the southern edge and around the islands western tip, we think there are two contenders for the best beach if you head to either ‘Le-Bois-Plage-En-Re’ or ‘St Clement Les Baleines’ both have long stretches of sandy beach and lots going on. The beaches on the north of the island are great for rock pooling being more rocky than sandy.

We are taking bookings for summer 2012.  Book now to ensure you can spend a day on Ile De Re this summer! Give us a call on 01942 602104 or get in touch by email: info@thomasjamesholidays.co.uk

We will make sure it is up before you arrive on the campsite, and after your stay it is yours to take home!

S

Easy to assemble,

Single layer construction,

Waterproof polyester,

Weight 1.6 kg,

Assembled Dimensions: 200 x 150 x 100cm

Folded Dimensions: 60 x 9 x 9 cm

*not for sleeping in

We are now taking bookings for 2012.  Book now to ensure you can buy one of our adventure dome tents! Give us a call on 01942 602104 or get in touch by email: info@thomasjamesholidays.co.uk

For 2012 we have purchased some semi-covered terraces!

Half the terrace is uncovered and half covered with a canopy.

We think these will be a great and popular addition to our mobile homes at only £50 a week and early booking is recommended to ensure you can get one!

We are now taking bookings for 2012.  Book now to ensure you can reserve a mobile home with a semi-covered terrace! Give us a call on 01942 602104 or get in touch by email: info@thomasjamesholidays.co.uk

We are now taking bookings for 2012.  Give us a call on 01942 602104 or get in touch by email: info@thomasjamesholidays.co.uk

I have been away for the last few weeks so apologies for the lack of posts recently.

With all the rain the UK seems to be having at the moment, I thought I’d blog about something that includes lots of pictures of sunny beaches!

One question we often get asked is regarding the beaches in the local area. Luckily in Jard Sur Mer we have several fantastic blue flag beaches very close by to Camping L’Oceano D’Or. So I thought I would run through the nearby beaches to give you an idea of where to go and remind you of that summer sun!

The two nearest beaches to the L’Oceano D’Or are Plage De Boisvinet, and Plage du Pe du Canon. Both are great beaches for sunbathing and swimming and for exploring the rock pools at low tide. Plage Du Boisvinet is a sandy and rocky beach, which has a lifeguard on in the high season.

Next to the Plage Du Boisvinet is the Plage Du Grand Boisvinet, a really large section of coastline which caters mostly for windsurfers and kite surfers and is well worth a look on a windy day to see the locals in action.

.

Next to the harbour is Plage Du Pe Du Canon, this again is a sandy beach and during the summer is where various organised activities and events are held such as volleyball and beach football. There are also large trampolines with bungees on and a small swimming pool offering beginner swimming lessons for toddlers, although the beach isn’t lifeguarded there are toilets and washing facilities located underneath the harbour office.

The third beach in Jard just along the coastline and around five minutes drive from L’Oceano D’Or is Plage De La Mine, this is a great sandy cove which is great for sunbathing and swimming. A lifeguard patrols in high season and there is a takeaway/café and a shop selling beach toys. Plenty of parking is available nearby in the woods, and if you don’t fancy taking the car a bus runs regularly from outside the Church in Jard (around the corner from L’Oceano D’Or) to the beach. It also makes a nice cycle from Camping L’Oceano D’Or (around fifteen/twenty minutes) with a cycle path for most of the way and plenty of parking for bikes at the entrance to the beach.

Further down the coast from Jard Sur Mer is Longville Sur Mer which has two great beaches, the nearest one is Plage Du Rocher. This is a great sandy beach, which you get to by walking through a small selection of shops (mostly beachy things) and a couple of restaurants. During August the local pompiers (fire service) organise a big firework display on the beach which is worth watching if you happen to be on holiday at the time.

Plage Des Conches is also in Longville, just a bit further down the road. This is a really long expanse of sandy beach. After driving through the forest you arrive at a big car park and a small walk over the dunes leads you to the beach. This is a great beach for swimming, sunbathing, body boarding and surfing. There are a couple of surf schools and hire shops are on the beach during the season. The beach is lifeguarded and has a café and a takeaway, but does get busy during the high season!

La Tranche Sur Mer has several beaches-Plage des Generelles, Plage Clemenceau and Plage Centrale to name a few however as they are all situated next to each other it is effectively one really long beach. Kitesurfing, windsurfing, paddle boarding and surfing are all really popular activities from these beaches. There are a few schools and hire shops before you get to the beach should you fancy trying your hand at the various water sports on offer. All the beaches have life guard patrols, shops, cafes, restaurants and there are several big parking areas in La Tranche.

Further up the coast from Jard Sur Mer, and a town that most people pass through on the way to Camping L’Oceano D’Or is Talmont St Hilaire. The two beaches in Talmont are the Plage de Port Bourgenay and Plage De Veillon. Port Brourgenay is a pretty little harbour with a couple of shops and restaurants and the small beach is alongside the port. Canoe hire is available from here, should you be feeling energetic.

Plage de Veillon is the main beach in Talmont, and reached by heading towards Port Bourgenay. This beach is a large expanse of sand situated on a peninsula. Access is through the pine forest and there is plenty of free parking both on the road and there is a large car park at the end of the road. There is also a car park where you have to pay available. On the road leading up to the beach there is a great place for kids which offers crazy golf, bouncy castles, slides and play things which only costs a couple of euros to get in.

When you reach the beach it is divided into two, one half is allocated for swimmers and sunbathers. This area is lifeguarded and has a restaurant and café, as well as a surf school. The other half of the beach is given over to kite surfers and surfers is great place to just sit and watch on a windy day! This really popular beach is lifeguarded, has toilets and also the forest behind offers some great walks.

Hopefully that has given you an idea of the beaches in and near to Jard Sur Mer. I’ll cover some more great beaches in the Vendee that are a bit farther away from Camping L’Oceano D’Or in a future blog!

Now taking bookings for 2012.  Give us a call on 01942 602104 or get in touch by email: info@thomasjamesholidays.co.uk