Skip to Content

Les Alicourts Canvas Holidays REVIEW

Les Alicourts Canvas Holidays REVIEW

I’ve always been sceptical of large holiday parks. They’re designed to keep people on site, with so many activities that families don’t have the time or need to explore the surrounding culture and landscape. As a family, we’ve always shied away from such places, preferring to venture away from organised fun and find our own adventures. But our recent experience of Les Alicourts with Canvas Holidays, one of the largest holiday parks in the Loire Valley, has swayed my view and made me realise that there is definitely a time and place for them.

Canvas Holidays provided us with a complimentary five night stay at Les Alicourts in return for this review and coverage on my blog. As always, these are all my own words and opinions. This post contains affiliate links. Should you click to purchase it is at no extra cost to you, although I receive a small commission.

It was coming to the end of the summer holidays, and we had been road tripping around France and Spain with our tent for the past 3.5 weeks. Such an incredible trip; trekking the Pyrenees, dancing to Catalan music, exploring medieval forts, and swimming in the Atlantic surf. But the idea of staying in one place for a while, with everything we needed on our doorstep, including an array of super fun activities for our 4 and 5 year old boys (and kids club!)… sounded quite a novelty.

So when Canvas asked if we would like to stay at Les Alicourts, one of their biggest family campsites in France, we jumped at the chance. I went on the Canvas website and showed the boys photos of the waterpark, playground, lake, and listed all the activities to them. Their faces lit up like Christmas! There was no way I could turn down this opportunity. And anyway we had visited the chateaux of the Loire as a family before, so that certainly removed any guilt of not leaving the site. It would be a perfect end to our summer adventures.

Click here to book Les Alicourts with Canvas.

Our Canvas accommodation

We stayed in a spacious Moda Plus three bed. This static mobile home has everything you need; dishwasher, fridge-freezer, oven, microwave, large Bluetooth speaker, two showers, two toilets. Towels and linen can be provided at an additional cost. There is also a lovely shady decking area with outdoor seating and a BBQ, as well as a small (rather parched) lawn for the kids to play. Surrounding hedges provide some privacy. And despite it being such a large park with so much going on, our spot was blissfully quiet.

a Moda Plus three bed static mobile home

It’s a good idea to pack some essentials for your first 24 hours on site, to save you having to go to the supermarket. Suggestions include toilet paper, milk, tea bags, bread and wine, as well as washing up liquid, a tea towel, and a scrubber. Or even better, do a shop before you arrive at either Super U or Intermarche, both a twenty minute drive away. There is a supermarket onsite if your forget anything, but you pay considerably more for convenience and the shelves were rather bare when we popped in, though it was right at the end of the season.

However, the big thing missing from our Moda Plus was air conditioning. It had been a long drive from Ile d’Oleron and we arrived to Les Alicourts late afternoon to 35 degree heat. The mobile home was like an oven, with only a standing fan to push around the hot air. A cold shower soon cooled us down after unpacking and we started a routine of keeping all curtains and windows shut during the day to keep the accommodation cool and this did the trick to a certain extent. Canvas do have mobile homes with air conditioning though, and if we were to visit again, I would definite book one of these instead.

The Moda Home Plus is advertised to sleep eight people. However, with three bedrooms (a double, twin, and single) it only comfortably sleeps five. I believe the single bedroom can be made into a twin if required, and the sofa in the living room can be turned into a double bed.

The site and facilities

The landscaping and design around the site is beautiful, the grand reception entrance alone is very impressive. Buildings are made from natural woods, tall trees provide welcome shade, and the expansive man-made lake provides and stunning focal point.

boys stood on sandy beach by lake

There is a lovely flow to the site, but due to the size I recommend bringing scooters for the kids (and adults!) to get around easily. My husband did a run around the perimeter of the site and it is just over one mile!

You will find everything you need on site; a supermarket, restaurant, take away, and bar. There’s also a fitness centre on site and spa, which could be nicely timed with the Canvas kids club that takes place daily at 10:30am and 4pm every day for 1.5 hours.

Activities at Les Alicourts

There is so much to do at Les Alicourts for all ages, and you will find more than enough to do during a one week stay, or longer. All activities are booked and paid for at the Activity Desk in the Activity shop, although the kids club, water park, and lake swimming is all free.

Canvas Holidays Kids Club

There is a kids club run by Les Alicourts on site. However, there is also a separate Canvas Holidays kids club which is exceptionally well run. We were visiting right at the end of the season, and I was so impressed with the energy and professionalism of the kids club staff.

There are four separate age groups, with activities set for late morning and late afternoon. Our boys went in the 4-7 age group and they had an absolute blast! Lots of sports, adventuring, silly songs, and crazy crafts.

Les Alicourts Waterpark

We visited this waterpark every single day of our visit. It is absolutely brilliant, albeit EXTREMELY busy. There are slides galore, a sunken pirate ship, an outdoor wave pool, and heated indoor pool. Lifeguards are rarely seen, and if they are around their attention is very lax, so watch your kids at all times.

The two big water slides have a height restriction, although this is completely ignored, much to the relief of our adventurous four-year-old. There is also a covered section, which is handy if visiting in those cooler months.

undercover kids playground

The lake

The central, man-made lake is a beautiful spot of an evening or first thing in the morning, though this gets very busy during the day. There are designated areas for swimming, and water sports (canoeing, pedaloes, water skiing) and the sandy beach is perfect for castle building.

Other activities

Away from the watersports on the lake, there is also:

  • Fishing
  • Football
  • Badminton
  • Table Tennis
  • Boules
  • Gym
  • Volleyball
  • Pool tables
  • Mini-golf (plus a separate 9-hole pitch and putt)
  • Pedal karts

And there are two fantastic playgrounds.

playground

Getting to Les Alicourts from the UK

Les Alicourts is a five hour drive from Calais, or a four hour drive from Le Harve or Caen ferry terminals. Alternatively, fly to Tours airport and hire a car to drive the 1 hour 45 minutes to Les Alicourts.

Things to do near Les Alicourts

If you do manage to tear your kids away from the on site activities at Les Alicourts, make sure you visit one of the family friendly châteaux in the Loire Valley. There are also some great cycle tracks in the region (ask in reception for a map), or get spooked in the nearby Beaugency Maze. There is also a lovely quiet stream further up the road from the entrance, which is a nice spot to paddle.

Final thoughts on Les Alicourts with Canvas Holidays

This is not the place to come if you don’t like crowds and you’re looking for a relaxing, cultural holiday. Les Alicourts gets extremely busy in the high season and is also situated in the wrong area of the Loire Valley to easily explore the many chateaux.

But this is the place if you want on tap entertainment for your kids and an easy holiday in the one location. It’s brilliant fun for kids aged 4+ and the Canvas kids club is excellent. It’s not necessarily our cup of tea, but it was A LOT of fun and we reckon we’ll be back in our Mazda Bongo!

Les Alicourts is also a good stopover to break up the journey to the Dordogne or the South Coast, which is exactly what We’re going on an Adventure did.


You may also like to read:
Family road trip itinerary through France and Spain
Best Châteaux to visit in the Loire Valley with kids
Essential tips for visiting Puy du Fou with kids