The south of France has so much going for it that Billy Foley can't fathom why more of us don't head there for our holidays. He and his family had just about the perfect break in Frejus
THE Cote D'Azur didn't get its name by accident. When elsewhere the sky is grey, the south-eastern coast of France between St Tropez and the Italian border will be blue.
It is such a magnificent part of the world that you wonder why even more tourists don't descend on its beaches in the summer.
Sure, Spain has its charms, but in the main it's too hot and its resorts too leery.
The Cote D'Azur has a bit more class about it. For instance, St Tropez, it seems, is losing some of the celebrity crowd to Ibiza. The modern movie, music and sports stars like an all-night party and St Tropez likes to keep noise to a minimum.
Thus the party set, who have been bringing their large cheque books to St Tropez since Bridget Bardot made it famous in the 1960s, have taken the hump and moved off. Happy days, I say: there's more beach left for us.
I suspect that the common objections to France were three-fold - it was regarded as expensive, not hot enough and with too little English spoken.
Obviously millions of Irish and Britons travel to France every year; tens of thousands have holiday homes there. Yet, as a tourist destination from these islands, it's still way behind Spain and I can't understand why.
Let's take those complaints - which might have made some sense 30 years ago. First, the south of France is not expensive, at least not more expensive than any other Mediterranean resort. One of the 'successes' of the EU is that a beer and a pizza appear to be the same price everywhere now.
Second, we're just back from a Eurocamp holiday at La Baume in Frejus and for 12 days the temperature was in the high-20s. Perfection, I'd say - and so would your doctor in these days of skin cancer fears. Finally - certainly there is less English spoken in France than in the Spanish resorts but that is a good thing. It makes you feel like you've been away from home.
So now that we're decided on France, it's a case of sorting out the accommodation. We were guests of Eurocamp at La Baume just outside Frejus. I've stayed in a number of parcs now in France and Italy and I'd say La Baume is about as close to perfection as you're going to get.
Principally holiday parcs fall into three categories. There's the small intimate parcs where you will see the same faces at the kids clubs, in the restaurant and around the pool. They tend to be good places to meet people and have a more laid-back atmosphere.
Then there are the super resorts, parcs as big as towns. Sure, they're a little more impersonal but you get the benefit in the facilities. There'll be multiple pool sites, tremendous sports facilities, multiple restaurants, free shows and every kind of twisty-turny slide a nine-year-old dreams off.
La Baume fits in the middle of this. It's large enough to have the facilities but it's not overwhelming. In the main activity section there's an efficient 24-hour reception, shop, bar, pizza takeaway and an outdoor auditorium where the entertainment crew put on shows in the evenings. There are also three outdoor pools, two indoor pool and a child's activity water area, plus the ubiquitous slides.
Behind this is a skate board park where the teenagers hang out and a play park for younger children.
At the other end of the park - about a 15 minute walk - there's another pool, a bar, a restaurant and the sports centre. There's an excellent astro-turf football pitch, four tennis courts, two beach-volley ball courts, a couple of basketball courts and a half-dozen outdoor table tennis tables.
When you get a bit bored of the pool, you've got the glories of the south of France on your doorstep. The beach at Frejus is about 10kms away and is excellent. Parking is very reasonable ( E 4 per day) and there are plenty of beach-side cafes to lunch in.
Whether you're got a hire car or are relying on public transport there are many options if you are feeling more adventurous. One of our evening discussions was trying to decide which was better for the following day's trip - St Tropez or Cannes. How bad? Both are about an hour along achingly beautiful coast roads.
About the same driving time (but on the motorway) are the joys of Nice and the opulence of Monaco, or if the temperatures are creeping up to 30C, there's always a drive back up into the hills into cooler air. The spectacular Gorge du Verdon (which sells itself as France's Grand Canyon) is about 90 minutes away. It's a wonderful drive and perfect for adrenalin junkies with bungee jumps and white water rafting, but beware the roads if you have small children. It's windy and slow and you might hear a 'my tummy is sore' from the back seat.
Speaking of the children, it should be said that one of the reasons we chose La Baume was because it has the full range of Eurocamp children's clubs. This is a highlight of the holiday for us and the children. They love the activities and we love a few hours a day to ourselves.
The kids clubs generally run from 10am to 12pm and 4pm to 6pm. At La Baume the Eurocamp clubs are divided into Mini-Fun Station (under 5), Leo's Fun Station (4-6), Mac's (6-9) and the Station (9-12).
A lot of parcs also have their own children's club but we have found the Eurocamp version superior - just like the south of France.
nFAB FACILITIES: Slip sliding away at one of La Baume's two main outdoor swimming pools