L’Ambois

L’Ambois is in Mouilleron-le-Captif, in the Vendée, about five minutes by car from the centre of La Roche-sur-Yon and the Place Napoléon. The site covers 7 hectares, 3.5 of them landscaped, in open countryside. The Vendée beaches are about thirty minutes away, the Puy du Fou about forty, and a cycle path passes 150 m from the entrance.

The campsite is rated 4 stars and holds the Home Vélo, Qualité Tourisme and Clef Verte labels, with a partnership with the LPO for bird protection. It has 71 pitches, only three of them rented by the night, and a rental fleet of about 70 units: 48 mobile homes, 18 chalets and 2 gîtes, with one to three bedrooms, including a mobile home adapted for guests with reduced mobility.

As for opening, the campsite says it welcomes guests all year round. The good season runs from April to September, with high season from 4 July to 30 August. From September to June, it offers its accommodation for long stays to students and to people with an employment contract, for example for training in the sector, a transfer or while they find housing. The leisure facilities, however, mostly operate in summer.

The website highlights a family atmosphere, a mini farm and a water area, in a quiet setting a stone’s throw from a prefecture.

The cycle path passes 150 m from the campsite, and La Roche-sur-Yon, with its shops and training offer, is five minutes away by car.

Reception is open all year round, with hours that vary by period: in high season, every day from 8:30am to 12:30pm and from 3pm to 7:30pm; from October to the end of March, Monday to Friday from 9:30am to 12:30pm and from 3pm to 6pm, with no cover at weekends. A member of staff lives on site and watches over the grounds day and night; an automatic barrier opens only with the tenants’ badge, and video surveillance completes the system.

During the summer school holidays, several services are added: a snack bar serving pizzas and burgers to eat in or take away (open in July and August only), a bar with Vendée craft beers and Troussepinette, a small convenience shop, ice cream, a bread and pastry drop-off on order the day before, wifi, a safe at reception and the loan of an iron or vacuum cleaner. The laundry room, with two coin-operated washing machines and two dryers, the communal barbecues, the lending of books and board games and bike hire are mentioned in the same list.

The water area has a heated outdoor pool, a heated indoor pool, a heated paddling pool and a jacuzzi. The site says it is open between May and September, as a guide and subject to weather or technical constraints: the indoor pool is therefore not guaranteed in the depths of winter, so check before booking.

The campsite caters well for families. The multisport court is used for football, basketball, handball or badminton, and there is also a pétanque court, table tennis tables (bats and balls lent at reception), an outdoor fitness area, trampolines, inflatables, a giant chess board and a pedal kart track. The mini farm is home to ponies, a donkey, an alpaca, sheep, goats, hens and ducks; the paid pony rides run from 1 July to 31 August.

In July and August, a kids’ club for 3 to 12 year olds runs creative and nature workshops in the morning, such as den building, then Olympics and tournaments in the afternoon. In the evening, one event follows another: disco, karaoke or guitar-oke with mussels and chips on Thursdays, bingo, blind test, themed nights and pool party. A pétanque tournament takes place every week.

Around the campsite, the cycle path 150 m away makes it possible to ride through the Vendée, which the Home Vélo label recognises. La Roche-sur-Yon offers shops, markets and nature outings, the beaches are about thirty minutes away and the Puy du Fou about forty. Off-season, what matters most is the proximity of the town, for students and employees on long stays alike.