Le Noir Rupt

Camping JP Vacances is located in Le Tholy, in the Vosges, about a kilometre from the village centre and around ten kilometres from Gérardmer. It is rated 4 stars and run by a couple of owners who welcome both campers and holidaymakers in rental accommodation.

The site has 86 shaded, tree-lined pitches of 90 to 150 m², half of them on terraces with views of the Vosges massif, as well as 12 chalets for 4, 6 or 8 people. Two modern washroom blocks provide plenty of hot water, and a baby room with a bath and changing table is provided for infants.

Opening: the pitches for tents, caravans and motorhomes operate from May 1 to September 30. The chalets, however, are available all year round: the official website describes a campsite open in summer and in winter and devotes an entire page to cold-season stays. The chalets have heating and an electric fireplace, making it possible to stay near the slopes in winter.

Off-season, the target clientele is snow holidaymakers: downhill skiing is available in Gérardmer about ten minutes away, with cross-country skiing and snowshoeing at Les Bas-Rupts. In summer, the heated pool and the entertainment take over.

Downhill skiing at Gérardmer, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing at Les Bas-Rupts about 10 minutes away, Christmas markets in Gérardmer and an ice rink in town.

Services change with the season. All year round, the chalets are fully equipped and furnished, with a kitchenette, fridge, oven, crockery, hot water, heating and an electric fireplace; bed linen and household linen are not supplied but can be hired, as can the high chair and baby cot. A laundry room with washing machines and tumble dryers is coin-operated, and wifi covers about 80% of the site, in the form of paid packages by the day, week or fortnight. A cleaning package of 50 euros is available for the chalets.

The heated pool measures 15 m by 10 m, with a depth of 0.35 to 2.2 m, a sun terrace, sun loungers, parasols and a children’s play area. It is open from late May to mid-September, from 10am to 6pm. A sauna can be booked from May to September, for a maximum of three people, at 10 euros per half hour.

In July and August, a bar serves pizzas, chips, snacks and drinks to eat in or take away, as well as bread, baguettes and croissants in the morning with breakfast on site, from July 6 to August 22 in the advertised period. A television and meeting room with a large screen is open from June to September. These bar and room services are therefore summer ones: off-season, it is best to plan your shopping in the village.

On site, a free tennis court can be used all year round, except when snow gets in the way. There is also a free-access fitness area with four machines, a table tennis table, a skittles game, a petanque court and a badminton area, with racket hire. A modern play area welcomes children, and a free horse-drawn carriage ride is organised on Wednesdays in summer.

Hikers and mountain bikers set off directly from the campsite on waymarked routes, notably those of the Club Vosgien, to the Tendon waterfalls and the Trou de l’Enfer. Nearby there is fishing 200 m away, horse riding 300 m away, a multisport area with a skatepark 500 m away and water sports on Lake Gérardmer.

In winter, the neighbouring resorts offer around 40 km of downhill ski slopes at Gérardmer, as well as at La Bresse and Ventron, and about thirty kilometres of waymarked cross-country trails at Les Bas-Rupts, over 100 km in total across the nearby resorts. Gérardmer also has a swimming pool, spa, ice rink and bowling alley, and Christmas markets take place in Gérardmer, Plombières and Alsace. All year round, the Alsace wine route, Colmar, Strasbourg and the Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg can be explored on a day trip.