Neptune

Le Neptune is located in Saint-Mitre-les-Remparts, in the Bouches-du-Rhône, on the shore of the Étang de Berre between Istres and Martigues, a few minutes from the Côte Bleue and its calanques. The campsite is rated 3 stars and has direct access to Massane beach, a supervised sandy beach. The address, Allée Gustave Eiffel, is served by two bus lines (the 25 to Miramas and Martigues, the 29 to Istres); the Côte Bleue train line goes to Marseille.

The campsite covers 3.5 hectares and offers about fifty mobile homes for rent, 55 marked pitches of over 100 m² and 15 shaded pitches under a pine grove. There are five mobile home models from 25 to 38 m², most of them air-conditioned, including a 35 m² model for guests with reduced mobility. The atmosphere is described as calm and family-friendly.

As for the calendar, the answer is clear: the website states that the campsite is open all year round, with no closure period mentioned. In the off-season, from September to June, reception is open in the morning from 11am to 12:30pm and in the late afternoon from 5:30pm to 7:30pm; in summer it is open from 10am to 12:30pm and from 3pm to 8:30pm. Rentals run by the week, from Friday to Friday, Saturday to Saturday or Sunday to Sunday. The website gives no details about heating in the rental accommodation, nor about any specific welcome for workers on long stays.

Le Palace cinema in Martigues, Royal Kids indoor play park (ages 0 to 12), walks in the nearby pine grove and on Massane beach.

Comfort here relies on practical facilities rather than a large leisure park. Two washroom blocks are adapted for guests with reduced mobility, a coin-operated laundry is available and a service area takes motorhomes. The campsite sells bread, newspapers, camping equipment and bags of ice cubes at the shop, while a neighbouring convenience store, La Plage de Massane, completes the supplies. Wifi is free at reception and paid across the rest of the site.

The mobile homes have a fitted kitchen with a fridge, a shower cubicle, storage, a bench seat, televisions and a covered or open terrace. Household linen, towels and bed sheets are not provided. A deposit of €400 and another of €100 are requested on arrival, and an online booking fee of €10 applies.

The pool and its terrace, overlooking the Étang de Berre, are open from 1 June to the end of September, or even into October depending on the weather: they are therefore not available in winter, nor is the paillote, a snack bar open in summer from 4pm to 10pm. The supervised Massane beach is right next to the site. Non-dangerous dogs are allowed if vaccinated and kept on a lead. Payment is accepted by card, cheque, holiday vouchers, bank transfer or cash.

On site, children have a large play area with a slide, swings and mini-golf, while older ones gather around volleyball, table tennis and pétanque. In summer, a partner runs the entertainment: champions’ walls, a giant maze, shows and human table football; the weekly programme is posted at reception.

Massane beach is good for swimming and for trying windsurfing, canoeing or fishing. A nearby pine grove is ideal for walks, and reception provides hiking routes and brochures about the region.

Around the campsite there is no shortage of ideas for children: the Indian Forest adventure course in Martigues, Dinosaur’Istres in Saint-Mitre, the Hissého play area, or the Le Palace cinema, a 9-screen multiplex in Martigues. Royal Kids, a 1,000 m² indoor play park for ages 0 to 12, is a refuge when the weather turns. Further afield in Provence: Jetski Aventure, Magic Park Land, the Bois des Lutins, the La Barben zoo and the château of Les Baux-de-Provence.