Review of Campings Capfun La Route Blanche holiday park, Bréville-sur-Mer, Normandy

This Campings Capfun La Route Blanche holiday park review is entirely my own opinion and not paid for or endorsed in any way.

After a fairly successful group trip to Bluestone last year, my partner and I decided that we would try taking our kids abroad for a family holiday in 2023. Obviously with six of us flights become very expensive, so we opted to drive to France taking the ferry. I’m afraid I let my partner take the lead on selecting the destination primarily because I have absolutely no knowledge of what to look for, having not taken my kids out the country since my smallest was 10 months old and swearing (for good reason) I’d never do it again.

While researching, he came across a group of French holiday camps called Campings Capfun, which looked similar to John Fowler or Haven, offering family holidays in caravans/lodges with an onsite swimming pool, restaurant etc.

The Campings Capfun La Route Blanche holiday campsite in Bréville-sur-Mer was about 1.5 hours drive from the port at Cherbourg, and one kilometre from the beach. There wasn’t a great deal of information available – at least not in English – but even with the cost of the ferry thrown in it worked out a lot cheaper than the British equivalent so we booked it.

Bréville-sur-Mer: Capfun La Route Blanche holiday park review

Capfun at La Route Blanche in Bréville-sur-Mer, Normandy is a fairly small holiday park providing lodge accommodation aimed at families. There is a lot of play equipment for children dotted about the park, a large field containing big bouncy castles at one end, and of course the water park right in the middle. The water park has one entrance and to get in or out, you need to lift up a lock which is too high for young kids to reach so the park is really safe to let kids run around.

There’s a restaurant/bar, a laundry room and a very small shop where you can order in croissants, pain au chocolate and baguettes to pick up the following morning.

The accommodation at Campings Capfun La Route Blanche

We opted for a Super Family Tip Top Presta lodge which is meant to house eight people. The lodges are really timber-clad static caravans. In the lodge there are two double rooms and two twin rooms, two toilets and two showers (although not enough water pressure to use both showers at once!), a small kitchenette, a table and small seating area inside and a larger table in a covered outdoor decking area.

The holidays at Capfun run from Saturday to Saturday or Sunday to Sunday however we had to arrive a day late which meant that it’s likely the position of our accommodation – overlooking the water park right in the centre of the camp – was among the least popular. Personally I would have preferred to be in a quieter spot however I imagine these are handed out on a first come first served basis and it was fine; it did the job.

The Super Family Tip Top Presta accommodation at the Capfun La Route Blanche holiday park

The Super Family Tip Top Presta lodge came with a with a gas-powered hob, a microwave, a dishwasher (so remember to take dishwasher tablets), a fridge freezer and a filter coffee machine. There were also pots, pans, plates, cutlery, glasses etc. On our first day we made a trip to the supermarket around 15 minutes drive away to stock up with snacks, wine, cheese and a few meals that we could cook on the hob as eating out all holiday gets very expensive.

There are barbecues that you can rent but if you’re in the centre accommodation, there is nowhere to use a disposable barbecue safely as your outside area is shared with other people. You can also order croissants, pain au chocolate and baguettes from the shop which are delivered fresh each day which is a blinding way to start each day of a holiday in my opinion.

The bedrooms in the Campings Capfun lodges are pretty small.

And by ‘pretty small’ I mean tiny. At one end was a slightly larger double room with just enough space to walk around the bed and next to it, a twin room so small you couldn’t actually walk between the beds. At the other end of the accommodation, the rooms were split more evenly with a small double pushed up against one side of the room and a slightly bigger twin with a gap between the beds. Still, when you’re on holiday you’re not meant to spend too much time in the accommodation, so it was fine for us. Next to us they were two couples sharing with two children per family and I have no idea how they fit because two normal sized adults sharing any of those rooms would be a struggle, particularly in the hot weather. 

Pillows and a bedspread/padded blanket were provided for each bed however you need to bring with you pillowcases, fitted sheets and duvet covers as well as all the towels etc you will use as no linens are provided. 

At the end of your stay, you’ll be expected to clean the lodge to a good standard (there are instructions on the back of the toilet which remind you about this every time you have a wee). Although brooms were provided (and a vacuum cleaner that did not work) I am glad that I took cleaning products with us as these were not provided and I would have had to buy some or risk losing our cleaning deposit.

NB there is a laundry room, however on the one day we thought we’d use it, it was closed for maintenance, so I now have the joy of two solid days of washing which is a lovely way to get over those post-holiday blues.

Weather in Review of Bréville-sur-Mer, Normandy

The weather in Normandy isn’t dissimilar to the UK – maybe slightly warmer as it’s a little south – so you do take something of a risk booking a holiday there if you’re a sun-seeker.

However we had great weather mid-August; sunshine of 22-25 degrees most days, with heavy rain over a few nights which cleared the air. It was, in my opinion, perfect holiday weather. I wore a light denim jacket in the evening but didn’t need any heavier clothing.

The water park at Campings Capfun La Route Blanche

The highlight of the Capfun holiday park is undoubtedly the water park; the children would happily have spent the whole of their holiday there and they spent a good proportion of each day throwing themselves down the water slides happily. 

There’s a toddler splash pool outside, a kiddie pool inside with a few toddler-friendly slides, a covered and heated indoor pool, an outdoor pool with two mid-size water slides and three larger water slides. It’s a really decent-sized water park for a camp of that size.

The Capfun waterpark felt really safe with no real deep bits to it and although I had to be there to supervise, as confident swimmers I was happy to let my kids go off together on the water slides and splash around without my needing to physically be in the pool, meaning I got to read a whole book while I was on holiday (if only they did poolside drinks…). My partner’s smallest at four years old loved the pool too, but obviously needed to have someone there with her. However there were slides perfect for her age group too.

The entertainment and kids club

I don’t go on holiday for the entertainment, and I’ve witnessed some shockers in my time. However you probably should be aware that if you go to Campings Capfun La Route Blanche or indeed any of their other sites then everything is in French, unsurprisingly. If you’re more used to Spanish holiday parks where everything is geared towards English speakers then this really is quite different .

Similarly, the kids club is aimed at French speaking children. My daughter is probably the only one of the group who would have been keen to go and make friends (which she did, core holiday memory making I’m sure), but to be honest it’s easier to manage the others when she’s around so we wouldn’t have used it even if it was in English.

One evening the kids watched a really dreadful lip-synced play, all in French. We had a table at the back (and wine at less than €3 a glass) so it didn’t really bother us too much… but goodness me. Another evening they had a fire show which was a lot more high budget but didn’t get going until after half nine so we didn’t see a lot of it. 

However one thing to note is that all of the entertainment started after 9pm.

Evidently French kids have much later bed times than English ones and that’s fine once you’ve got into the swing of it, but on the first night when everyone arrived knackered it was very very loud and bassy until very late. France is one hour ahead of the UK but this still meant that our older kids couldn’t go to sleep until at least 11pm (10pm. UK time) because of the noise. 

It could well be that our arriving a day late meant that we were left with the ‘worst’ cabin, in the prime position to hear all of the entertainment, but the weather was very still and I can’t imagine that there is anywhere on the fairly small site that you wouldn’t be able to hear it going on. If you have light sleepers who need their sleep then this is definitely something to consider. This was really the only downside of the Capfun holiday park for me.

Saying that, the campsite was extremely quiet until at least 10am the next day. It’s just a shame the four-year-old does not yet appreciate the art of a lie in.

Bréville-sur-Mer beach

One of the reasons that we booked this particular Capfun park in Bréville-sur-Mer is the locality of the beach which is just over a kilometre away from the campsite. An adult could easily walk it in 10 minutes, with kids and laden with stuff you’re talking maybe 15-20. 

It’s a beautiful sandy beach which stretches on for miles and miles. There are no facilities – nowhere to buy a drink or use the toilet – but if you take snacks and you don’t mind a nature wee in the sea, you could happily spend a large proportion of the day there as long as no one wants a poo. 

We found a bistro on the beach (Bistrot de la Plage) on Google Maps and decided to walk there which should have taken around half an hour. It was surprisingly good, as it happens, and although the walk there took longer than expected due to children taking it in turns to drag their feet and claim broken legs, the walk home everyone was in much better spirits having been fed.

Eating out locally to Bréville-sur-Mer

In France, children’s menus are very limited if they have them at all, offering one or two options at best. This is fine for some kids who are happy to eat whatever’s going but if you have a more picky eater then this is something to consider because they won’t always be catered for, or you’ll be paying adult prices for their meals.

As well as using the onsite restaurant which offered pizza, burgers, nuggets etc (note they do not offer a children’s menu) we ate out a few times while on holiday.

Our first meal out was lunch at Bistrot de la Plage.

As mentioned above, this is right on the beach, with sand under your toes (and dogs welcome). Bistrot de la Plage offers kids a choice of steak hache (aka burger without the bun) or nuggets, and there is a decent menu for adults with an excellent selection of cocktails.

It was actually a really good relaxed dining experience, and not too expensive considering you were right on the beach, without another eatery for a long way. I’d give it a good three-to-four out of five. Did the job, no complaints, happy kids.

Our second meal out was at Auberge De Casse-Croute.

This restaurant is possibly the only one within walking distance of the holiday park other than the nearby golf club. We booked the meal the same day by wandering in and asking for a table that evening. The children’s option was ham and chips, which for the most part went down well, and we also got a sharing platter to start with pate, meat, bread, salmon and salad etc. My partner got a steak with camembert sauce, and I went for lamb shoulder which was served with beans. It was honestly one of the best meals I’ve ever tasted and I would go back there tomorrow and have it again if I could.  

For a meal for six (with wine, obviously) it offered good value. For the six of us it was around 140 Euros which is a lot less than we’d pay eating out here, probably because the wine is much more reasonable in France. I definitely recommend the restaurant if you want to try a little bit of decent French food and your children are happy to go with whatever they’re served; probably one to give a miss if you’re a vegetarian through. I’d give this one a very high five star rating; honestly I’m not sure when I’ve eaten better lamb.

Our final lunch out was La Pirate in the local town of Granville.

We stumbled across La Pirate (The Pirate; my French is très bon) whilst looking for anywhere that could seat us all, but we were lucky we did as everyone enjoyed themselves and the food was really good.

They offered a more extensive children’s menu including burgers and pasta which kept everyone happy. My partner had moules frites and I had a scallops, leeks and rice dish which was really lovely. It was a really nice lunch – with the best wine I tasted all holiday – and came to under 100 euros/£85 for the whole family with drinks and crepes, which is a lot cheaper than at the holiday park and much cheaper than eating out in the UK.

Again, a solid four stars mainly for the nice wine, and because the kids could get a meal that didn’t involve chips.

One thing I have noticed about eating out in France is that service is very relaxed; they give you time to enjoy your food and don’t hustle you along. This is fine if you have a glass of wine and chilled out kids (or tablets) but don’t expect a zippy turn around.

They’re also MUCH better at bringing water for the table than places in the UK seem to be. This is one of my massive bug bears when eating out – it’s really annoying when you have to remind someone three times that you’d like some water – but they all brought water and bread as standard. I think what with the cheese I’d be quite happy to live in French restaurants.

Places to visit near Capfun La Route Blanche in Bréville-sur-Mer

We didn’t take too many trips out during our holiday but as well as the beach and the water park, there are places that you can visit around the Capfun La Route Blanche campsite in Bréville-sur-Mer.

Bréville-sur-Mer is about 15 minutes drive from the town of Granville which is a lovely old town with many places to shop, eat and drink. There is a bus stop right outside the holiday park which stops there, and there is a lot of parking dotted around although it gets very busy. We drove and ended up parking in a free car park here, a short walk from the town. On the walk into town we took some steps down through a community garden ‘Jardin partagé de la haute ville’ to the beach. 

Very different to the Sandy dunes of Bréville-sur-Mer, Granville is a stunning beach and a great place to paddle, find shells and little sea creatures hiding in the rockpools, and you could quite happily pass a good few hours here. There are also toilet facilities at the top of the steps.

We also took a day trip out to Mont Saint-Michel

Mont Saint-Michel is a small rocky island and very picturesque mediaeval city around an hours drive away from La Route Blanche. 

To be honest and in hindsight, I would keep this one for a low season visit because in the height of summer, it’s the busiest place I’ve ever been in my life. It’s free to visit, however you pay for parking depending on how long you stay and you’ll probably spend much of this time in a queue.

The car park is absolutely huge and the queue to get into it is insane, which gives you some indication of how busy it gets; indeed the toilet queues take half an hour or so. You can wait for a free shuttle bus from the car park (but this queue looked to be hours long) – or you can walk to Mont Saint-Michel via a long road and a bridge, which takes about 30 minutes to an hour depending on your walking speed or how many kids you have to chivvy along. 

It’s an absolutely beautiful place to visit and the photos you’ll get will be stunning, but it’s possibly one to do as a couple rather than a family. We happened to visit on a particularly hot day, and as I’m sure any parents are aware, walking in the heat is second only to mediaeval architecture on any kids’ to-do list. Plus you need to queue, and pay for, the toilets once you get into Mont Saint-Michel. Unfortunately we ended up not staying inside the walls of Mont Saint-Michel for very long – it was just a bit much. I enjoyed the walk and the views, but would have liked to have gone into the abbey. Another time, perhaps.

Would I return to Capfun La Route Blanche holiday park?

Capfun La Route Blanche holiday park is a great place to visit. It’s convenient to get to from the south of the UK; a drive to Poole, a ferry and then an hour and a half of driving once you get to France isn’t too much for a week’s holiday. The weather is slightly better than the UK, the park is perfect for kids and the beach is close.

There isn’t an awful lot in the way of amenities within easy walking distance aside from the beach and the one restaurant, so if you prefer to have a busy holiday where you can leave the site and be in a tourist area this might not be the holiday park for you. Also if you’re big on entertainment or love a kids club then you might find it lacking. But if your kids love to swim and you want a park that they can go off and explore safely, and you’re not too bothered about finding new and exciting day trips for each day, then it’s definitely one to consider. I’d return, and I’d be keen to try out other Campings Capfun resorts around France too.

If you’re interested in visiting Capfun La Route Blanche holiday park after reading this review, you can check out their availability and pricing on their website here.