ANGELA BIRD'S
PRACTICAL DETAILS ABOUT THE VENDEE
Check this
section out for:
Camping / Cottages / Hotels and B&Bs / Money / Telephoning / Maps
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THE EURO |
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The Vendée has almost 400 classified camp sites, plus
numerous "campings à la ferme" - small sites (see Gîtes de France Vendée web
pages) on working farms - for the independent camper, where children can
often play in the fields or help to feed the animals. Many British companies offer luxury camping in mobile
homes or ready-erected tents at four-star sites both on the coast and inland,
backed up by the services of cheerful couriers. |
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Pas Opton is a four-star site near the attractive resort of
St-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie. It is owned by Spring Harvest, a British company with
a strong Christian ethic. Peter and
Shelagh McClearns run the attractive Val de Vie campsite in a
tranquil setting above the lake at Maché, just 12 miles from the coast
(tel/fax: +33 (0) 2 51 60 21 02). Martin and Sue Watson offer a mobile home for rent at
St-Hilaire-de-Riez.
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If you're hoping to bring any pets with you from
the
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HOTELS Among delightful independant
establishments are: |
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BED AND BREAKFAST |
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Chantal and Jacqueline Grolleau have eight attractive
B&B rooms in a comfortably converted
barn, in a rural setting between Chantonnay and Pouzauges, and
conveniently located for the Puy-du-Fou. With shared pool and pretty garden. |
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See website for pictures |
Chantal Corbière and her husband (who speaks excellent
English) have newly-converted B&B accommodation in their old stone barn, La Ferme Sainte-Marie, near
Aizenay. Phone +33 2 51 94 83 87; email lafermesaintemarie@wanadoo.fr |
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Château de la Verie, nr Challans;
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La
Fraternité, left, is a working farm
and 3-épi B&B located near Apremont and Aizenay. It's run by Ian and
Janet Pike, a charming English couple who offer a couple of super first-floor
rooms, both with immaculate en-suite facilities, beneath the beamed roof of their
traditional Vendean family farmhouse. Open mid-June to mid-September. Tel:
+33 (0)2 51 55 42 58 / fax: +33 (0)2 51 60 16 01. |
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Or - if you are looking for somewhere outside the Vendée,
yet within reach of the picturesque Marais Poitevin - why not try an old
watermill? Jason and Marie-Laure Satterthwaite offer B&B at the Moulin Lacombe, 28km south-east
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OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION
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NEW RULE FOR MOTORISTS From TIP Buy these items
before leaving home! |
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Good travel insurance is vital for peace of mind on
holiday. Vehicle cover: Most Hospitals in the area: a
newspaper survey of casualty departments (Urgences) in late 2000 showed
excellent centres at the hospitals of La Roche-sur-Yon and Here is a link
to the “Urgences” (hospitals with A&E departments) of the Vendée,
shown in decreasing order of size (largest first). 2005: After an
agonising bout of toothache, Sarni writes: |
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Of course, it's wise to take money in several different
forms with you when you go on holiday. On You may not have realised that your UK cashpoint card -
the one you use to extract money from holes in the wall back home - will
often work just as well abroad, providing that the machine you use bears a
logo similar to the one shown on your card. Just stick your card in - the
machine usually recognises that it is British and brings up the instructions
in English. Tap in your PIN, and state how much you'd like to take out
(withdrawal amounts are usually pre-set choices). If your account back home
can stand it, you should have no trouble getting money out, which can be very
useful on Mondays or on unexpected bank holidays. Note: there is a charge
made for this, which will appear later on your bank statement. THE EURO The French government started by issuing lists of
frequently-purchased items, to help the public familiarise themselves with
the new-look prices. Thus, you would expect a baguette to cost about 0.61€; a
postage stamp for a letter to cost about 0.46€; and a piece of beef for
roasting to cost about 13.11€. (2002 figures) The French franc is no longer accepted in shops or banks
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The Vendée has plenty of mainstream supermarkets and
hypermarkets: Leclerc, Super-U, Intermarché and so forth. Most have websites
so you can check out where the nearest one is to the place you are going. |
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Telephoning within Mobile phones work
well, though if you have not used yours abroad before you may need to check
with your supplier whether any further formalities are needed before it will
function overseas. Cybercentres are
becoming more numerous – ask the nearest tourist office for the location of
the nearest place to check your emails. Some four-star campsites also offer
their clients internet facilities, and many hotels and even upmarket gites
and B&Bs have free Wi-fi access for guests. It may also be worth trying
the "médiathèques" (media libraries) of small towns; some of
which do have connexions. TIP: If you need to look up a French telephone
or fax number try the on-line
Minitel telephone directory-enquiry service from your computer. Pages
Jaunes is of course Yellow Pages (businesses); Pages Blanches is White Pages
(residential). |
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It’s vital to use up-to-date maps for your holiday. It’s a false economy to try and use
10-year-old maps and road atlases, because so many new motorways and bypasses
open each year in France that you will end up thoroughly confused (and
bad-tempered!). Most widely available outside Sat-nav |
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