Sandaya Camping Les Alicourts Resort REVIEW
- Review Written By Breanne Lovatt
- Last Updated October 24, 2022
- Filed Under Campsite Reviews
There’s no need to touch your car while you’re here
Campsite Introduction
Les Alicourts Resort is a Sandaya campsite in the Loire Valley. The camp is in the middle of nowhere with not a lot to see or do nearby – but that’s what makes the campsite so great. It’s one of those resorts that you never have to leave. One of those places you can just lock up the car for the week and leave it.
With the Summer season in full swing and prices through the roof, we decided to opt for a camping pitch with our tent to save a little bit of money. However, I wasn’t quite sure how it would pan out. Thirty-four weeks pregnant in a tent during yet another heat wave? What’s the worst that could happen?
Pros of Camping les Alicourts
A great resort for everyone
- Large resort campsite
- toddler play pools
- Lots of facilities
- Large campsite shop
- Great pool facilities
- Amazing shower blocks
- action packed entertainment schedule
- Toddler-friendly toilets and toilet blocks
- Lots of trees and rich in nature
- Great kids club activities
- large size emplacements
- pet friendly
- Well maintained and looked after
- Picturesque
Cons of camping les Alicourts
Every family prefers certain things about a campsite, so our “cons” could be on your “pros” list!
- Definite staffing issues
- Busy pool in high season
- Struggle to get sun loungers
- Nowhere to walk to off-site
- 20 minutes to the nearest supermarket
- No lane swimming pool
- Many mobile homes have parking away from the pitch
- Expensive
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Pool complex at Les Alicourts Resort
The pool complex here is enormous. It has something for everyone, but a lane pool is the only thing missing. There are various sections. When you first enter, to the left, there’s the wave pool which comes on for 15 minutes every hour. Then as you carry on walking, you can either head through the indoor area or over to the outdoor paddling area.
We spent most of our time in the shallow paddling area. There was also a three-lane fast slide for kids, which our toddler loved. It was perfect for young kids when it was quiet, but as the pool got busier, more unsupervised children would cause mayhem on the slides. We still enjoyed it though. We swam over to the baby slide for a while during the hectic times before heading back.
Although the weather was great during our week’s holiday, we still had to check out the covered splash park. This aquatic space is based around a giant pirate ship with slides and lots of splashing. We were impressed with the pool facilities for younger children here as well as the older kids. Also inside was a swimming pool which was generally always busy so we avoided it.
If you walk through the inside area and out the other side, there’s another set of 2 slides. These are slightly bigger than those in the kid’s place but not as big as the “adult slides”, which we’ll get to shortly. These slides landed into a deeper plunge pool, but still, the fearless toddler loved them.
Then there are the adult slides. These are two slides monitored by a lifeguard. On one of the slides, you can travel down on an inflatable, whereas the other is a typical lie on your back flume. So we had to buy some inflatables for Mike to travel down on, to get the real experience, you know! We decided not to attempt taking our toddler on these slides, and – the sign did say children must be above 1m20 to go on these.
Because you can use the inflatables on the slide, many people also use inflatables in the pools. None of the lifeguards questioned this, although there were signs in the shop saying inflatables were only to be used in the lake and not the pool.
Suitable Swimwear
There were many signs about how only trunks were acceptable; however, Mike and many other gentlemen were OK in their usual boardshorts. I didn’t see the lifeguards pull anyone aside to discuss clothing. However, this could change.
Beach and Lake
The lake is a fantastic feature of this campsite. The 6-hectare lake is not only great for activities but for lazing at the beach too. The sanded area is excellent for kids to dig and build castles. There’re plenty of parasols on the grass for grabbing shade, and the water is nice and warm. Watch out for the crayfish, though. These freshwater lobsters tend to move when you walk near them, but we still spotted a few.
There are a few paid-for activities on the lake, such as kayaking, pedalos and stand-up paddle board, but the activity that makes this campsite lake so unique is wakeboarding. Never have I seen “Tele ski” available on a campsite before. It cost 24euros for an hour session, and we saw lots of people taking part. But, unfortunately, being pregnant, I couldn’t participate, and my mum couldn’t swim!
However, we did hire a pedalo for half an hour, which cost us 12euros. We were all provided with life jackets, including our 2-year-old. Which meant she didn’t have to miss out. I jumped off the boat to see how deep the water was, and I couldn’t touch the floor, so a word of warning, it’s deep.
Some camping emplacements bordered the lake, and many guests brought kayaks and paddleboards. It’s a campsite to come to if you enjoy being on the lake.
There was also a fishing area on the other side of the lake. We didn’t see many anglers, but a few large fish jumped out of the water.
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Campsite Facilities
A resort campsite needs lots to do to keep families occupied, and Alicourts did not disappoint…
Receptions and Check in
Our check-in didn’t even take place at the reception. As we arrived on a busy Saturday, a girl was waiting outside the campsite gates at a small wooden desk who dealt with all the check-ins. She was fast and efficient; thankfully, you could pull up the car just outside. She handed me a map to my pitch, and off she went. That was pretty much my only dealings with the Sandaya staff. I did pop back into the main reception one day to look at leaflets, but I didn’t need to speak with anyone or use the reception desk for anything else.
Play Areas
This campsite is all about playtime!
Play park (in the central area)
The main campsite park is ideally located in the central area, surrounded by the restaurant, shops and other facilities. It’s sanded and features loads of equipment—some for bigger kids and some for smaller kids. We found the best time to use the park was early in the mornings or the evenings as it was always in the direct sun with no trees for shade. The park was well maintained and surrounded by benches for parents to relax.
Park by the pool
There was another small park area between the lake and pool—a giant pirate ship climbing frame with a slide off it. We didn’t use this park during our stay as we saw a child fall from the top of the slide on our first day, which put me off from using it. However, the sides of the slide do seem relatively low, so perhaps it’s better for older children.
Soft Play
The soft play area is an excellent addition for kids too young to use the kids club. It was also suitable for an independent play activity that kept our daughter out of the sun. Although there wasn’t much in the soft play room, there were lots of plastic balls, and sometimes that’s all you need to keep a 2-year-old busy.
Bouncy Castle
There was a koolaya land bouncy castle located near the tennis courts. This was usually empty in the mornings and shaded, so we played here a little while. There was another bouncy castle behind the kids club and soft play building, a purple one, but we weren’t sure how to get to it and never saw anybody using it.
Table Tennis
The ping pong tables are located in the central area near the kid’s play park. There were six tables, and there was usually one or two available. I think occasionally, the kids club/animation teams put on table tennis tournaments as I saw staff playing with guests.
Volleyball
On the lake beach, close to the bar there is a Beach Volleyball net. We saw this being used a lot. Especially on the beach party night where large families were all playing together.
Pedal karts and Rosalie's
These can be hired from the shop or from using your “Anim Live” App that you’ll be asked to download before your arrival.
Mini Golf
The mini golf course looked derelict during our stay. It was very overgrown, and I don’t think this is in use anymore. If it is, I’d be amazed.
Football field
The football pitch is situated around the lake. I occasionally saw big games organised here, so it’s worth practising before your holiday.
Multi sports Court
The multisports court is located next to the football pitch and makes another great space to play ball games.
Arcade Room
The Arcade area is in the bar and has many activities to keep kids occupied. Many games were out of order; however, with the weather so good, we rarely saw the arcade in use during our stay.
Skate Park
Behind the spa area, there is a small skate park. I rarely saw it used, but I didn’t see it marketed. It’s only because I spotted a small sign that I realised they even had a skatepark.
Kids Clubs & Facilities
Because everything was through the personalised app, I didn’t get much information about the kids club activities. Unfortunately, our daughter was too young, so we weren’t given the details. However, I saw at the bar one day lots of children practising circus skills ready for the kid’s circus night, and it looked fantastic! I think the classes were outsourced through the “National Palace” https://www.national-palace.com/, but they did look good.
Animation for kids and adults
The campsite ran lots of daily entertainment. From aqua fitness to mini discos, the animation team were always busy. Unfortunately, we never made it to any of the evening shows as they were on too late, but we did experience the Thursday night beach party, which had a fantastic atmosphere. There was a DJ and fire lanterns, and had there not been a drought; there would also have been some fireworks.
We also watched a few sound checks early in the evenings before the entertainment, and some performances looked good. The rehearsal for the “Disney” show had some excellent vocalists, and I’m gutted we missed out.
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Bars, Restaurants and Takeaway
It’s been a while since we’ve tried it all, but we managed to use the bar, takeaway and restaurant during our stay – so let me tell you all about it.
Bar
We visited the bar daily, usually just for one drink and ice cream. The bar itself looks excellent. It has multiple seating areas surrounding the central bar and was always well maintained. Fresh water was always available at the bar, which was fantastic. However, throughout our stay, the bar was continuously out of stock. There would be six pumps of beer; four would be out. There were no zero-sugar drinks available some days. And the ice cream shortages would vary daily.
The queues for the bar would quickly rack up as they had a very odd way of doing things. During busy times although it would seem like they had a lot of bar staff working, only one would be doing the till while three would be serving drinks. So you’d get a round of drinks reasonably fast but still have to wait 20 minutes to pay for it and be able to leave the bar. And, the 20 minutes is no exaggeration. Mike missed the entire mini disco waiting to pay.
Another thing that confused me was the opening hours. At the weekend, the bar was open from 10 am till 11 pm, then on Monday, it was closed between 2-5 pm, yet every other day of our stay, it was continuous service. I was confused whether it was a high season/low season issue, a staffing issue or it just generally closed on Mondays. Again, though, I didn’t see this written in any paperwork.
Restaurant
The food at the restaurant was well priced, and the menu wasn’t too overwhelming. The seating area was lovely, and most of the staff were friendly. The food tasted good and, for most, were good portions; however, my fish curry was so tiny! For pudding, we had the French toast with Ice-cream, and quite honestly, it was one of the best desserts I’ve ever had on a campsite.
When we went to pay for our food, like we had to do in many French restaurants before, Mike went to the till to pay. However, the woman seemed angry that he hadn’t just waited at the table (although we had been waiting and nobody came with the bill). If you have young children, you’ll know that sometimes you can’t just hang around at the table waiting for the bill for ages.
Takeaway/Snack Bar
The takeaway had some issues. They were only open for Lunch service and closed in the evenings for the week of our stay. I can only assume this was a staffing issue as the campsite seemed to have quite a few staffing problems.
My mum went to the takeaway on our first day and was gone for ages. So, whilst the queue was relatively small, food was taking forever. And, annoyingly, the staff put fries in the bags straight away whilst waiting 20 minutes plus for the rest of the food to be cooked – so, cold fries.
One thing that did impress us about the takeaway was the wide range of choices available. I was impressed to see a wide range of Dutch meals on the menu, but it’s clear to see that the campsite has a big Dutch audience.
Other Facilities
Campsite Shops
Vival
The main campsite supermarket is a Vival, and we were very impressed with the size and food available on our arrival day. However, by Tuesday, the shop was decimated. They were low on almost all stock.
It is excellent if you get to the shop at a good time, but it can’t be guaranteed. There are supermarkets 20 minutes down the road in Salibres; however, we opted to head a little further (40 minutes) to shop at Grand Frais. I highly recommend it if you are looking to stock up on fresh foods.
Gift Shop/Bureau des activities
The gift shop/boutique is the place to go for buckets, spades, inflatables, toys, and beach trucks. It’s also where you can go to book activities if you don’t use the app. Unfortunately, I had forgotten my phone when we wanted to book the pedalos, so we headed here to reserve it instead. The team of staff in there were pleasant.
Gym
Located in the spa building is a small gym. The equipment is primarily cardio-based, although a couple of resistance machines were available.
Spa
Being 33 weeks pregnant, I didn’t get to use the spa as much as I would have loved. However, had we had the babysitting of my mum, and I’d have been more able, I imagine Mike and I would have loved being in here.
There were so many treatments and even hairdressers and nail technicians available.
9 Hole Golf Course
The campsite has its 9-hole golf course, but I didn’t see much information about it or any golfers. The green was well maintained and was regularly mowed by automatic mowers, but I couldn’t find any information.
Bike Hire
Bike Hire is situated around the back of the Bureau Des Activities. They had a wide range of bikes available for all age groups. A standard bike was 14euros a day and 70euros for the week. The bike hire was open 9-18h during our stay, Monday to Sunday.
Pets
Sandaya is a very animal-friendly camping company. Dogs are welcome in lots of their accommodation types, and they charge 5euros a night for a pet. Dogs were allowed across the campsite, including in the bar area.
https://www.sandaya.co.uk/holidays-themes/dog-friendly-camping
WIFI
I only used the WIFI for the 30-minute trial during our stay, mainly because I was too busy to use the internet. Had I had more work to do, I definitely would have had to pay for wifi as the 4g signal wasn’t that good.
Shower blocks
I can hand on heart say the sanitary facilities at this campsite are the best I have ever found. They were almost always spotless. We tended to bump into cleaners there daily. They are heated nicely and look very modern. In addition, the campsite has its child-friendly toilet block, which is excellent, and our toddler was so happy to have facilities available to her. There were plenty of toilets, showers and sinks, though we occasionally had to queue for a peak-time shower.
There is also a secondary shower block located closer to our tent. However, this one was much older and tattier, but it was OK for those late-night toilet trips
Laundry
The laundry room is situated in the central area and is nicely decorated. Though, it did have a very musty smell to it. Instructions are on the walls and very obvious and you’ll find varying machine sizes for your needs. Payments are made via cash at the laundry block and prices for a wash start at 6euros. You can also buy washing powder from a vending machine in the laundry block for 1euro.
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Available accommodation at camping les Alicourts
There are over 25 accommodation options available with Sandaya. Ranging from tree houses and safari tents to chalets and villas.
Many of the accommodations require parking away from the pitch. We opted to stay in our tent on a 3 “shells” pitch, A mid-range camping pitch. We chose this pitch as it came with water, and we are so glad we did. Our pitch: 718, was a great size. The floor was dry and dusty, but with such a long drought throughout France, that’s hardly surprising.
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Do You Need a Car to Get around?
Absolutely. This campsite is in the middle of nowhere. You need a car. Whilst the campsite shop is a good size, it was often unstocked, and you’d need to get to a supermarket. The nearest supermarket is 20 minutes from the campsite, so you need a car.
How to get to The Campsite
This campsite is perfect as a stop-off site because it’s so central in France. It’s around 5 hours south of Calais and 4 hours south of Ouistreham. If you are travelling from Calais, you’ll likely skirt around Paris, whereas the trip from Caen and the Brittany/Normandy ferries is much superior. You must follow the A28 to Tours, ride the A10 across to Orleans, and then head further south on the A71 to Pierefitte-sur-sauldre.
As the trip is almost all motorway driving, it’s an easy drive. French motorways are usually empty.
Should I hire a car?
If you are flying, then yes, I would recommend this. The nearest airport is Tours, 150km away and a very seasonal airport. There aren’t many regular flights here, so flying to Paris would be the best option.
Ferry port
The Brittany Ferries ports of Caen, Le Havre and St Malo will be the fastest routes to get to the campsite. However, Calais will be the cheapest. I often find a happy medium is the Newhaven Dieppe ferry from DFDS, which gets you close to the location but costs less than Brittany Ferries.
Driving Directions
Address:
Les Alicourts,
41300 Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre
GPS Coordinates:
47.544326, 2.191908
Day Trips from Camping les Alicourts
Whilst the campsite is quite secluded; it’s still in the beautiful region of the Loire Valley where there is so much to explore, especially if you like chateaus.
Orleans
This French city sits on the banks of the Loire river and is one of the most attractive towns of the Loire Valley. Commonly known as the home of Joan of Arc, many people visit here every year to celebrate her life with a festival. You can also visit her famous house. If you’re not interested in that then there are plenty of other activities to explore like wineries, bars, restaurants, shops and museums.
blois
Another famous Loire Valley city is Blois. Home to Chateaus and magic houses, Blois is a great day out for the entire family. With typical French cobbled streets and traditional eateries – what more could you ask for.
Zoo de beauval
The zoo of Beauval is an hour and 15 minutes away from camping les Alicourts. With around 4000 animals on 44 hectares of land, this zoo is one of the best in the world. With a wide range of animals, you’re sure to love this animal park.
Chambord
Whether you’ve heard of Chambord for its famous chateau or for the famous Liqueur you will definitely be aware of this stunning place. The chateau at Chambord is perhaps one of the most recognisable in the world and is a lovely day out for the whole family.
Beaugency Loire Chateau
50 minutes from the campsite is the Chateau De Beaugency. This chateau has recently been opened to the public as a centre for digital art and holds exciting events such as light shows and digital art exhibitions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the mobiles close together?
No. Well, at least I didn’t find that to be the case. I didn’t feel like any pitches, or mobile homes were too close on the walks we took around the campsite.
Is the campsite flat?
Yes. Finally, We booked a flat campsite during this pregnancy. There was a slight hill to the chalet side of the lake, but otherwise, everywhere was pretty much flat.
Are there mosquitos at Les Alicourts
No, we didn’t notice any, but there were lots of wasps and flies.
Is it easy to get a sunbed around the pool?
We found most mornings easy, but the afternoons were slightly more challenging. I think a few people left towels on loungers and then went out for the day.
Do you need to wear a wristband?
Yes, we all had wristbands, including the toddler.
Do men have to wear swim trunks?
All the signs say yes, but The lifeguards checked nothing, and many people were in regular board shorts.
Are there BBQs on site?
Yes, we saw plenty of charcoal BBQs during our stay.
Can You Use inflatables in the pool?
There was a sign in the shop to say that holidaymakers could only use inflatables in the lake, but we found lots of people using them in the pools and on the slides.
What's the weather like in Spring/Summer?
We had unreal temperatures. Another 2022 heatwave. It barely dipped below 30 degrees during our stay; however, under average temperatures, you’re more likely to see the mid to late 20s.
Can you park on your pitch/Emplacement?
Not always. Our tent pitch was OK, but many of the mobile home emplacements had parking away from their pitch.
Can you take pets on the campsite?
Yes, many of the accommodations and the tent pitches are all allowed for animals at the cost of 5 euros a day.
Where's the nearest supermarket?
The nearest supermarket is around 20 minutes away in Salbris.
Is It Loud In The Evenings?
It can be yes. Not every night, but some nights. The bar closes at 11 pm, though some nights we’ve heard people making noise until 1 am. It was also loud in the morning when our caravaning neighbours started packing up at 4 am to leave.
What Can We Do If It Rains?
It’s hard for me to think what this campsite could be like in the rain because we just didn’t have any. Some swimming pools are enclosed, so these could still be used. The soft play is indoors, and the arcade is also indoors, but many of the campsite activities are generally outside. I imagine some chateau tours would still be a good day out when it’s raining.
Can I Use My foreign currancy Card On Site?
The campsite accepted all kinds of bank cards during our stay. We had no problems paying with a card.
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Review Conclusion
This campsite is lovely. The care that goes into the grounds and cleaning is second to none. The sanitary block is the cleanest and most superior we have ever found on a campsite, and the pool area was great for all ages. I really can’t fault this campsite for its facilities.
The only thing I did find frustrating was the stock and staffing issues. The shop and the bar were constantly running out of stock, and then facilities were closed because I don’t think they had the staff. If Sandaya fixed these issues, I don’t think I could find any faults with this campsite. This is the kind of resort you come to where you don’t have to leave. Whether you stay for 3,4,7, or 14 nights you’re sure to enjoy it.
I think the campsite is suitable for all ages, especially families with children around 5- 13 years old. Older people may find it too noisy, and older teenagers may find it quite dull as there is nowhere to go off the campsite.
It’s the perfect destination for families wanting to explore the Loire Valley and surrounding areas.
4/5* marked down for the staffing issues
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