Never a dull moment on French site

"WHY, why, why, Delilah?" The Tom Jones favourite rang out from our campsite neighbours where, I fear, some ultra cheap French wine had proved too much of a lure.

It has to be said that, these days, the wine is about the only thing going cheap in France but if the credit crunch and staying closer to home is colouring your holiday plans for 2009, a camping holiday in France is worth considering.

Last year we stayed at Houlgate in Normandy and it was such a huge hit that my boys, aged 10 and 12, were champing at the bit for more.

We chose Chateau des Ormes, near Dol de Bretagne in Brittany, which is one of the biggest Keycamp sites in northern France – and regarded as one of the best. Also, thanks to Ryanair flights to nearby Dinard from EMA, it is very accessible.

It has everything from three swimming pools including an aqua park – the main attraction for us – to archery, a golf course, crazy golf, horse riding, tennis, paint ball, kids' clubs… the list goes on. Nevertheless, just because you have mountains of activities does not necessarily mean you will use them.

For my lads, footie rules OK. All they want is a ball and a bit of space. They had that 24/7 at Houlgate but not always at Chateau des Ormes because its Astroturf pitches are home to kids' football classes. It seems churlish to criticise a site so packed with amenities but it would benefit from having a bit of grass for those who don't want to be tied to a routine.

Nevertheless, my sons hit the footie pitches every night, playing international matches until dark with youngsters from all over the UK and Europe.

They loved the two aqua parks too. The wave pool was "ace" and they had a whale of a time on the waterslides.

It was not until halfway through the holiday that we spotted another much quieter pool area for those who wanted to avoid being splashed as they topped up their tan. Chateau des Ormes tries very hard to be all things to all people.

Our Villagrand mobile home was in a secluded spot in the woods (you can book a tree house with Keycamp) but a couple of basics were missing from the kitchen – a can opener and, horror of horrors, a corkscrew. We bought the former but asked our rep for the latter and it duly arrived.

Nevertheless, we thoroughly enjoyed our hols. Chateau des Ormes is particularly ideal for teens (disco every night) and golf lovers.

But if, like me, you like the quiet life, a smaller campsite may be better for you.