Onafhankelijke Camping Recensies

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We booked five nights for four of us in a static home with Canvas Holidays. Arrived here via hire car on 14/08/09 following one night stay in Florence and massive row over map reading to get here! Take note; the Italians tend to signpost start and end of motorways rather than actual towns along route. The site is about 45 minutes from Florence and about 90 minutes from Pisa and well sited to visit a number of towns in the area e.g Sienna.

It is massive but so well laid out in woods across a terraced Tuscan valley you would barely see it from half a mile away. Our caravan (air conditioned thank goodness!) was sited at the far end of the site from the reception area in a nice northerly facing location. The site appears to be two sites merged into one as the facilities near reception are available at the newer amenities at our end. Camping toilets were clean and site was very tidy, including an efficient recycling service. The caravans dominated our area but tents were all located further down the valley. I must say that the organisation and layout of this site was one of the best I have ever been to. Yes, much of the service is designed to get your money but it is so good I saw little room for complaint. The management have pretty well thought of everything. Most staff are English speaking including the large friendly entertainment team who cater for small children and provide aerobics, dancing etc. No cash is required around the site as you purchase pre-paid cards for all transactions which I thought was a good security system. The newer pool complex was like a small water park without the flume rides although a rapid ride was available provided you provided an inflatable ring (naturally available at the shop!) The original pool has had others added and there are two flume rides. This pool is the one for actual swimming if you get there early enough to avoid crowds. There are smaller plunge pools in area.

Aerobics etc. were conducted at both complexes during AM and PM sessions. Dance routines to the latest Euro pop was provided poolside for children and brave adults to copy. This activity was very popular although I personally could not see the attraction.

Both complexes have well stocked shops, bars, takeaways, restaurants, ice cream parlours. The older complex also has a fantastically well equipped gym for the energetic type (cardio plus weight machines). Usual sports facilities like tennis, volleyball and mini golf were available. The site was largely occupied by Dutch people and they appeared to be as fanatical about football as many Brits, watching large screen satellite footie in the bar. The entertainment I observed was pretty good. Acts doing covers of well known English pop songs with a slight Italian slant! The posher ice cream parlour at the original pool end was nice with a variety of cocktails to tempt the punters. There was also an attractive fountain/water feature just outside. Overall we had a pleasant stay here in the sweltering heat. Other activities available were horse riding which my daughter enjoyed-make sure you tell them you are an experienced rider when booking. Also cooking and wine tasting.

However a few negatives:

Being set across a valley walking to the pool is a bit challenging in the heat but it does burn off some holiday calories. Due to the incline, not recommended for wheelchair users and even pushchairs might be an effort. Even taking into account the poor pound/euro exchange rate the site shop is naturally over priced and we arrived at bank holiday weekend so we had no choice but to pay the prices. There is a supermarket (Co-Op) nearby and also a hypermarket up the road which is about a half hour drive. I plumped for the slightly nearer Lidl which are pretty much the same anywhere in Europe. It was also where our reps. shopped so I took that as a sign it was cheapest. I also found the 'rule of the jungle' regarding depositing towels on sun beds very selfish and annoying. This act guarantees ownership for the entire day. Powerless to 'beat the system' I found myself going to the pool at 9:30 and guiltily leaving towels on beds that we (like everyone else!), would probably only use for half the day! Finally take note the site is in woodland and with trees come mosquitoes by the plenty!

I would recommend this site to families for sun worshipping or sight seeing. Tuscany is a really nice area with very friendly people and this site is in the heart of it. The site can't be held responsible for the current recession but at the moment Italy is a very expensive destination, so lots of Euros are required (far more than we anticipated).