Great Family Break

We have just returned from a wonderful week (2nd -9th May, family with three young kids ages 6, 4, 2) at La Lohuas. As everyone has mentioned already, Carolyn is a really nice person who is quite rightly very proud of what she has created here in Brittany. From the first minute, you could sense this was a lady who wanted you to enjoy your time and relax and she was simply here to assist with any questions you may have or provide assistance if required.
Firstly the whole booking experience was first class and professional with the provision of detailed directions from the Ferry ports to La Lohuas, menus sent in advance for meals on arrival after the long journey from Ireland (which went down a treat) and the supply of some key shopping items (teas/coffees/milk/bread/butter and Wine!!). This is a far cry from when we would arrive at a campsite and have to search around for an open store to get the key items. A quick introduction to Caroline and a tour of our spotless gite soon settled us in. While the website gives an impression of a first class property, it went up even further in my estimation on arrival. The surroundings are lovely, the courtyard coming to life with beautiful flowers, the freshly cut lawn and play barn ready to be attacked by 3 happy kids, the warm swimming pool etc.
We stayed in Cerise which has been recently refurbished and the rain shower went down a treat. Over the course of the week, there was nothing missing from the gite that I wanted or needed. Even the simply little things like refuse bags are in place. The delivery of fresh bread and “pain au chocolat” from the local boulangerie by Carolyn was delightful and my young daughter gleefully received same each morning from Carolyn, who I may add had a great way with the young children. The morning ritual of feeding the chickens and ducks was a key highlight of the day as was our daily swim. The pool is immaculate, most definitely one of the cleanest I have ever been in. For me one of the main things is safety and first of all the pool is fully secured and not possible for the young ones to gain access without a specific code. The pool itself has different depths, ideal for the different age groups. Plenty of water armbands are available to use as well as other toys.
The outdoor play area is again fully secured and while we had some rain over the week, the weather was mild so the children could still play outside in the covered barn. The sandpit, table tennis, basketball, tractors & diggers all got plenty of use within the confines of the play barn as rain showers coming down. The little playhouse swings and slides and football pitch also saw lots of action. It was wonderful to be able to sit down in peace and quiet outside our gite, knowing that the children were in a safe environment without the need to be constantly at their side.
There is plenty to do in the area itself – Dinan (medieval little town with some lovely restaurants at the port), Dinard, St Malo, Concale. The bucket and spade (again provided by Carolyn) got an outing or two at the beach. We got great advice from Carolyn prior to our visit to Mont St Michel (don’t bring a stroller) and thankfully we listened. Amazing place, lots of history and our little ones managed to make it to the top. We also ventured to the aquarium in St Malo, worth a trip and went to the local Zoo which entertained both kids & adults (all the big animals, playgrounds, bouncy castles, falconry and hounds show) and certainly a place to spend a day with a picnic.
In summary, Carolyn has created an environment where children can roam freely, safely and have lots of fun, which enables mum and dad to have a relaxing holiday. Certainly, some warmer weather would have been an added bonus, but we had a great week and while we felt we had to explore the area, we could easily have stayed put as the children were quite happy to play around and were never bored. With barbecues on site, I can only imagine the great atmosphere that abounds in the height of summer. For anyone who has young kids and looking for a relaxing break in a home from home environment then put this place on your list. I can now see why there is such demand and why there are so many return visitors, of which I hope to be one again soon