As we said goodbye to 2021 and looked forward to 2022 we decided as a family that we wanted to have more fun together. We’ve let the worry of Covid and not seeing family get the better of us, so we agreed that we would plan some different things, however, fast-forward to March and we realised we’d done nothing about it!
Determined to have some quality family time together I searched for options and came across Camp de Rêves, a glamping site on Guernsey’s West coast that is open year-round (only closed in January). After a look on their website showing beautiful safari tents, a games room and play area for children, it was just what we were after, so I booked a 3 night stay for us in the Pezzeries Safari Tent.
Being completely honest, when we moved to Guernsey in 2018 I remember speaking to a mum at school who told me she was going on holiday to the other side of the island for a week. I remember being very confused about this. I’ve always lived near London and a holiday was about getting as far away from London as possible, a 7 hour drive to Cornwall was just the norm so the idea of travelling a few miles away to go on holiday seemed totally alien to me.
Well how times have changed! We packed the car as though we were heading off across Europe for a month and set off on the 14 minute drive to our holiday destination, 5 miles away from home!
Arriving at Camp de Rêves
Camp de Rêves is located just inland behind L’Eree beach, on Rue du Paysans au Val, in the parish of St Peters. It’s very hidden, so we had to use the app Waze to direct us to it.
Check-in is from 3pm, so after a mad dash to finish packing after school, we arrived at the campsite after 4pm with 2 children who looked as excited as if it was Christmas morning. We parked in the large gravel area by the entrance and were greeted by Jane, the owner of the site, who showed us the impressive games barn behind the parking area and walked us to our tent.
The tents and the views over the south-west coast look impressive on the Camp de Rêves website, but that is nothing compared to what it is like in real life. From the minute I got out of the car I knew we had found somewhere special. There is a feeling of tranquillity thanks to the beautifully landscaped site, the breathtaking panoramic views of the Hanois Lighthouse and Fort Grey (known as The Cup and Saucer) to the left, round to Lihou Island to the right and the surprise at just how good the safari tents are, having never been glamping before, I’m not sure this can even be called camping!!
Safari Tent - is this really a tent?!
There are 5 safari tents on offer and we picked Pezzeries, the first of the 3 tents on the left-hand side of the site. Each has its own gate and private grassed area surrounding the tent plus unbelievable views.
Inside the Tent
Whilst we were busy taking in the views, Tilly and Lottie flew in the tent like missiles trying to find the secret den we had read about online. Their squeals of ”this is amazing” and ”you won’t believe it” told us they had found it and when Lottie shouted ”this is the best day of my life” I knew the tent was impressive but it also reinforced how mundane our lives have been for the past few years!
I’ve done lots of camping but have never stayed in a tent with a 4-poster bed, kitchen and a toilet and shower. This is such a far cry from staying in your own tent that I can’t believe I haven’t discovered glamping before! The safari tents sleep 6 people, there is a 4-poster bed, bunk beds and a hidden double bed behind the sitting area. I had seen this 2nd double bed on the tent layout pic online, but hadn’t appreciated that it was elevated. This was a definite highlight for my girls as you access it up a flight of wooden steps with a small heart hatch door. Inside there is just room for a double mattress, and it has really cute fairy lights. This is the perfect place for kids to sleep (as long as they are safe to use the ladder) as it is very dark inside. The problem we always find camping in the summer, is that the early sunrise can wake our girls up at 4am!! That wouldn’t be a problem here.
The secret den is located below the raised bedroom and is accessed by a curtain to the left of the steps. Inside is a padded floor mat, cushions and hula-hoops. The perfect hang-out for kids and within a few minutes had the contents of my girls’ backpacks strewn across the floor.
Double Bedroom
Bunk Beds & Secret Den
Secret Bedroom
And there's more!
The tent also includes a fully equipped kitchen, sitting area, dining table, bathroom and a decked area outside, everything you could possibly need and great for those that consider themselves as not being into camping.
Playtime
Whilst we were unpacking and settling into the tent (there are little carts that can be used to bring your stuff from your car to your tent), our girls were off exploring the site. There is a lovely kids play area with swings, climbing frame, see-saw, tightrope (we discovered that our whole family has shocking balance) and a brand new pirate ship. When we arrived, Jane told Tilly and Lottie that they were the first children to go on the pirate ship as it had just been built, this was very exciting news to them and they loved trying it out. As with this site in general, it always offers a bit more than you were expecting. After a few minutes the girls came out of the pirate ship dressed as fully fledged pirate crew members complete with treasure box, hook hand and swords!
The site is completely contained, so we were very happy for our girls to go off and play in the play area on their own and it would be safe for younger children as there is a gate separating the play area from the car park.
Dinner with a Difference
We had read online that the site had a pizza oven, so we came armed with home-made pizza dough (about time I used my bread maker that has sat in the cupboard for the last year after my good intentions that we would all enjoy fresh bread daily!). My hubby Nick was shown how to use it, so as he was in his element putting wood in the pizza oven to get it hot enough for our pizzas, we had fun rolling out the dough and putting as much pineapple as was possible on a pizza.
This was one of those evenings that will stay with me forever. The pizzas tasted amazing, but I think that was the novelty of cooking it ourselves and eating it outside on our deck watching the most beautiful sunset. After the meal, my girls spontaneously sat on the edge of the decking and had a cuddle to watch the sun setting and they both said they had had the best day (and we had only been at the campsite for 3 hours!). It really showed me that getting out of your normal routine can make all the difference and we didn’t need to get off the island to do that.
Dessert of Champions
After watching the sunset we remembered we had bought giant marshmallows for s’mores, initially intended for the fire pit, but as the pizza oven was still warm we used that. The sticky-gooiness really was the perfect end to the evening.
We have been super lucky with the weather for our stay in March, however, you forget how cold the evenings are. We intended to sit outside with a drink when our girls were in bed but as it was dark from 6:30pm and it was so cold, we huddled up on the sofa with the heater on watching Netflix on a laptop! (the wifi is excellent). However, in the summer it would be gorgeous sitting outside on the deck, relaxing and taking in the view.
Wakey Wakey
After such a lovely sleep (it’s so strange sleeping on a mattress whilst camping rather than on an inflatable mattress that invariably deflates during the night), there’s no better way to wake up than with a cup of tea on the deck admiring the view. This set the tone for our second day at the campsite as we didn’t leave it. But we did discover the play barn and that I am a volleyball ninja!
The play barn is a great addition to the site and has a table tennis table, table football, volleyball/badminton net, board games, colouring and some tables and chairs. We had such fun playing table football and volleyball as a family. I remain undefeated at volleyball, much to Nick’s annoyance! This gave us the chance to have undistracted time together and we haven’t laughed so much in as long as I can remember.
The play barn is in the car park, as my girls are 9 years old we were happy that they could go to the play barn without us, however, you might want to be more cautious with younger children.
BBQ
Each of the tents comes with a BBQ on the deck, and we enjoyed using it on our second night. We live near the east coast, so it’s pretty special getting the chance to see the west coast sunsets every night.
Finding the Beach
On day 3 we decided to take a stroll down to the beach. It only takes around 8 minutes to walk to L’Eree beach from the campsite. It’s all downhill getting to the beach but remember what goes down must come back up! It’s a nice scenic walk along the country lanes of St Peters and brings you out behind the beach. When you arrive at the coast road, you’ll see the slipway to your left, however, there is no pavement so you have to walk on the road to get to it. Instead, you can walk across the road and head to the right and you will join a wide path that will allow you to walk down some steps to join the beach or if you stay on the pavement you will come to a kiosk and a very popular Indian Restaurant called Taste of India.
L’Eree Beach is a popular family beach that is great for rock climbing and rock pooling at low tide. There is a wide expanse of soft sand but it often has a lot of seaweed on the beach during low tide. At high tide, there can be a little section of sand showing. For more information, CLICK HERE to read our full overview of L’Eree Beach.
Adults Only!
I saw online that the campsite has 2 shepherd’s huts to hire (with a third being finalised), which offers the perfect getaway for a couple (they only sleep 2 people). I had a quick look at them and they were super impressive and I would definitely like to return for a kid-free break! They have a double bed, kitchen, bathroom, log burner and deck with chairs and table, all beautifully presented and totally secluded.
Extras
Alongside well-equipped tents, Camp de Rêves also has a laundry and a welcome office with food to purchase via an honesty box.
A Sad Farewell
We had such a fantastic 3 night stay at Camp de Rêves that none of us wanted to leave. It gave us exactly what we wanted, the chance to relax but also to have fun as a family. Jane and Danny took 18 months building the campsite starting in 2018 and due to Covid they have not had a full season yet. I wish them every success, as what they have created is an absolute triumph. I highly recommend Camp de Rêves for those living in Guernsey who want a break and for families visiting Guernsey who want to explore this beautiful island from an amazing base.
Thanks Jane and Danny, we’ll be back!
It’s not just us that love it here…since writing this blog, Camp de Rêves has featured in Coast Magazine’s 12 best sea view glamping spots in the UK. How cool is that!
- Address: Camp de Rêves Glamping Ltd, Rue du Paysans au Val, St. Peters, Guernsey, GY7 9JY
- Website: https://guernseyglamping.com/
- Contact: 07781 415640 – Jane / 07781 102546 – Danny
- Prices: prices start from £165 per night in the safari tents
