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Italian Campsites (Fly/Drive Holiday)

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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 10,215 ✭✭✭✭greenspurs


    We stayed in "Camping Fabulous" in summer 19 .
    And it really was fabulous. Id really recommend .

    https://www.eurocamp.ie/campsites/lazio/is018-camping-village-fabulous/ataglance.html

    "Bright lights and Thunder .................... "



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,580 ✭✭✭Glebee


    Now that 2021 is upon us and with no end of Covid restrictions in sight has anyone else got vouchers from Italian campsite to be used in the 2021 season that were extended from last year, not looking good to be able to use them this year? I wonder will they show any leeway and allow transfer to 2022???


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,220 ✭✭✭✭Lex Luthor


    Glebee wrote: »
    Now that 2021 is upon us and with no end of Covid restrictions in sight has anyone else got vouchers from Italian campsite to be used in the 2021 season that were extended from last year, not looking good to be able to use them this year? I wonder will they show any leeway and allow transfer to 2022???

    I'd check out to 2025 while you're asking...seriously


  • Registered Users Posts: 882 ✭✭✭sy_flembeck


    Glebee wrote: »
    Now that 2021 is upon us and with no end of Covid restrictions in sight has anyone else got vouchers from Italian campsite to be used in the 2021 season that were extended from last year, not looking good to be able to use them this year? I wonder will they show any leeway and allow transfer to 2022???

    If it's any help I had vouchers for a Spanish campsite carried over from last year. Ryanair have already cancelled our flight in June so I had to cancel the holiday. Sandaya (French company) offered to transfer them again to 2022 or I can have a refund in December. So there's hope...


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,015 ✭✭✭Ludo


    Glebee wrote: »
    Now that 2021 is upon us and with no end of Covid restrictions in sight has anyone else got vouchers from Italian campsite to be used in the 2021 season that were extended from last year, not looking good to be able to use them this year? I wonder will they show any leeway and allow transfer to 2022???

    Yeah I have vouchers with the Human Travel company which are valid for this summer. I have been hoping vaccines would roll out faster and we might be able to get away but that is not going to happen. I would hope they will extend them to 2022 also but I have not got in touch with them yet.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,580 ✭✭✭Glebee


    Have to try and get in contact with company we have vouchers with and see can they be extended till 2022..


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,580 ✭✭✭Glebee


    Got deposit vouchers extended until 2022, hopefully by then things will have settled down a bit. Anyone travelling this summer??



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,432 ✭✭✭SusanC10


    Can anyone recommend a Campsite close to the beach on the Adriatic ? We will have 2 Teens.

    Looking at :- Marina di Venezia, Pra delle Torri, Union Lido. Open to other suggestions.

    Considerations for us would be Extras which need to be paid (Sunbeds etc), closeness of Mobiles to each other, other restrictive rules.

    Friends have been to Marina and have likened it to the Holiday Camp in "Dirty Dancing" !! Which is a bit off-putting.

    Also read about the fire at Pra delle Torri a few years ago now but I have niggling doubts.

    Any recommendations?



  • Registered Users Posts: 13,623 ✭✭✭✭josip


    We've stayed in Pra delle Torri a couple of times.

    Very happy with it, but our needs are simple: beach, pool and acceptable food (short queues and not stodge)

    The Lido beach is good, very safe if you have little ones. I prefer coves and whiter sand type beaches, eg. Menorca but for a family holiday the Lido is fine.

    Access to the beach was via a security gateway with a wrist tag so that small children can't get on to it unaccompanied.

    The restaurant on the beach was nice and without long queues most of the time.

    The pool area was very good for up to 10 year old, but if I remember correctly, the slides were a bit basic and I'm not sure if older kids would be entertained. Had a pirate ship. Also had a separate pool just for lane swimming. Had a lot of pools.

    The camp site is massive, so if you're staying there for a week or two, you'll need bikes to get around. Bike hire is expensive, we had our own so don't know exactly how much. Also, because it's so big, you/kids don't wander about it aimlessly as much as on the smaller campsites. If you're going to do something, it's an expedition that you plan and takes an amount of time.

    It has a golf course, but both years we were there, it was mid to high 30s and there didn't seem to be many out and it looked brown. One of the years at reception, my wife was explaining to the receptionist what kind of pitch we would like. Not too close to a toilet block, but not too far. Not beside the beach gate but not too far. A tree for shade, but not in the forest... The security guard behind the desk made eye contact with me and then gave the briefest of roll-eyes. I love the Italians.

    The first year we stayed in Dei Fiori, which is the last site on the Lido at the Venezia end. It's walking distance from the ferry so that was handy if you plan to do a visit or two. It's a smaller campsite, and everything was higher quality than Pra delle Torri or Union. Everything was twice as expensive though.

    Both sites had good onsite gyms, Dei Fiori was very busy at 10/11 o'clock one night we were heading back from watching a World Cup match. The garden crew were out leaf blowing the paths at the same time.

    Keep an eye out in the evening time for fireworks over the port of Venice. I don't think they do them every night, but we saw them at least once each year we were there. Very impressive viewed from the beach.

    Form the research we've done down through the years I'd be happy staying in any of the Lido sites for 4 or 5 days. I think there's a great holiday buzz from them. It's for Day 5+ that it helps to have chosen a site that matches your particular needs, eg. good water park/slides, having some other english-speaking families onsite for the children to socialise with. One year at Pra I saw a daddy and daughter having a puck around on the soccer pitch, so I guess Pra ticks that box. 🙂



  • Registered Users Posts: 204 ✭✭manshay


    We went to Union Lido with Human travel. Unfortunately our stay only lasted 18 hours due to a family emergency at home. They were most helpful and refunded the stay.

    I would add my voice to the compliments for Bella Italia. We stayed with Eurocamp in an Azure Plus which was superb. Friends stayed in the bungalows and thought the mobiles were more pleasant, the bungalows seemed a little tired. Its a very busy site but well laid out.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,432 ✭✭✭SusanC10


    Do you think that Bella Italia is suited to Teens ? Or would one of the larger Sites on the Adriatic be better?

    It will be a 2 Site Holiday with the 2nd Site being Norcenni in Tuscany.



  • Registered Users Posts: 204 ✭✭manshay


    We went with early aged teens and they had a ball. There was plenty to do



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,580 ✭✭✭Glebee


    Anyone anything booked yet. Need to get my finger out and try and organize....



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,580 ✭✭✭Glebee


    Finally getting my finger out and booking Italy this summer, flight are decent enough at the moment and have to choose between Norcenni and Camping village Fabulous.. I think both get decent reviews from previous post but has anyone stayed in both. Also is it hard to get into Rome from Village Fabulous??. Car hire gone expensive though..



  • Registered Users Posts: 4,333 ✭✭✭beggars_bush


    Bumping this thread

    We're travelling with Ryanair with a 3 year old.

    We'd like to bring a car seat with us. Is this included in the baggage allowance for a 3 year old? The wording is quite vague and says 'baby' a lot.



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,580 ✭✭✭Glebee


    Weve bought car seats on Ryanair previous with no issues from what I remember although it seems like an age ago at this stage, think you just carry them on and put under the seat.


    Anyone any recommendations for transfer companies in Rome, not hiring a car this year.



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,580 ✭✭✭Glebee


    Just back from Camping Fabulous outside Rome. Very nice campsite and we had a great trip and would definitely recommend. Its more relaxed and not as manic as Bella Italia. No issues with transfers or getting in and out of Rome. Its as if Covid never happened :) . Time to start looking for next summer. God I really love Italy.



  • Registered Users Posts: 228 ✭✭Navy blue


    Hi all, I am attending a wedding on the Amalfi coast next September and thinking of adding a few days and making a bit of a holiday out of it. We have two kids, who will be age 6 and 9.

    Has anyone been to any of these campsites at the start of September? Are they still pretty lively or do they get pretty dead? I see a lot of them seem to stop their entertainment on 31st august.

    I would love to try Bella Italia, but it would mean a very long drive to our wedding destination - over 7 hours. Can anyone recommend a campsite further south? I would like a really good pool for the kids and close to a decent town would be a bonus. Many thanks!



  • Registered Users Posts: 228 ✭✭Navy blue


    Following on from the above. I am now thinking of Norcenni for the first week in September. Has anyone been in this site at that time of year? Is it still fairly lively with entertainment etc?



  • Registered Users Posts: 807 ✭✭✭GAAcailin


    Both Bella Italia and Norcenni are big campsites so would still be busy enough in September; mainly families with pre-schoolers. I was in BI in May (a few years ago) and it was busy enough; Norcenni is a better campsite in that the pools are better managed and just nicer overall. However BI has a better location, its right on the lake and walking distance to Peschiera del Garda which is a lovely town with great restaurants. Gardaland is close by too;

    Norcenni is more remote and its a drive to any decent restaurants and not at the water either.


    Depends on your preference



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  • Registered Users Posts: 109 ✭✭GeneralSherman


    Glebee, how did you get from the airport (which one ?) to Camping Fabulous and how much was it please ?. Any more detail on holidaying without a car eg. grocery shopping ?

    Thanks in advance.



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,580 ✭✭✭Glebee


    Camp site organsie bus collection from both Rome airports I think. We fly into Ciampino with Ryanair and it's less than 30 minutes away. Thing transfer was €100.

    The shop onsite is small but has everything, granted it's a bit more expensive.

    There's a large supermarket about twenty minutes walk up the road that I brought a backpack UpTo, loaded up and walked back. You could get a taxi as well and I think the bus goes by that route too.

    Car hire rental is mental at the moment and unless your itinerary has need of a car it's really an expensive luxury that you might be able to skip.

    Bus and metro combo into Rome is straightforward and takes about 50 minutes.

    Drop me a PM if you have any questions.



  • Registered Users Posts: 273 ✭✭the_galway_fry


    how much can people really save booking well in advance for next summer ?



  • Registered Users Posts: 204 ✭✭manshay


    I'm not sure you save a great deal. It guarantees choice and you might save a few bob.

    We are a family of 5, so early booking is vital. The choice of accommodation is at its best now. Flights for July and August rarely drop in price.



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,419 ✭✭✭Charliebull


    Looking at Italy this year for the first time, my god car hire is crazy

    5 of us, 3 kids from 8 to 15

    looking at norcenni and Bela Italia

    many tips on either or accommodation



  • Registered Users Posts: 807 ✭✭✭GAAcailin


    Posted this above:

     I was in BI in May (a few years ago) and it was busy enough; Norcenni is a better campsite in that the pools are better managed and just nicer overall. However BI has a better location, its right on the lake and walking distance to Peschiera del Garda which is a lovely town with great restaurants. Gardaland is close by too;

    Norcenni is more remote and its a drive to any decent restaurants and not at the water either.

    Depends on your preference


    Neighbours were in BI in July this year and said that the pools were way too buzy, people in q's for an hour plus in the am to get a sun lounger; you don't necessarily need a car in BI, Verona airport is close by and you van organise a taxi or transfer easily.



  • Registered Users Posts: 228 ✭✭Navy blue


    What are your thoughts on Albatross versus Norcenni? I had pretty much decided on Norcenni, but I am tempted by Albatross’s proximity to the beach. We will have a car, so don’t mind a bit of a drive into the nearest town. We aren’t going until the start of September though, so would want somewhere that will still be pretty lively and will still have activities on at that stage.



  • Registered Users Posts: 7,985 ✭✭✭youcancallmeal


    Does anyone know is it even possible to get midweek arrivals for one of the campsites on the adriatic coast? Tried searching but either finding nothing or crazy expensive options. We're looking at Union Lido or Pra delle Torri next July but the flights on Fri, Sat, Sun are €1000 more than midweek flights and have horrible departure/arrivals times for kids to deal with



  • Registered Users Posts: 7,820 ✭✭✭munchkin_utd


    eurocamp offers arrival on any day. Have you not tried them ?



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  • Registered Users Posts: 7,985 ✭✭✭youcancallmeal


    Yes but they were on average 2.5k more expensive than anyone else(6.5k for a 2 bed mobile home for 2 weeks!). We found Roan had some availability at an okay price and booked it now. This is our first campsite type holiday and the lesson we've learnt is we left it very late to book summer 2023. I see some providers are already opening bookings for 2024



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