Have you heard of Tohapi? May bank holidays are always eagerly awaited! We were wondering what we could do on these long weekends, and the opportunity to come and soak up the sun in the south of France came our way from May 5 to 8, 2017.
Would you be interested in a camping vacation in a modern mobile home? Why not? We haven’t been camping for a very long time, and it’s a great way to discover parts of France that we often don’t know enough about!
In fact, I invite you to take a look at all our articles on accommodation and activities for couples, friends and families in the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region:
- Cannes, the solar-powered, no-licence boat for discovering the Lérins Islands
- Discover the Colorado Provençal, a natural wonder of the PACA region
- What to see and do in Cannes, discover my must-sees
- Cannes, a must-try guesthouse in the city center
- The Monts d’Azur reserve for unusual accommodation and wildlife watching
- My unforgettable encounter with the Mercantour wolves
- Discover Marseille and its calanques by boat
| TOHAPI PRESENTATION
Tohapi offers over 300 campsites in France and Europe. The core values of camping are conviviality, freedom, pleasure, simplicity and safety.
All their campsites are carefully selected for quality and comfort. In order to guide you to unique destinations or locations, adapted to your needs, they have classified their offer according to 3 ranges:
- Privilege range with a complete range of high-quality services on their most beautiful campsites.
- Malin range, on beautiful sites in the heart of the most beautiful regions, for vacations at the best price.
- Gamme Découverte, their “favourites” for campsites with a little something extra
| WHY CHOOSE TOHAPI CAMPSITES
- With Tohapi, you can choose from over 25,000 pitches, the accommodation that’s right for you, and enjoy a camping vacation in a mobile home, tent, chalet or maisonette….
- Friendly, family atmosphere Tohapi allows you to benefit from low prices all year round by guaranteeing you the best services.
| TOHAPI 4* CAMPING AT LA SAINTE BAUME
Camping is evolving with the times, and Tohapi has understood this. Forget about preconceptions and “Patrick” with his toilet roll in hand, as camping and campers modernize. Opt for top camping! We wanted comfortable, functional accommodation, so we were offered the chance to test the Privilège range in cosy mobile home sleeps 4 with furnished terrace.
A 4-day weekend in the South of France
Direction Nans les pins in the Var, in the heart of the Provence verte region. We have chosen the Camping Tohapi La Sainte Baume nestled in a pine forest in the heart of the Sainte Baume massif in the Var highlands, at the foot of the pines and holm oaks please. Here, you can feel the peace and quiet of the South! The setting is very green, with a 9-hectare site and a relaxing family atmosphere. It is one of the Privilege range guaranteeing an optimized level of service. Campsite operators are increasingly improving their offers, moving closer to the hotel industry with fully-equipped bungalows: TV, sheets, towels, air conditioning/heating.
The little plus of this campsite is its conviviality, which we had forgotten. Here, people don’t hesitate to say hello, chat in the aisles or by the barbecues in the early evening. Whether you’re with friends or family, the wooden terrace of your accommodation is the perfect place for evenings out, long aperitifs and small “bouffes” with local produce, freshly bought at the market.
Children won’t be left out, quite the contrary! A water park with a large swimming pool, play areas, the Topi house, children’s and adults’ activities, a tennis court, a multisport field, an equestrian center and a team of entertainers to manage it all.
It’s a new concept for us, but one we’d like to repeat with friends and, in the future, with family! We found the mobile home very comfortable and well-appointed, it’s really a little house you come to look for. In high season, I think it’s a good idea to reserve your pitch a little further away from the pool, if you want to relax!
Another new feature of Tohapi’s Privilege campsites is a teak spa area, the Oasis Bien Etre with sauna, hammam and jacuzzi facing the Sainte Baume massif. There are worse views!
| Spa information and prices 2017
Approx. 15€ per day with unlimited access and approx. 30€ per week
Massage around 40€ to 80€ per hour.
Other services are available à la carte:
- bike rental
- sheet rental
- Internet access and wifi
- baby kit rental
- launderette (washing machine €5 token + tumble dryer €3 token)
- barbecue rental (€25/week)
- end-of-stay cleaning
- Rates for this campsite
You can check reservations and availability for this summer at, by clicking on this link .
Count around 50/night (on the dates indicated from May 5 to May 2017, in the middle of the bridge) for the rental of the 4-person mobile home privilege we tested with 2 bedrooms, one of which is a double and one with two single beds. This campsite with swimming pool in the south of France is really cheap!
- Address
| WHAT TO VISIT IN THE SURROUNDINGS OF LA SAINTE BAUME?
-
Nature everywhere
In the surrounding area, we first discovered the Massif de la Sainte Baume.
You can climb it via the Chemin des Roys, allowing 1.5 hours to reach the top of the plateau, where you can enjoy a magnificent panorama of the Mediterranean and Alpine forests with views of Aix-en-Provence and Marseille. We decided to take a walk to the sources of the Huveaune because we didn’t have the energy to climb in the heat, and yes, it’s ugly. To get there, take the D80 road towards “Plan-d’aups-sainte-Baume” de Roys from the center of Nans-les-Pins. A little further on, leave the D80 on your left and continue straight ahead towards a factory.
Park here and follow the path, leaving the Chemin des Rois on your left. After a 10-minute walk, you will see a river with small waterfalls. It is a truly idyllic spot with a mystical feel, reminiscent of the Kuang Xi Falls in Laos.
-
The charming villages of Sainte Baume
For small Provençal villages, we first visited Saint-Maximin-de-la-Sainte-Baume. The main attraction is its basilica located in the center of the village and its convent located at the rear, which we unfortunately did not have time to explore. A 45-minute drive from Nans-les-Pins, don’t miss the village of Cotignac. We fell in love with this small village, part of which is troglodytic, with its Provençal charm. There are many restaurants dotted around the main square. The best way to discover Cotignac is to stroll through the narrow streets and let yourself be carried away by the charm of the stone facades with their lavender or turquoise shutters and the views you will find. It’s a great place for photography enthusiasts! Have lunch at La Tarente restaurant on the main square, which offers an affordable menu with a delicious dish of prawns and vegetables for around 16€.
-
Charismatic cities
To the south, drive past Aubagne (30 minutes) to finally discover the famous Calanques of Cassis, the sandy beaches of La Ciotat and Saint Cyr sur Mer, or the rocky, sheltered coves of Bandol. Don’t miss the beautiful city of Marseille.
- Pretty, colorful local markets
Don’t miss the Nans-les-Pins market on Sunday mornings. In the pure tradition of southern markets, it features stalls selling soap, charcuterie, cheese, seasonal fruit, and, of course, clothing. Finally, for those who are already golfers or would like to take up the game, there is a beautiful 18-hole golf course located just outside the village (lessons are available; ask at reception for details).
Before you go, I invite you to check out all our articles on accommodation and activities for couples or families in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region:
- Cannes, the solar-powered, no-licence boat for discovering the Lérins Islands
- Discover the Colorado Provençal, a natural wonder of the PACA region
- What to see and do in Cannes, discover my must-sees
- Cannes, a must-try guesthouse in the city center
- The Monts d’Azur reserve for unusual accommodation and wildlife watching
- My unforgettable encounter with the Mercantour wolves
- Discover Marseille and its calanques by boat
This article contains affiliate links. By booking through them, you support our work at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your trust and support.
Don’t forget to pin on Pinterest to find it more easily
This article is sponsored, but it remains our honest opinion of this destination. It was made possible thanks to a collaboration with Tohapi campsites, whom we would like to thank for their invitation.
