Before:
I had only ever been to France on day trips to Calais and Bologne and I thought of it as a place for cheap shopping and hypermarkets. When I considered it for a longer visit, I thought of Paris and city breaks and really didn’t have any idea of what northern France had to offer. I had never been on a hovercraft before and was a little bit wary about the crossing – I just couldn’t quite get my head around the way they worked and couldn’t see how they stayed up. I had booked quite a few clients on holidays to France – mostly camping or city breaks – but I never thought to suggest the north.
After:
Northern France is very surprising. You can get there really quickly and there is such a wide choice of things to do and places to stay. The holiday village is very well equipped for families – spotlessly clean and very modern but not terribly French and the chateaux and hotels are lovely. The Hoverspeed crossing is really fast and comfortable and I am now recommending clients pay a little bit more for first class because you do get some good little extras. It is an attractive area for short breaks or longer holidays. I have already recommended it to my clients and I would certainly go back myself.
Marion Gunn, Lunn Poly, Southend-on-Sea
Before:
I haven’t been to this part of France before and didn’t really know what to expect. I think I thought it would be rather like the British resorts on the south coast. It wasn’t an area I recommended to clients and I think most of them just drove straight through the north en route to the south of France or Paris – I don’t think they even considered a stop. Clients just didn’t know what was there and I suppose I didn’t know much about it either. I haven’t travelled with Hoverspeed before – most of our clients head straight for the airport – so I thought that would be quite a revelation.
After:
I can now thoroughly recommend the north of France. The beaches at Fort Mahon and Le Touquet are fabulous – sandy, very clean, wide and spacious and, if the weather is good, they are absolutely beautiful for a summer holiday. The journey time is very quick, and within half an hour, you really feel like you are abroad – everything is very typically French and there is a huge range of things to see and places to stay. The family accommodation is excellent, but it is also an ideal region for couples looking for good French food such as local cheese and wine and gourmet bistros. It is pretty upmarket and very accessible.
Barbara Brennan, Lunn Poly, Slough
Before:
I have been to France on day trips and driven through the north en route to the south but, like many people, I had never stopped there. I have sold quite a lot of short breaks to France but, again, not often to the north. I couldn’t really imagine this area as a beach destination – I thought of the ports and imagined the coast to be quite industrial, all cobbles and dirt. Many clients have a stereotypical opinion of French people and don’t think they are very friendly or welcoming. I think I had a similar view.
After:
The beaches are lovely and there are also an amazing number of really good golf courses. I had already sold a few golf packages because the hotels are lovely and offer great swimming, spa and leisure facilities for the golfers’ partners. The holiday village is incredible and reminded me of Legoland, it’s so bright and well organised. It is very safe and well situated with excellent child-care arrangements, but there is not the entertainment and razzmatazz you get in UK holiday villages – you really make your own entertainment. The people were very friendly and I am certainly recommending the area and have already been back with my own family and they loved it.
Dawn Corps, Lunn Poly, Croydon