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Which Is The Best Pierre & Vacances Holiday Village for Summer in France and Spain?

Pierre & Vacances has got nine 'Holiday Villages' in France and Spain. They offer a good alternative to Center Parcs Europe or Eurocamp. There are also a couple of Pierre & Vacances Holiday Villages in the West Indies but this guide is sticking to the European resorts (if you are interested, the West Indies holiday villages are Holiday Village Sainte-Anne in Guadaloupe and Holiday Village Sainte-Luce in Martinique).

In this guide, we're going to compare the Pierre & Vacances Holiday Villages in Europe by looking at seven factors.

My brief summary is that:
  • ​Holiday Village Bonavista de Bonmont on the Spanish coast and and Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare on the Spanish Island of Fuerteventura get the best reviews and the warmest weather. Both are a short drive from beaches and have good swimming pools as well as an impressive range of activities. However, the cost of flights can add a lot to the overall price.​
  • Holiday Village Normandy Garden is our best value choice. It's not as warm and reviews aren't quite as strong, but it performed well in our price comparison and has lots of activities for different age groups.
  • ​Holiday Village Belle Dune is very convenient to visit from the UK. It is a mid-table performer on price and customer reviews but is near to a beach.​
Holiday Village Bonavista de Bonmont
Holiday Village Bonavista de Bonmont offers good weather, a fairly quick journey and good reviews
Holiday Village Belle Dune
Holiday Village Belle Dune is close to the UK and it has a good choice of activities
Read on for the full comparison which explains how we reached our conclusions including:
  1. Customer reviews - how does it score on Trip Advisor and Google reviews?
  2. Price - what is the typical cost of a family holiday for four people?
  3. Travel time from the UK - what is the total journey time including flights and transfers?
  4. Climate - what weather can you expect in the summer?
  5. Star rating - how posh is the resort?
  6. Location - how far away is the nearest beach?
  7. Facilities - does it have a swimming pool and other activities?

1. Customer reviews - Which Pierre & Vacances Holiday Village in Spain and France gets the highest rating on TripAdvisor and Google Reviews?

For our first comparison, let's look at review scores for the Spanish and French Pierre & Vacances Holiday Villages. To create our score out of 10, we will add together the Google review score to the TripAdvisor rating.

  1. Holiday Village Bonavista de Bonmont, Spain - 4/5 on TripAdvisor + 4.3/5 on Google reviews = 8.3/10
  2. Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare, Spain - 3.5/5 + 4.1/5 = 7.6/10
  3. Holiday Village Belle Dune, France - 3.5/5 + 4/5 = 7.5/10
  4. Holiday Village Cap Esterel, France - 3.5/5 + 4/5 = 7.5/10
  5. Holiday Village Le Rouret, France - 3.5/5 + 4/5 = 7.5/10
  6. Holiday Village Pont Royal en Provence, France - 3.5/5 + 4/5 = 7.5/10
  7. ​Holiday Village Normandy Garden, France - 3.5/5 + 3.9/5 = 7.4/10
  8. Holiday Village Moliets, France - 3.5/5 + 3.8/5 = 7.3/10
  9. Holiday Village Terrazas, Spain - 3.5/5 + 3.8/5 = 7.3/10

Our early leaders are Holiday Village Bonavista de Bonmont which is on Spain's Costa Dorada (eastern coast) and Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare which is on the Spanish Island of Fuerteventura.

However, several other Pierre & Vacances Holiday Villages aren't far behind. In fact, there's very little difference between most of the holiday villages.

The two frontrunners are also quite a long distance from the UK so are likely to perform less well in other comparisons.
Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare
Pierre & Vacances Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare is a winner with reviewers
**Club Med Offers: up to 15% off last minute + up to 15% off winter Dream Deals​ + summer 2025 from £850**

2. Price - Which Pierre & Vacances holiday village in France and Spain is the cheapest? 

Here's what I'm particularly interested in! A price comparison of one set of dates only gives us a rough idea but it's worthwhile nonetheless. 

We looked at the cost of a holiday for four people in August 2023 including:
  • seven nights in the cheapest accommodation available
  • half board for two adults and two children (although you can opt out of a dining package to save money)
  • bedding and towels (you can opt out of this at some resorts, or just go for a midweek housekeeping visit instead)

We didn't include:
  • flights and transfers
  • pets, although most Pierre & Vacances villages are pet friendly
  • parking, if you decide to drive to the resort
  • extra flexibility so that you can change your booking (you can pay extra for this)
  • kids' clubs - these are charged separately at resorts such as Holiday Village Belle Dune.
  • tourist tax, which is payable when you get there. You can expect to pay about €20 for a week for a family of four.
​
From cheapest to most expensive:
  1. Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare, Spain - £1240
  2. ​Holiday Village Normandy Garden, France -£1938
  3. Holiday Village Terrazas, Spain - £1966
  4. Holiday Village Belle Dune, France - £1997
  5. Holiday Village Pont Royal en Provence, France - £2154
  6. Holiday Village Le Rouret, France - £2184
  7. Holiday Village Cap Esterel, France - £2370
  8. Holiday Village Bonavista de Bonmont, Spain - £2441
  9. Holiday Village Moliets, France - £2729
​Holiday Village Normandy Garden
​Holiday Village Normandy Garden in France is lower priced than some Pierre & Vacances holiday villages
So, Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare performs well again, making it a definite frontrunner in our search for the best Pierre & Vacances Village for a summer holiday. We now know that it scores well on reviews and prices. Holiday Village Belle Dune is also worth a mention as it gets better than average reviews and is good value in our price comparison.

The notable caveat is that our prices don't include flights and transfers, as we weren't offered this option on the booking pages.

​Prices of flights vary a lot, but when we searched we found that flights to the nearest airport for Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare for a family of four in August 2023 added about £1700 to the cost of the holiday. Meanwhile, flights to Holiday Village Bonavista de Bonmont in Spain were about £800 for a family of four for the same dates.

3. Travel time - Which Pierre & Vacances Premium summer holiday village in Spain and France ​is closest to the UK?

Convenience is a big factor if you are planning a family holiday!

We are going to rank the Pierre & Vacances holiday villages based on how long they take to reach from London. 

  1. Holiday Village Bonavista de Bonmont, Spain - 2hr 15m flight + 25 minute transfer = 2hr 40m
  2. Holiday Village Pont Royal en Provence, France - 2hr flight + 45m transfer = 2hr 45m
  3. Holiday Village Moliets, France - 1hr 55m flight + 1 hr transfer = 2hr 55m
  4. Holiday Village Belle Dune, France - 1hr 5m flight + 2hr transfer = 3hr 5m 
  5. Holiday Village Cap Esterel, France - 2hr 15m flight + 1hr 10m transfer = 3hr 25m
  6. ​Holiday Village Normandy Garden, France - 1hr 20m flight + 2hr 25m transfer = 3hr 45m
  7. Holiday Village Terrazas, Spain - 2hr 50m + 1hr 5 minute transfer = 3hr 55m
  8. Holiday Village Le Rouret, France - 2hr flight + 2hr 15m transfer = 4hr 15m
  9. Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare, Spain - 4hr 15m flight + 40 minute transfer = 4hr 55m

In some cases, you may find it is quicker and easier to take your own car. For example, Holiday Village Belle Dune is 3hr 55m if you go via the Eurotunnel at Folkestone. On paper it appears quicker to fly but you will probably lose quite a lot of time waiting for your bags and finding your hire car in Paris.

As expected, Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare is a much longer journey than the other Pierre & Vacances holiday villages in France and Spain. It is also likely to be more expensive to fly to this resort (as mentioned earlier).

Holiday Village Bonavista de Bonmont is a much quicker journey if you want to visit Spain as it has such a short transfer time from the airport.

4. Climate - Which Pierre & Vacances holiday village in Spain and France has the best weather?

Next up, we're going to look at the weather you can expect to find at each Pierre & Vacances holiday village in Spain and France. Of course, we could do this comparison in many ways but we are going to look at average temperature in August (i.e. peak season). We looked at Holiday-weather.com.

From warmest to coolest:
  1. Holiday Village Le Rouret, France - 24 Celsius
  2. Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare, Spain - 24 Celsius
  3. Holiday Village Bonavista de Bonmont, Spain - 24 Celsius
  4. Holiday Village Terrazas, Spain - 23 Celsius
  5. Holiday Village Cap Esterel, France - 22 Celsius
  6. Holiday Village Pont Royal en Provence, France - 22 Celsius
  7. Holiday Village Moliets, France - 21 Celsius
  8. ​Holiday Village Normandy Garden, France - 18 Celsius
  9. Holiday Village Belle Dune, France - 17 Celsius

In summary, if you want hot weather then you should go for one of the Pierre & Vacances holiday villages in Spain or Holiday Village Le Rouret which is in Southern France. If you prefer cooler weather then Holiday Village Belle Dune and Holiday Village Normandy Garden are much better. 
Holiday Village Bonavista de Bonmont
If you want warm weather - head for P&V Holiday Village Bonavista de Bonmont in Spain

5. Star rating - Which Pierre & Vacances holiday village in Spain and France is the most luxurious?

Most Pierre et Vacances Holiday Villages are given a star rating of either three star, four star or five star.

The vast majority of Pierre et Vacances Holiday Villages are given a three star rating, including Belle Dune, Bonavista de Bonmont, Normandy Garden, Moliets, Pont Royal en Provence, Bonavista de Bonmont and Le Rouret.

The exception is Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare which is given a four star rating. 

We couldn't find a star rating for Holiday Village Terrazas in Spain or Holiday Village Cap Esterel in France.

Pierre & Vacances doesn't have any five star holiday villages but it does have some amongst its winter ski hotels.

6. Location - Which Pierre & Vacances holiday villages in Spain and France are by the beach?

I enjoy a dip in a swimming pool but a trip to the beach is my first love. We spent much time figuring out how long it will take you to get to the beach at each Pierre & Vacances village. We then ranked them from closest to furthest.
​
  1. Holiday Village Terrazas Costa Del Sol, Spain - 2 minute drive to the beach
  2. Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare, Spain - 3 minute drive to the beach
  3. Holiday Village Cap Esterel, France - 5 minute drive to the beach
  4. Holiday Village Belle Dune, France - 5 minute drive to the beach
  5. Holiday Village Moliets, France - 7 minute drive to the beach
  6. Holiday Village Bonavista de Bonmont, Spain - 10 minute drive to the beach
  7. ​Holiday Village Normandy Garden, France - 12 minutes drive to the beach
  8. Holiday Village Pont Royal en Provence, France - about an hour inland
  9. Holiday Village Le Rouret, France - two hours inland

So, if proximity to a beach is important to you then Holiday Village Terrazas Costa Del Sol or Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare are both good choices. Several others Pierre & Vacances villages are close enough if you don't mind a short drive or a walk of about a mile. 

Of course, the quality of the local beach does vary. For example, Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare is very near to the coast but Pierre et Vacances suggests travelling 15-20km to the sandy beaches. A free shuttle bus is provided from that resort. Holiday Village Terrazas Costa Del Sol has a local beach which is described as being 'A grey sand beach typical of the region, with beautiful coves surrounded by natural rocks and small wild cliffs'.

A couple of resorts are too far away for a beach trip - Holiday Village Pont Royal en Provence and Holiday Village Le Rouret.
Holiday Village Cap Esterel
Holiday Village Cap Esterel is about five minutes drive from the beach

7. Facilities - Which Pierre et Vacances holiday village in Spain and France has the best facilities?

All of the Pierre & Vacances holiday villages offer a good range of things to do onsite. However, there is some variation in the range of sports, restaurants, kids' clubs and swimming pools available.

We've attempted to compile all the information into one chart for easier comparison.

Notes about our comparison table:​
  • Some sports are included, some cost extra. We just included those which are described as being 'onsite' rather than those which are 'nearby'.​
  • Children's clubs are typically aimed at 4-11 year olds. Baby friendly parks have facilities for younger children whilst 'teen clubs' are for older children.
  • We've included the Pierre & Vacances star rating where available.
  • We've tried our best to make this accurate, but details change all the time. Please check with P&V if there is a particular activity which is important to you!
Resort
Food
Swimming pools
Sports
Kids' clubs
Belle Dune
​***
Breakfast,
bar,
​restaurant
Indoor
​pool*
Basketball,
football,
handball,
petanque,
playground,
cycling,
badminton,
golf,
tennis,
archery
Baby friendly,
children's club,
​teen club
Fuerteventura
Origo 
​Mare
​****
Breakfast,
restaurant
Outdoor
​water park,
waves, slides,
paddling 
​pool
Playground,
games room,
buggy rides,
golf,
minigolf,
tennis
Children's club
Normandy
Garden
​***
Breakfast,
bar,
​restaurant
Indoor and
outdoor
​water park
Playground,
badminton, 
basketball,
football,
handball,
treasure hunt,
minigolf,
petanque,
table tennis,
bike hire,
tennis, 
archery
Baby friendly,
children's club,
​teen club
Bonavista de
Bonmont
​***
Breakfast,
bar,
​restaurant
2 outdoor
​pools,
whirlpools,
jets, 
lazy river
Playground,
petanque,
table tennis,
volleyball,
table football,
basketball,
pool/snooker
Children's club,
​teen club
Terrazas
​Costa del Sol
Breakfast,
bar, 
​snack bar
2 outdoor
​pools, 
​massage jets 
Playground,
basketball,
football,
handball,
table tennis,
​pool/snooker
Children's club
Cap Esterel
Breakfast,
2 restaurants,
burger bar,
​ice cream parlour
3 outdoor
​pools, 
slides, 
​paddling
Playground,
basketball,
football,
petanque,
table tennis,
cycling,
horse riding,
tennis
Baby friendly,
children's club,
​teen club
Le Rouret
​***
Breakfast,
restaurant,
​snack bar
5 outdoor
pools,
​lazy river
Playground,
volleyball,
farm,
petanque,
table tennis,
horse riding,
minigolf,
tennis,
archery,
bowling,
cinema
Baby friendly,
children's club,
​teen club
Pont Royal en Provence
​***
Cafe bar
Outdoor
​wave pool,
paddling pool,
wild river
Playground,
basketball,
volleyball,
farm,
football,
treasure hunt,
petanque,
table tennis,
horse riding,
minigolf,
segway,
tennis, 
​archery
Baby friendly,
children's club,
​teen club
Moliets
​***
Breakfast,
​bar

4 swimming
​pools, 
​diving pool
Playground,
basketball,
beach volleyball,
football,
petanque,
table tennis,
volleyball,
pool/snooker
Baby friendly,
​children's club,
​teen club
A few conclusions from this information!
  • ​The biggest number of sports onsite is available at Holiday Village Normandy Garden, Holiday Village Pont Royal en Provence and Holiday Village Le Rouret. However, all the resorts offer a good range of things to do without leaving the site.
  • Some more unusual sports and activities are only available at a small number of resorts. For example, segways are available at Pont Royal en Provence whilst there are farm animals at Le Rouret and Pont Royal en Provence.
  • Several Pierre & Vacances Villages are ideal for children of all ages.  About half of them have facilities for toddlers as well clubs for young children and teenagers. Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare doesn't have a teenagers group, but it does have a 'baby kit' which includes things like a cot.
  • *Every resort has at least one swimming pool, but the indoor swimming pool at Belle Dune is for visitors staying in the Maisons de la Plage district of the resort. Other villages have outdoor swimming pools and several have slides or wave pools.​

Conclusion – which is the best Pierre et Vacances Village in France and Spain?

Let's try and summarise these seven factors we've looked at in our search for the best Pierre et Vacances Village in France and Spain?

Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare and Holiday Village Bonavista de Bonmont both stand out as they get the best reviews from customers. Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare is Pierre and Vacances' only four star village, which adds to the appeal.

These two parks also offer the warmest weather in summer. On price, Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare at first appeared to be better value. However, travel costs to Holiday Village Bonavista de Bonmont were much lower in our comparison so the difference in price is small. They are both within a short drive of a beach. Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare is closer to the coast, but travelling to a popular sandy beach takes a bit longer.

Holiday Village Bonavista de Bonmont is much quicker and easier to reach compared to Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare. From the UK, you will travel for an extra two hours to reach Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare.

For a good value holiday with lower travel costs I would go for ​Holiday Village Normandy Garden. Reviews are a little behind Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare and Holiday Village Bonavista de Bonmont but it is a shorter flight and it has an excellent range of activities. There are indoor and outdoors swimming pools, which compensates for the cooler weather. It has a choice of kids' groups and the price was one of the cheapest we found.

If you would prefer to drive from the UK then I would go for Holiday Village Belle Dune which is only 90 minutes drive from Calais. You can reach Calais from Folkestone on the 35 minute Eurotunnel so the total journey time is pretty quick from south east England. You won't get the warm weather of Holiday Village Fuerteventura Origo Mare (expect a similar climate to Southern England) but reviews are quite good and it performed well in our price comparison. The choice of swimming pools is not as good as some Pierre and Vacances villages but the beach is nearby and it has lots of activities and facilities for all ages of children.

Other guides from the Holiday Park Guru

Holiday-Park-Guru-Don't-Blame-Us-Disclaimer: All the information on this page is accurate, as far as we know. However, facilities at holiday parks change so please check with the park before booking.