the mail on sunday: single mum (skint) needs good hol, pref france

Korin Nolan shows how she found a great mobile home break in France for her and her son

Having never been away on my own before, the days leading up to my holiday in France were a little daunting to say the least. Well, when I say on my own, I don’t mean completely alone.

I did have the company of a rather handsome and lively young man who does his best to keep me on my toes 24/7 – namely my ten-year-old son Liam.

It all started with an internet search for ‘single-parent family holidays’. I very quickly came across a company called Siblu. Its website informed me that it has numerous holiday parcs across France, Spain and Italy, the majority in France.

Although Siblu parcs are open to anyone and everyone, they cater mainly for families and single-parent families like me. So being able to speak un petit peu de Francais, I decided on a parc in France called Les Charmettes in Charente Martime, south-west France.

And as a single mum (i.e. skint most of the time), I was pleased with the cheap flights available. In fact they were a bargain at around £70 per person including tax. They flew us directly to La Rochelle. It then took us about an hour’s drive to the parc.

It was pretty late when we arrived at our mobile home, but the excitement of being away and the look of glee on my little cherub’s face kept us in high spirits. Plus, I was pretty impressed by
the luxurious surroundings.

Gone are the days when ‘mobile home’ was a posh word for ‘big caravan’ and emptying the bucket of your own bodily fluids was a daily requirement. Our mobile was like a small flat and had all mod-cons in place; I didn’t even have to switch on the gas.

One of the main reasons for choosing somewhere such as a Siblu parc were memories of my childhood family holidays. My parents, in a desperate attempt to avoid anything slightly touristic, (which included the British, anywhere a ‘fry up’ was readily available and anything that us kids would define as being ‘fun’) we usually ended up with a tour of fine art galleries, historic monuments and other superbly dull attractions to the average child.

Which is why I was so determined to give Liam the kind of holiday he would enjoy – an aim I think I accomplished.

Most of our days were spent around the pool (so my dream of lounging around in the sun, people-watching, was fulfilled) which consisted of not one, but three large pools complete with water slides, which I was dragged on a couple of times, much to my embarrassment.

This was interspersed throughout the day with an array of activities, which meant that ‘Mum, I’m bored’ disappeared from Liam’s vocabulary for the week – hooray! From lifeguard lessons to fencing (a particular favourite), exhilarating Aquajetting to archery, Liam was in his element.

And if that’s not enough to tire the little darlings out, there’s also a football club that Liam attended every weekday morning (and evening if he could fit it into his busy schedule) which gave me time to chill out childfree for a couple of hours.

Siblu also offer a free kids’ club (separated into three different age groups up to 14 years old), which take place daily.

And it’s not only the kids that are kept entertained. I burned a few calories in an outdoor salsa class which allowed me to live out my dream of starring in Dirty Dancing with the help of a
rather dishy teacher who taught me how to cha cha cha.

Off-site activities included windsurfing on the beautiful beach of La Palmyre. I quite enjoyed putting the wetsuit on – I felt a bit like something out of The Fantastic Four, although that is
where the similarity ends, I’m afraid.

I think the locals got a laugh at my beached whale impression, as I attempted to follow the guide’s instructions to go from a lying down position, to jumping up into a standing position
in two seconds flat. It didn’t really happen, not even practising on the beach let alone in the water. I thoroughly enjoyed it, nevertheless, and Liam managed to catch a wave or two standing up on his board, bless him!

Then it was off to Saint Augustin to the local horse-riding school where we were taken for a little ‘promenade’ through the most wonderful, almost enchanted, forest nearby. I was slightly unprepared, to say the least, dressed head to toe in white, with little ballet pumps – what was I thinking?

They soon kitted me out with not the most attractive pair of boots but I put up with my fashion faux pas in order to save the skin on my legs. Liam fell off his horse, and I know I shouldn’t laugh, but I did, and so did he.

In fact, we got quite in touch with nature on our hol – we even paid a trip to the local zoo in La Palmyre where we saw everything from snakes and bats to polar bears.

Back to the site, on one particular day they decided to hold their very own bank holiday, which consisted of pool games by day and ended with a huge fireworks display in the evening.

And speaking of the evenings, once again fun and entertainment were high on the agenda.

Each night started with a kids’ entertainment show on stage, which included two multilingual, enthusiastic ‘kids’ TV presenter’ type girls who hosted the show, and a larger than life character called ‘Max the Mouse’. OK, so not really my cup of tea and Liam was a bit too old and far too cool to appreciate him – but hey, the younger ones seemed to be enthralled!

The rest of the evening followed with some form of entertainment for the grown-ups, such as a
cabaret, a one-man act (who could apparently sing in four different octaves – tres impressive).
I even witnessed a Russian/ Chinese all-singing, all-dancing troupe, which was entertaining in a peculiar way. Certainly not what I expected to see in the depths of France.

And if that’s not to your liking, then you can just chill out in the bar opposite and play a game of pool or, of course, go out off site altogether like we did on a couple of occasions.

We ventured into La Palmyre to sample the local French cuisine where I was recommended to try out the oysters, as they are a particular specialty of the region. (That is, of course if you can handle the thought of eating a live sea creature that resembles something you find in your tissue when you have a cold. I’ll stop there – they were very good!)

The good thing about going on holiday alone – or as the only adult at least, which if I’m honest I was pretty apprehensive about to begin with – is that it makes you more approachable and you do get chatting to others and make friends and acquaintances.

 I never really imagined that I would enjoy a holiday focused around kids so much, but there was such a fantastic atmosphere and holiday spirit, and everyone was so friendly and laid back that you couldn’t help but absorb that feeling. I went away stressed out and feeling exhausted and came back home relaxed, refreshed and content, and desperately wanting to return. Until the next time, I guess.

What Liam thought
My favourite activity on the camp was fencing. I thought the football coaches were great and I
was very proud of myself when I won second-best player at the end of the week.

I got a cool T-shirt and certificate. I remember feeling really excited when I stood on my surfboardfor the first time. My mum was pathetic, though.

I would love to go again, I could even live there!

Getting there

Siblu Holidays (0871 911 7777, www.siblu.com) offers a seven-night holiday for one adult and up to three children at Les Charmettes holiday parc in Charente Maritime, right, from £569 for a two bedroom Esprit+ holiday home,departing May 24. This includes a saving of £100 for single parents. For more information on local attractions (all can be booked through Les Charmettes) Palmyre Zoo:www.zoo-palmyre.com.Prices from e10 for children,e14 for adults.
Cote Sauvage Surf School:www.ecole-de-surf.fr.Courses start from 837 for introductory lessons. Horseriding with Palomino:06 86 01 92 79.