CAMPING LA CHAPELLE SAINT CLAUDE

A wonderful campsite that does everything well. Staff were super friendly and helpful, and the facilities were clean and modern. Most of the pitches have tree shade, and the lake-side beach is great. Our kids loved swimming there, as well as the bouncy castle. Perfectly placed for exploring the area.

Amazing camping location right next to the lake with lots happening either side of the site.

Our family of 5 have just enjoyed the most incredible week here and plan to be back next summer. The campsite is immaculate and the spot by the lake is totally magical. The pitches are compact, but it’s to be expected for a prime location near the water and the cleanliness and beautiful lac more than make up for it. Thanks for having us- we can’t wait to see you again next year! X

No customer service. We got problems with our online booking. When we called for help they just hang up on us in the middle of our conversation. We decided to just drive to the camping and see if they got space for us. The women at the reception wasn't helpfull at all.So we went to the neighbours "camping Du Lac" where the service was great! Which was so nice after a long trip.

Visitors like ourselves, who were expecting to find a traditional camping experience at Camping la Chapelle St Claude will be severely disappointed. Unfortunately, it was only after having paid, and then directed to our designated pitch that my wife and I realised our misfortune in booking this site.Our impression was that the layout of Camping la Chapelle St Claude is designed to maximise the number of visitors - at the expense of the freedom and space normally found on rural sites. This policy means that all the pitches are arranged in regimented rows. Each row is served by a vehicular access road. Each pitch is partitioned from its neighbours by screens of foliage grown from trees and shrubs. Unfortunately, this creates a feeling of confinement, due the total absence of views. Sadly, there is no sense of being amongst nature here, in fact there was no sense of even being in France. Worse still, the pitches are also modestly sized, meaning that tents cannot be erected more than 2 metres away from the tarmac - and the tyres of passing vehicles.Our arrival experience did not improve when we returned to the camp reception to express our disappointment. The reception staff seemed indifferent to our concerns, instead saying that we should have booked further in advance if we had wanted to ensure a better pitch. Nevertheless, without being asked, they did offer a payment refund. However, this offer was soon rescinded when the manager arrived on the scene. His contribution to the proceedings quickly exacerbated what was a contained situation, into a contrived and challenging confrontation. During the exchange we were at one point even accused of being anti-French! My wife and I later suspected this was part of a well-rehearsed act in order to justify withdrawing the refund offer. Of course the manager will no doubt present a different version of events in his response to this review!Happily, as our booking was for only 3 nights we did not lose too much money. The more-than-generous compensation for this financial sacrifice was the joyful feeling of relief as we exited the automatic road-barrier and drove away. Of course, we did not forget to discard our flattering, blue identity wristbands at reception before leaving!In summary, for those guests who value lake access above all other considerations, Camping la Chapelle St Claude may be acceptable. For those wanting something more, it would not.As a footnote, I must add that Camp Claude inadvertently did us an unexpected favour. Had their site not been so unappealing, we would not have driven 26 minutes away from the lake, where we found an idyllic, family-run ‘free-range’ campsite in the mountains. There we received a genuine French welcome from the owners, who allowed us to choose our own shady pitch – from where we enjoyed an unrestricted view of French mountains & countryside, though we did miss wearing our matching wristbands!