A microcosm of the French tourism industry

3 November 2017 at 13:18:49
A few decades ago, France provided the benchmark for family holidays – it certainly trounced the UK’s miserable offerings. But for some years now, I have felt French mass market accommodation needs a revamp. Internet searches throw up endless tired looking properties and decor, as well as high prices... and mediocre reviews. All-inclusive is non-existent, half board rare, and the once-proud service concept jaded. This contrasts with countries like Spain, Portugal and Greece, which while not perfect, have all upped their games.
Domaines Les Tamaris & Les Portes Du Sol is a one-resort encapsulation of the above (although, to be fair, it is Belgian-owned). On arrival, I shuddered at the similarity with various bleak UK seaside holiday parks I have endured while my sons played in bank holiday football tournaments. Entrance barriers, impenetrable gates and burgeoning security personnel make you wonder whether you are there for your own pleasure, or her majesty’s (or in this instance, Macron’s). First impressions of Les Tamaris, are a resort that’s been around for a while and could do with some TLC.
Check in was a tiresome affair. Saturday is changeover day, so many guests were arriving simultaneously by car – and with very few parking spaces near Reception, you can imagine the mayhem. The queue inside Reception was just as arduous, especially as there was quite a bit of bureaucracy to get through for each guest.
We had booked a three-bedroom ‘Confort’ villa. Once upon a time, the French invented a whole lexicon of nouns and adjectives (like ‘superieur’ and ‘luxe’), all surely designed to shame those who would rather save money and book ‘normale’. With ‘Confort’ the only level to include wi-fi, we were kind of held to ransom.
When we finally drew up outside our villa, we thought we’d got the wrong one, as the outside dining table was strewn with used bedclothes, and a high chair was also sitting there. It turned out housekeeping had forgotten to collect them from the previous occupancy.
Inside, ‘Confort’ was clearly an exaggeration. Our villa was clean enough, but to use another French adjective, it was ‘fatigué’, with outdated furniture and fittings. Armchairs were upholstered in an un-cosy plasticised material, and the sofabed (which thankfully we needed to use only as a sofa), was also pretty uninviting. The seal was falling off the dishwasher. The floor was badly washed. The downstairs shower room was just about okay. Upstairs, three tired bedrooms and a fairly basic bathroom told a similar story.
I don’t want to paint a completely negative picture, as there were plus-points. The strongest was the villa’s outside space. Out front, a sizeable gravel beach enabled us park our sunloungers in sunny spots whatever the time of day – and the patio facilitated pleasurable al fresco dining. And either side of the gravel, a choice of two hardstanding drives provided ample parking for our seven-seater. In warmer climes, decent outside space can offset even the most austere of interiors. However, there’s no getting away from the fact that these villas are overdue for refurbishment – and knowing this kind of resort, where the properties are privately-owned cash cows, they are unlikely to receive it any time soon.
If you arrive on a Saturday, you’ll be invited to attend the Sunday welcome gathering at the resort’s outdoor theatre. My advice would be don’t bother. It started 40 minutes late, was poorly rehearsed and really just acted as a showcase for local businesses (even the local Intermarché manager had a slot). What’s more the free drink incentive was a bit of a damp squib, being a choice of cola or lemonade, and only redeemable once we’d endured the event.
That’s not to say nothing worthwhile came out of it. As a result, our children took part in the next day’s bananaboat and flying fish water activities, and my wife and I went on the excellent half-day ‘Lieux Insolites’ guided tour of the Canal du Midi, plus Beziers and its environs, culminating with a tasting at a charming privately run winery.
Domaines Les Tamaris is essentially a residential resort, and you won’t find an awful lot to do here. There is a full entertainment programme on offer, but we found it severely lacking, and some of the ‘acts’ (performed by the animation team) were nothing short of bizarre.
However, if you’re into swimming, you’re well catered for. There are two impressive water slides, set beside a massive stone-tiled swimming pool in a sort of Bay of Pigs layout, which somehow makes you feel like you’re in a Roman bath.
If you do choose to stay here, just be aware that on departure, your villa will be subject to an inspection. Nothing unusual there – but if ours was anything to go by, it will be the most rigorous inspection imaginable. Even fingerprints on the window were picked up – and I’m pretty sure they weren’t even ours. If you read my earlier description of our ‘Confort’ villa, we felt that the application of exacting standards to such mediocre accommodation was a bit rich.
I don’t think we would go back to this resort, but that’s not to say we didn’t have an enjoyable holiday here, and I’m not saying I wouldn’t recommend it at all. But for me, that departure inspection illustrated my earlier comparison of Domaines Les Tamaris and the French tourism industry as a whole: the way they both see themselves, and the way they actually are, are two rather different animals.
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