Following a successful trip to Lake Garda last year, we want to explore Italy a bit more. We have decided on Tuscany this year but I cannot decide on Park Albatros or Norcenni Girasole Club. Kids are 16 and 12. I would love to hear from anyone who has been to either, we will be booking a static with a Canvas or Thomson.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Hi - there are reviews for Norcenni and Albatross on the campsite search - some dated August 2012 so most are reasonably up to date, and there are mentions of hiring a static. Warbis, who posts regularly on here, has reviewed Albatross.
Quote: Originally posted by codonovan on 24/4/2013
Hi
Following a successful trip to Lake Garda last year, we want to explore Italy a bit more. We have decided on Tuscany this year but I cannot decide on Park Albatros or Norcenni Girasole Club. Kids are 16 and 12. I would love to hear from anyone who has been to either, we will be booking a static with a Canvas or Thomson.
Hi. I could have posted thisI am also looking at these two parks for next year , as well as a couple in lake garda.
We have never been to either region of italy before, and while lake garda was our first choice, we now realise we would have to travel to gatwick as easyjet dont fly from our local airport bristol, whereas we could fly to pisa from bristol for the tuscany parks! Might sway us!
We are also going to book with either canvas or thomson if we decide for definite on italy
Booked with canvas for the last couple of years to go to holland, and are going again in may half term.
We have got really good prices with early booking discount and loyalty bonus.
However we also have,- or will have enough tesco vouchers when the next lot of vouchers arrive in a few weeks, to book through either thomson for italy (same parks as canvas) or if we plump for the south of france (la carabasse near beziers) we will book through siblu with tesco vouchers. Used them before for a french park.
Anyway, i am doing lots of research at the moment and hoping to book in the next couple of months.
Could you share what park you went to in lake garda please? We are looking for a fairly all action park with big pools flumes, slides ect, that young teens will like. Finding now that at this age they need lots of stuff to do on site as well as off. Bella italia looks like it might fit the bill.!
Also, did you need to hire a car?
Sorry, hope i haven't hijaked the thread. I was literally going to post today to ask for information/feedback about italy.
Quote: Originally posted by Val A on 24/4/2013
Hi - there are reviews for Norcenni and Albatross on the campsite search - some dated August 2012 so most are reasonably up to date, and there are mentions of hiring a static. Warbis, who posts regularly on here, has reviewed Albatross.
Off to look up reviews. Thanks.
------------- 2015, France, Spain and Italy.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Thanks Val, I hadn't see the review for Albatross I had done a search but spelt park with a k and in the review it is Parc.
Hi Hols4me, we went to Camping del Garda in Peschiera and loved it. We too had looked at Bella Italia but I thought it might be busier than Del Garda, we met people who were staying at Bella and they loved it and felt the pool area was better there. Both are on the outskirts of Peschiera so I dont think it would make much of a difference. The thing we liked most was the freedom to travel in the area, being in Peschiera you had the ferry port and the station and we used both. We loved the ferry but found it slightly expensive way to travel for the family. Trains were great very efficient and not too expensive, we went to Verona and Venice by train. We also hired a car from Bergamo and we used this aswell. We drove round one side of the lake with no problems and it gave us more flexibility timewise than the ferry. I cant recommend it more we had a great holiday and to be able to walk outside the campsite and be on the lake was fabulous. We will definately go back one day.
Codonoan. Thanks for your mini review. It's really helpful hearing other people's experiences.
Really good to hear that the garda parks in general are good , and good news about the pools also..
Del garda park is on our list. It's coming our cheaper than bella italia with thomsons, and gets great reviews too.
I really would want to do a few trips by train and use the ferry although i know it's not cheap.
Would you advise hiring a car? I know that you can get private transfers from the airport, but i have heard they are expensive, so perhaps it would be more cost effective to hire a car and have it for the Whole of our stay rather than pay for expensive transfers!
Could you give me an indea for car hire prices in italy? I haven't got a clue.
Our car hire for this year for 10 nights in spain is around £180. Is this about right for italy also.
Thanks again. How's your own research coming?
Friends are going to norcenni in august. It looks like a fantastic park, but so does parc albetros. Ah decsions decisions
Hi Hols4me, we really appreciated having the car, just the convenience of the airport transfer and for trips to the local supermarket, it is walkable but in the heat not easy. We booked our car hire (Hertz) through Ryanair link, it was £300 for the 2 weeks which was cheap I believe as Italy goes. We booked well in advance to get this price, if I remember correctly we booked in October for the following August. Trains are fine for towns south of the lake but not around the lake, thats where the ferries come in. We didnt use the car everyday but it was great to have it and if we go again we would probable do the same.
I'm slightly going toward Park Albatross at the moment but that could change!!!
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
We were at albatross two years ago in May half term. Cleanest campsite I have ever seen. Pitches are a good size unlike the caravan side of the parc. I would have a look at canvas holidays who have reviews on there. My review is on here. We loved it but couldn't say for August
We are going to Albatross in August - staying in a Canvas tent. I managed to get really cheap flights with BA to Pisa. I have never stayed in a 'rent-a-tent' before so will be interesting - for the last 20 years we have taken our own tent around France.
I had a look at the reviews on the Canvas site and both campsite have excellent reviews.
You were lucky to get the cheap flights Cleef15, normally we would book early for our summer hols but unfortunately couldnt this year, flights are now expensive but got good deals other years. I am now almost sure of choosing Park Albatross, the beach and the canvas family extra are swaying it. Lets hope we have chosen well
Quote: Originally posted by codonovan on 24/4/2013
Hi Hols4me, we really appreciated having the car, just the convenience of the airport transfer and for trips to the local supermarket, it is walkable but in the heat not easy. We booked our car hire (Hertz) through Ryanair link, it was £300 for the 2 weeks which was cheap I believe as Italy goes. We booked well in advance to get this price, if I remember correctly we booked in October for the following August. Trains are fine for towns south of the lake but not around the lake, thats where the ferries come in. We didnt use the car everyday but it was great to have it and if we go again we would probable do the same.
I'm slightly going toward Park Albatross at the moment but that could change!!!
Thanks. Car hire price is about what i would expect, and we also book early for flights/car hire to get the best deals.
I think it probably would be nice to have a car even if we didn't use it every day.
Good luck coming to your decision. Some good feedback for parc albatros.
------------- 2015, France, Spain and Italy.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Parc albatross is in a fantastic location for touring around and sight seeing. You are 5 minutes from the coast and around one hour from fabulous Italian towns such as Volterra and Sienna.
This year we have got our tent for £97, flights for five for £300 and our car for £150.
Four weeks and counting!
Wow Warbis66, you certainly got a good deal there. We have decided on Park Albatros, just waiting on OH to have holiday dates approved. Unfortunately we could not book anything early due to family illness and we will be paying the price but let hope it worth it
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Park Albatros or Norcenni Girasole Club
