From Camping to Treehouses: Domaine des Ormes, Brittany

by Rhonda Carrier

Arriving at the Domaine des Ormes in the heart of the countryside not far from the ferry port of St-Malo in Brittany is a bit like entering a theme-park: there’s the same sense of parental panic and internal cries of ‘Where the hell do we start?’ For Les Ormes is a site like few others, both for the range of accommodation available and for the number of activities and facilities on offer.

The first includes a campsite with both ready-set-up tents and mobile homes and pitches for tourers, available through a number of operators, including Eurocamp, Canvas and Thomson Alfresco. But there are also cottages, wooden chalets, Russian-style datchas, nature lodges, treehouses, studios and apartments, and even a 3-star golf hotel. All of the latter are mainly available through the Domaine’s own website, although Keycamp (part of the same company as Eurocamp) has now started offering treehouses both here and elsewhere in France.

As for activities, in addition to golf the Domaine offers pony- and horse-riding at its own stables, cycle hire, four swimming pools with and without slides and special features such as wave machines, a treetop adventure course, pedaloes, volleyball, tennis courts, football pitches, archery, and more. There are also kids’ clubs for various ages and a range of entertainment for kids and adults, some of it organised by the individual operators. Like I said: where the hell do you start?

We arrived late one morning in early June, having discovered that although you can’t check in for most types of accommodation until 3pm, you are allowed to arrive as early as you like on your first day to enjoy use of the Domaine’s facilities. You can also continue to use the facilities for the whole day even when you’ve checked out of your accommodation, so theoretically you could get two days of park fun for the price of a single night here. This is also great news for those who would otherwise find themselves killing time before taking a night ferry home (although there is a great deal to do in the St-Malo area, including an excellent aquarium).

Our first night was spent in a ready-set-up tent offered by Eurocamp – a good, economical way of experiencing Les Ormes. This is definitely camping lite, since tents come complete with fridges, cookers, comfortable campbeds and electricity. For those who want to camp don’t have the space to bring all their clobber to the Continent, however, they’re ideal.

The next night my husband and I unveiled the surprise we’d worked hard to keep all holiday – we were so excited about it ourselves, we found it hard to keep schtum. We were glad we had – as soon as the boys spotted our treehouse nestled in the branches of a tree in a secluded part of the Domaine, near the golf-course, they could barely contain themselves.

Although treehouses have been growing in number in France and elsewhere over the past few years (there’s a website devoted to treehouses in France, with a searchable map), the Domaine is quite rare in that it offers cabins suitable for kids as young as two. At a mere five metres from the ground, these are lower than the others, some of which are so high they can only be accessed by ropeladder and exited via zipwire! 

Our treehouse (Les Vignes) consisted of two bedrooms, one with a double bed, the other with a double bed and two singles. Each was set around a sturdy treetrunk and the two were joined by a bridge. There was absolutely no question in my mind (and I’m a vertigo sufferer) that the treehouse was solidly constructed and as safe as houses, although my toddler did need to have his hand held as he walked around, as seeing through the wooden slats to the ground below unnerved him.

The décor in the bedrooms was stylish in a whimsical and even quite romantic way, but this is absolutely not a luxury option – there’s a dry toilet in a wooden box behind a curtain in each room, which you have to empty when you leave (the waste is held by a removable biodegradable bag), and there is no electricity, running water or catering facilities. Hence, this is an option best suited to for a night or two, as something a little different for the kids (mine insisted on posting for lots of pictures that they could show their friends).

Not wanting to spend precious treehouse time going out to a restaurant, we bought bottles of local apple juice and cider from the Domaine’s mini-supermarket and some takeout pizzas from one of its restaurants and returned to sit out on our terrace among the branches. As the light fells and the small lake beside us glittered silver and gold by turn, we lit our lanterns, watched red squirrels leap around our heads, and listened to the birdlife in the trees. It was rare moment of utter peace.

Actually sleeping in a treehouse can be far from peaceful, however – not on a night when the wind has picked up and the branches are moving and creaking all around you. I say this, but the boys all slept soundly and woke refreshed and excited in time to winch up their breakfast, which staff leave in a basket at the bottom of your tree and which includes coffee and hot chocolate in flasks.

Before we’d even left, the older boys were asking whether we could stay in a treehouse again, and for longer – and if we could stay in a higher one next time. Personally, Les Vignes was quite high enough for me, although I was proud that my middle son Ripley (6) enjoyed the experience, since used to suffer from terrible vertigo too (a subject I’ve blogged about).

For my oldest son Ethan (7 and a half), the other highlight of the Domaine – and indeed our whole three weeks in Brittany – was the incredible high-level zipwire (or ‘death slide’, as my husband insisted on calling it), which starts from a 10m-high platform and takes you over a lake into the woods. He and Ripley were also happy to try out the Domaine’s children’s treetop adventure course, although Ethan – a growing adrenaline junkie – thought it a tad tame compared to one he’d experienced in Tuscany the previous year (there are other courses for older children and adults)

Otherwise, we thought the pony-riding was a bit overrated – unless your kids are experienced and can go out trekking (around the Domaine), you get a half-hour slot to lead your kids round yourself. Which would be fine, only the two ponies we were allocated just wanted to stop and munch grass the whole time. The pools were good but can get crowded – my sons particularly loved the wild rapids feature on the indoor pool. It’s worth noting that Eurocamp/Keycamp are offering free children’s swimming lessons on this and other sites for kids up to five this year.

The Domaine des Ormes won’t be everyone’s idea of the perfect holiday – we went out of the school holidays and imagine that it must get very hectic in the height of summer. But for a well-placed location and plenty of things to do for all the family, it’s hard to beat. A night in a treehouse for up to eight people, including breakfast, starts at about €170. A minimum three-night stay in a tent varies according to season – a sample price for late June with Eurocamp is £200 for up to six people, but online late deals may reduce this by more than half. Note that some of the activities at the park incur an extra fee – it’s best to pay using an Ormizzy wristband, which you load up with Euros at reception and which gives you 10% off activities and certain other facilities, such as meals and takeaways at the pizzeria.

The nearest ferry port, St-Malo (38km away), is served by a number of ferry companies, including Brittany Ferries, or Ryanair flies to Dinard, 40km away from Les Ormes, from London-Stansted and East Midlands.

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