Camping Canet Plage: Le Brasilia review

Is there such thing as love at first night with a campsite? After staying at Le Brasilia campsite, I believe so! From the second we arrived at the campsite (2am in the morning), to the day we left, we were treated to a five star glamping experience. From the luxurious swimming pools, magnificent Mediterranean landscaping, immaculate pitches, excellent customer service and onsite entertainment, we couldn’t fault a thing. Le Brasilia has most definitely earned a place in our top family campsites in France and after posting about it on my Instagram, there’s no doubt it captured the imagination of many of my followers.

If you’re looking for Le Brasilia campsite reviews to help you decide whether to holiday here, let me share with you my glowing report.

This post about Camping Canet Plage, Le Brasilia Eurocamp contains affiliate links, should you click to purchase, it is at no additional cost to you, although I receive a small commission which goes towards the upkeep of this blog.

Le Brasilia campsite

How we came to stay at Le Brasilia France, was completely serendipitous. Our original booking was for another campsite located four hours east along the coast, but literally as we finished packing the car to leave for the ferry port, Eurocamp called us to say there had been an explosion/fire incident at our original destination which had resulted in them having to shut the entire camp, just two days before our arrival.

Given the VERY short timeframe to choose another place to stay, we scanned five star campsites on the Eurocamp website, narrowing it down to a choice of three. A quick read of the Camping le Brasilia reviews online and its proximity to the coast, swung our decision-making in its favour. As such, I can’t actually believe our luck in ending up at Camping Le Brasilia.

Located next to the beach on France’s south coast, close to Perpignan, the Spanish border and the snowy peaks of the Pyrenees, Le Brasilia basks in Mediterranean heat – which sits at a lovely 25-30 degrees – at the end of May, when we visited.

Part of the high-end Yelloh Village network, Le Brasilia is a five star campsite – immaculate, peaceful, fragrant – thanks to the towering pines and abundance of beautifully-kempt flowers. It’s also strikingly clean and home to some of the nicest campsite toilets I’ve ever seen! Not that we used these much, as we had one in our mobile. 

Wide, flat roads stretch between pitches on the campsite, with meandering car-free footpaths providing a safer route from A to B. Kids ping about happily on bikes and scooters (so definitely try and take your own), making friends and enjoying the freedom to play out until late in the balmy heat.

As with many hot, beach destinations, life feels pretty relaxed here and people spend their days flitting between the onsite pools and neighbouring beach or venturing off to visit medieval villages, natural hot springs and Chateaux.

The accommodation: 3 Bed Azure Comfort XL

We had booked a 3-bed Eurocamp Azure Comfort XL and were given a Le Brasilia Al Fresco Holidays mobile (which I found out later is because the two companies have now united and are going forward under the Eurocamp name from 2023). For those that don’t like ‘proper’ camping, this type of accommodation definitely sits at the ‘luxury glamping’ end of the scale, thanks to the amenities provided. The mobile came with air con, which at the end of May/beginning of June was welcome, so it will certainly be a key asset during the hot summer months.

I was obviously having too much fun at Le Brasilia, because, contrary to my ‘photograph everything for content purposes’ blogger persona, I totally forgot to snap a piccie of me at our home for the week. Or, do any kind of inside photography or tour to give you a good look of the caravan. Either that, or it was constantly strewn with kiddy holiday paraphernalia, that I never got the opportunity…so I’ve borrowed some images of their website as it looks like the exact same mobile home to the one we had.

Our mobile cost £521 including linen (sheets, pillow cases, towels and beach towels) for the May half term week, which I think was excellent value at any time, let alone the school holidays. Our two girls (aged 6 and 8) shared a room, we had a double with ensuite shower and our 16-month old had his own room with a cot and single bed in it.

In addition to our ensuite, there was a second bathroom, which also had a shower. We had opted for a (free) baby bath, which we filled up and placed on the deck everyday for the little’un to wash and play in. Had we wanted a real bath, we could have popped up to the ablutions block at the end of our road, to use the one in there.

The kitchen was really well-equipped with a microwave, fridge/freezer, cafetiere, kettle, oven and hob, plus my holiday wishlist item – a dishwasher! I really didn’t want to be hand-washing during our time away, so I was thrilled!

My second favourite feature in the Eurocamp/Al Fresco mobiles is the built-in blackout blinds (as well as mosquito nets) on every window. No need to bring any groblinds to help the little ones (or older ones) sleep.

There was also a table, chairs and sofa inside, which the girls happily adopted for their LEGO-building purposes, plus a load of cupboard storage.

The Azure XL comfort had a deck running the length of the mobile home, with one end covered for shade. I was really impressed with the stylish outdoor furniture – rattan table and chairs, two sunchairs and a coffee table. You also get a drying rack as a matter of course and a toddler gate so our tiniest one could potter around safely without escaping.

We were given a little welcome pack containing washing cloths, a tea towel, a couple of bin bags and a couple of dishwasher tablets. I would recommend bringing some from home though as it was hard to find own brands in the supermarket and the French supermarkets in general seemed quite pricey. Two adaptor plugs were also provided, but do take some yourself, especially if you have devices to charge.

Our row of mobiles was quite evenly spaced and pretty empty during most of our stay – it seems that May half term is fairly quiet here – the French don’t have one, and I don’t know where all the other Brits were (possibly grounded in the UK by the aforementioned cancelled flights). As a result we didn’t feel at all hemmed in, and I don’t think you would when it’s busier either.

The only thing I could find fault with (if I absolutely had to) was the water temperature in the mobile home – the hot gets VERY HOT quickly, so if you’re in the shower, be very careful not to accidentally knock the tap as it is scalding. Be especially careful with young kids.

The camping pitches

If you’re thinking of bringing your own tent to camp at Le Brasilia, it’s a great campsite to pitch at. There seems to be a roughly equal split between mobiles and DIY camping pitches. Though they’re not overly spacious, the camping pitches are marked out with hedgerows for privacy. Pine trees provide some shade, although you might want to bring your own canopy. There was some serious camping/caravanning going on here with mega buses that had space inside for a smart car and camper vans that pulled a caravan on the back – I was in awe!

Camping at Le Brasilia would be a good option during July/August, when mobile home prices treble in price.

Dogs are also welcome.

Swimming pools at Le Brasilia

Le Brasilia is, in short, a kid-friendly swimming paradise. And it ain’t half bad for the adults either. The humongous pool complex with 5 different zones was where we spent a lot of our time during our stay. 

A Seychelles-themed aquatic park with granite rocks, gently shelving lagoons, clear water, wooden bridges, fringed palms and a waterfall made our time at one end of the pool feel like we were hanging out on some far-flung tropical island. Even more so when rehearsals for the campsite’s own production of Moana (or Viana – it was the French version) kicked off. The water slides here are very manageable for young kids and given the temperature of the day, warm, shallow pools and little toddler pool, our kids were entertained for hours at the pool complex. Pick your lounger well to keep an eye on them as there wasn’t always an obvious lifeguard.

If you want to do a bit more grown-up swimming, there’s also a classy ‘Zen’ aquatic area, with lane swimming and a vast expanse of inviting water to splash about in. These two heated infinity pools are edged by a shallow channel, which my toddler LOVED to splash his feet in and the latter hosts activities such as aquabiking and aquagym, should you be so inclined. Scavenge a bit of free time for yourself and you can also have a go on the jacuzzi-esque hydromassage loungers and whirlpool baths in the adult-only pool.

When we visited Le Brasilia in May half term, the pools and slides were uncrowded, as were the sun loungers. Come summer, I’m sure this changes, but there was plenty of seating available, plus squashy (fake) grass underneath fringed parasols, for those who wanted to lay their towels on the floor. As we were only on holiday for a week, we opted for a sprinkling of exploring days, but were very happy to return to the pool time and again, given how much the kids loved it there.

Men can also wear ‘normal’ swim shorts here, as opposed to budgie smugglers which many French pools (inexplicably) favour.

Facilities at Le Brasilia

Onsite there is a pool-side restaurant, bar (inside and outside), a fancier Le Brasilia restaurant, takeaway, two ice cream parlours, a campsite shop (it’s pricey though), greengrocer, bakery (selling fresh baguettes and croissants each morning), a laundrette, hairdresser (!), spa, games room and boutiquey gift shop.

We got baguettes and pastries most days and also tried the campsite takeaway a couple of times. Successes were chicken nuggets and chips for the kids (take your own bowl to fill up with frites!) and a prawn salad, a failure was very dry moules – don’t go for those!

Family entertainment onsite

One of the main reasons I love Eurocamp holidays is the ready-made child entertainment onsite. Along with the excellent variety of pools to splash about it, there are three different play areas at Le Brasilia. One, close to the evening show and bar area – so little ones who’d rather pelt around than watch the show have something to keep them occupied – another close to the entrance, and one in the Mini Club.

You’ll also find a football pitch, volleyball court, archery and an evening show every night at 9pm, whose theme changes daily. On the rosta while we were in situ were things like Moana, Mamma Mia, The Beatles, Karaoke and The X Factor. 

Mini Club

The Kids Club is open to 5 to 7 year olds, there’s also a Juniors Club for 8-12 year olds and a Teens Club – open July and August – for 13-17 year olds. Regrettably, we didn’t make enough use of the Mini Club, ours were a bit nervous to join the club at first and we didn’t really push it as we had our own plans anyway. However, once they’d made a couple of friends on the campsite, they were begging us to go!

Basically, all you need to do is download the campsite app, register your kids into either the morning (10am-12pm) or afternoon session (4-6pm) – et voila, free childcare! In the club, they play freely on the playground equipment, bouncy castle, rehearse for the mini show (at 8pm every evening) as well as a whole load of other craft activities.

The site of the Mini Club, with the bouncy castle, is open to all between 12-4pm, although when we remembered to go, it was a little hot during these hours for bouncing.

The staff all seemed really friendly, spoke English and were the same people who appeared in the campsite’s shows every night, so the kids loved spotting recognisable faces.

Campsite with direct access to the beach

One of the things that swung this Canet Plage Eurocamp in our favour over other options offered to us last minute, was the fact that it was one of the only campsites with direct access to the beach. The campsite backs directly onto the beach, which is a lovely stretch of sandy coastline, with mountains in the distance, the water isn’t too cold, and there’s plenty of space to stretch out, plus it’s lifeguarded too. 

We optimistically took the bodyboards for the kids, but the waves aren’t really right for it here.

While the sandy Brasilia beach is lovely, I will say that you absolutely must visit the one in Canet-Plage during your stay too. A vast stretch (9km to be exact) of powder-soft sand with views of the Pyrenees, backed by shops and restaurants and dotted with private beach clubs.

The Papillon Spa Le Brasilia

Alas, with three kids, including a toddler in tow, holiday life was pretty full on (I’m fantasising about this time next year and how much easier it will be then…right?), so I never got to venture to the Papillon Spa at Eurocamp le Brasilia. However, should you be so lucky, there is a balneotherapy pool, hammam, whirlpool bath and wellness treatments available.

Wifi

Wifi is available onsite for a fee, but we just used the data on our phones (there were no roaming charges) for internet surfing and it worked pretty well.

Things to do near Le Brasilia Canet en Roussillon

It’s unlikely you’ll struggle for things to do in the area, there is tons for families to around the Canet Plage camping ground – from exploring by bicycle or visiting a nearby vineyard and its Chateau, to pottering around medieval villages, seeking out grottoes and going for a dip in a gorge. Here are a few ideas for things to do in the area, based on things we did and recommendations from people who know Canet Plage really well.

• Hire bikes next to reception at Camping Le Brasilia (or head off on your own) and pedal the brilliant cycle paths from the campsite to Canet-Plage or out of town. Bike hire costs around €34 for 2 for a day, plus helmets and baby seats are available.
• Visit the ancient castle ramparts in the charming medieval village of Castelnou (about 30 mins drive), listed as one of the most beautiful villages of France.
• Let kids ride a donkey at Le Burriquito, below the village of Castelnou – (follow the signposts from the lower car park).
• This is Catalan country, so be sure to try some traditional treats – you’ll find some in Castelnou.
• Take a trip to Le Racou, a sweet, shingly beach with restaurants (the quirky tapas on the corner caught our eye).
• Check out some great little coves near Plage de Paulilles, on the opposite side of the bay if you walk the path for a few hundred metres.
• Take a dip in a hot spring at the foothills of the mountains at Bains de St Thomas (1 hour drive).

• Pack a picnic and head to Gorge de Galamus, a beautiful turquoise lake/pond surrounded by a canyon, where kids can mess about in the water and climb some rocks. A scenic 45-minute drive.
• Explore Collioure, a picturesque village south of Canet en Roussillon. There are 3 good beaches right in the village, little streets with shops and nice places to eat.
• Dino-fan in your brood? Seek out the Museum of Prehistory in Tautavel.
• Discover what lies beneath the waves you’ve been gazing at and pop into Banyuls to visit the ‘Biodiversarium‘.
• Drink wine in the vicinity of the vineyards from whence it came! Nearby Chateau de l’Esparrou hosts magical al fresco petites soirees during the summer with music, great food and fine wines. This is where to pick up your sweet Christmas dessert wine.

• Hooked on whooshing down waterslides? Cool of a nearby aquaparks like Aqualand Saint Cyprien.
• Pack a sundowner picnic and watch the sun set with a G&T while the kids run free on the beach next to the campsite.
• Get competitive with your family members and pitch and putt your way to a win at MiniGolf Canet Parc on the seafront.
• Let the kids boing up and down at outdoor soft play on the beach, Ludo Bull, with bouncy castles aplenty.
• Tuck into seafood at one of the many restaurants in Canet-Plage (we ate at Le Miramar, which was delicious, but pricey).
• Indulge your inner history buff at this Eurocamp near Carcassonne (1 hour’s drive) with a day trip to the stunning designated UNESCO world heritage site. You may recognise the medieval castle from Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.
• Pop into palm-dotted Perpignan (20 mins drive), the Catalan capital. Don’t miss the Romanesque palace – a relic from when the city ruled the Kingdom of Mallorca.

Summing up my Le Brasilia review

I cannot rave about Camping Le Brasilia enough, it was the most perfect campsite for our young family and everything we wanted from a holiday abroad, especially after not being able to travel for the past two years. The campsite facilities and swimming pools are excellent, so well-maintained and clean, and the staff are friendly and helpful at all times.

The location, close to excellent beaches, beautiful French towns, Chateaux and traffic-free cycle paths meant there was plenty to explore, and we could have happily stayed longer and not run out of things to do. Five-star glamping at this price was totally dreamy (although it does treble in the summer holidays, which is when we’d probably look to camp if we were coming back). Our girls made friends of all nationalities, loved the freedom of scooting and biking all day long and really didn’t want to leave. I’m chalking it up as one of the best campsites in the South of France. A full 10/10 highly recommend to anyone!

How to book Le Brasilia 2023

​​Check prices and availability on the Eurocamp website. Booking your travel to France through them, can also work out cheaper – we saved a fortune on a ferry crossing by doing it through Eurocamp.

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