Sophie and Joe Austin enjoy the pool at the Holiday Green campsite near Frejus in the South of France

If you are worrying about whether you can afford a family holiday this year – then why not think out of the box? asks Sue Austin.

You could swap your hotel room or apartment for a mobile home or a super-tent and not only save yourself a good deal of money, but also find a more relaxed and fun style of holiday into the bargain.

Keycamp holidays have a loyal band of holidaymakers who return year after year knowing that the style of holiday suits them as well as new customers who each year discover that the Keycamp holiday is a world away from the ‘camping and caravanning’ of years gone by and a world of freedom.

We journeyed down to the South of France for our week on the Cote D’Azur at a very affordable price. And we found that we could combine a beach holiday with exploring the beautiful countryside and historic towns and villages that too many visitors miss.

For Keycamp holidays, unlike package holidays, give holidaymakers a real independence. The independence to travel when you want to, for as long as you want to, where you want to.

Keycamp has campsites across Europe, in France, Spain, Portugal, Holland, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia and Sardinia.

If you travel by ferry and car you can make the journey part of your holiday, staying overnight or longer at a Keycamp campsite to see a different part of the country.

Or you can fly-drive, taking advantage of the cheap flights still available for holidaymakers.

The beauty of a Keycamp holiday is that you pay for your mobile home and the price includes the whole family. Kids – even the older teenagers who are often counted as adults in hotels – go free.

Keycamp offers free high chair baby bath and buggy hire for younger holidaymakers. And the campsite has so many activities available that you are not constantly spending money trying to amuse them, something that can be a major headache.

Most sites have kids clubs with the larger sites having more than one club including ones for teenagers. Keycamp has also teamed up with the PGL adventure specialists to offer on-site adventure activities.

There are also sites offering watersports, with even free canoe hire and windsurfing available in selected areas.

And virtually all have amazing pool complexes many with slides and chutes.

Our campsite, Holiday Green near the town of Frejus, had a huge swimming pool, a children’s pool and even an indoor pool with a chute and large power baths.

It also had boules, table tennis, archery and tennis and basketball courts – the latter providing great fun for all the Austin family, encouraged by basketball mad Joe. 

It can be hard to tear youngsters away from the on-site facilities and that can lead to some magic moments. The kids are happily playing, either at a club or perhaps having a game of tennis, while you and your partner sit out on the decking enjoying a glass of wine listening only to the birds or watching the squirrels playing in the trees.

When we did venture out there was lots to do that didn’t cost the earth. The beach of course is free and unlike Britain many beach areas have free parking.

Frejus itself is a Roman town and you can while away many an hour marvelling at the Roman remains or exploring the tiny streets of the old town.

And a little further afield we had two lovely evenings people watching in St Tropez, which has the best ice-cream parlour ever, and in Cannes where we had a free ringside view of a Cannes Film Festival red carpet bash.

We also stumbled upon small medieval villages in the hills above Frejus and had a day trip to Gorges du Verdon, a spectacular gorge second only to the Grand Canyon in size.

Sadly a thunderstorm as we arrived at the lake at the top of the gorge put paid to the canoeing we had planned to do.

If the weather does close in then a Keycamp mobile home is an ideal retreat.

Forget childhood memories of being cooped up in caravans – a Keycamp mobile home is a real luxury home from home. And the Keycamp games chest in reception is packed with both outdoor and indoor games that you can borrow, avoiding the need to pack the car up with toys and sports equipment.

Holidaying on a budget is easy with Keycamp. For although you can have the utter luxury we enjoyed in our VillaGrand you can still enjoy affordable luxury with the smaller, Villanova and other value for money mobile homes. Or of course you could save even more by choosing a superb super-tent, equipped with everything from real beds to a fridge.

Like Britain many parts of Europe have seen increases in the cost of living, including petrol and food.

But markets are still a wonderful way of enjoying superb quality value for money food. And why not stock up at the local hypermarket rather than depend on the more expensive campsite shop? Our mobile home had a big fridge freezer allowing us to take advantage of larger barbecue packs of meat from the hypermarket and even boxes of ice-creams saving a small fortune!

There are still other savings to be made in Europe. Wine is still good value for money and we had a real spending spree at a sports hypermarket, finding amazing bargains including wetsuits, running kit and of course basketball kit. 

Don’t just look at a Keycamp holiday as a way of holidaying on a budget. Is is also a wonderful way of enjoying a holiday where you can live side by side with the countryside or the coastline. Bikes can be hired on many sites giving you easy access to the surrounding area, and many have direct access to a beach or lake.

Imagine taking a walk on the beach before a breakfast of croissants and coffee in your own back garden, enjoying a lunch of fabulous bread, cheese and salad al fresco on your own decking, or taking a walk to see the sun setting over the lake or sea after a meal in the camp restaurant or from your own barbecue. 

Just some of the reasons why the Austin family is well and truly hooked on mobile home holidays.

Travel facts

• Keycamp offers access to more than 100 top campsites across nine European countries and the USA, each boasting excellent facilities and a choice of stylish mobile home, chalet or super-tent accommodation.  

• A seven night break at Holiday Green starting on May 25 will cost £559 for a family of two adults and up to five children staying in a Villanova mobile home with air conditioning and decking, including return Dover-Calais ferry crossings. The price also includes an early booking discount of 10 per cent off the base price and is available until 25 February.  

• Fly-drive packages and train travel are available at a supplement.

• Keycamp customers are now able to make a donation to Cool Earth at the time of booking, allowing them to offset the carbon emissions created during travel to and from their campsite.  As part of its continued commitment to the environment, Keycamp has offset the carbon generated by Sue’s trip.  

• Visit www.keycamp.co.uk or call 0844 406 0319 to make your booking or request a brochure.