Amy Bould finds the weather far from perfect in France.

A mobile home at Les Charmettes is perfect for a family barbecue.

The west coast of France can be wilder than you expect. It can also be colder, and wetter, even in August.

I hadn’t packed the warmest clothes for the children because who would have thought they’d need wellies and a waterproof instead of swim shorts and sandals?

And so the rubbish weather for our week in a mobile home on a holiday park just south of Royan, where the focus is usually outdoor living, really knocked our plans for six.

I’m not saying the sun didn’t shine, but I certainly didn’t come back with a tan. And I’m not saying we didn’t eat al fresco, just only in the middle of the day when some warmth penetrated the clouds.

And I’m not saying we didn’t go to the beach, we just needed a tough windbreak and only ventured into the sea as far as our knees.

But what did surprise me was when you take seven days purely by the pool and on the beach out of the equation, how much there is to do around the area of La Palmyre, how many lovely villages and markets there are within a 20 mile radius and how comfortable a mobile home can be when you’re stuck indoors more often than you’d planned.

The water fountain in the swimming pool

We’d travelled with Siblu Holidays, picking a park far enough south for it to be warm (yeah, right!) and not so far that the repeated cries of “Are we nearly there yet?” would be driving us round the bend by the time we arrived.

Les Charmettes is what Siblu has called a Superman park – “quiet and serene around the edges but packs a punch when you delve a little deeper”.

And it is quiet by the mobiles, all tucked away in cul-de-sacs of around six or seven homes. Ours was spacious, with a double bedroom, two twins and a separate shower room and toilet. The kitchen comes equipped with everything you’d need and the living space never felt cramped even with two boisterous little ones charging about.

Outside was a lovely large table and sun loungers and only a couple of minutes walk down to the pool complex, with two outdoor swimming pools, a children’s aqua play centre and an indoor pool with children’s section.

The indoor pool was quiet busy, unsurprisingly since it was heated, but heading down early evening usually meant you could swim a couple of lengths undisturbed.

But one of the biggest attractions of Les Charmettes is its location – less than three miles from both the Cote Sauvage with its windswept empty beaches and its wild surf and the pretty town of La Palmyre, with its seafood restaurants, market and world-famous zoo.

There are also miles and miles of pine forest to explore, all with cycle routes right down to the beach.

The best beach is La Coubre, which is in a basin sheltered from the Atlantic, with a lighthouse to walk to, a huge fun park for the youngsters and cycle-hire for the long promenade.

And the best day out has to be the zoo, and you can’t miss it as it’s right on the main road which means even driving past you see the scores of pink flamingos in the pool at the entrance.

There are more than 1,600 animals here with free car parking, but arrive early otherwise the queues, especially on a cloudy day, can be long.

La Palmyre also has a fantastic outdoor market, selling everything from sunglasses and T-shirts to crockery and carvings. But the real attraction is the amount of local produce on offer and the wine tastings of the local Pineau.

You can stock up your basket with stuffed olives, artisan bread, the most wonderful goats’ cheeses and cured meats for a fraction of the supermarket price before heading back to your mobile home or the dunes for a picnic.

Being on holiday offers the luxury of buying fresh food every day, having the time to taste before buying, and market-shopping was a huge eye-opener for our two boys who learned if they wanted apricots to snack on, they would have to ask in French.

In fact, five-year-old Joe became quite proficient with regards to the food, not only being able to order in French but amazing us with his ability to demolish an entire bowl of garlic mussels before expertly removing the heads of several langoustines.

And that’s what having a family holiday in France, particularly a self-catering break in a mobile home, does offer.

All the comforts of home are right at hand, but it’s easy come, easy go, easy living and easy to relax.

When life can be so frenetic, taking the time to sit down and enjoy your children and enjoy your lunch is a luxury in itself.

So you can keep your four-star hotel and your award-winning restaurant, a mobile home at Les Charmettes was perfect for a family break with two young children.

No matter what the weather.

TRAVEL FACTS

• A seven night stay at Siblu’s Les Charmettes holiday parc in Charente Maritime starts from just £739, based on a August 22 departure and including Dover to Calais ferries.

• To find out more and to book visit www.siblu.com or call 0871 911 7777.

• Book before the end of February and you can also take advantage of siblu’s commission-free EuroVoucher, which gives you an excellent exchange rate of 1.25euro to £1 and can be used in the shop, restaurant, bar and with selected activities at the parc.