So,  siblu is  making a stand for self-catered holidays in France !

Here are three ideas that we hope will make your mouth water. And don’t forget, when you book a siblu holiday, a free barbecue is included so you can make the most of delicious food choices available at mouth-watering food markets that take place close to many of our 14 holiday villages across France.

Biscuits, beer and sweet Yorkshire pudding in Brittany
Bénodet hosts a lively Breton market selling a huge range of foods, with specialities such as the Aven Oyster, which has a sweet hazel-nutty taste, the spicy Andouille sausage and the Far dessert, best-described as a sweet Yorkshire pudding. The town is also home to the François Garrec biscuit factory and the Bénodet brewery, which opens every Friday to visitors.

Feast on your food at Domaine de Kerlann siblu village near to Pont Aven, in southern Brittany. A seven-night stay for a family staying in a two-bedroom holiday home is currently available from only £978 for a 9 August departure, saving £335. This price includes a free barbecue, plus entry to indoor and outdoor pools, children’s clubs and nightly entertainment.

Kiwis in Charente Maritime
Royan has an impressive fish market which sells all sorts of catches, with crawfish and Marenne Oysters the stars. The main food market is a superb source of seasonal produce, such as the Charente melon, Blayais asparaguses and even kiwi fruit – France is the second largest European producer!

Seven nights from 20 July at La Pignade siblu holiday village in nearby Ronce-les-Bains start from only £928, saving £195 on bookings made before 30 April. You can cook up your catch on the free barbecue which is included with every booking. There is also a pool, children’s clubs and horse-riding school to take part in.

France’s organic south coast
Les Arceaux organic market in Montpellier is packed with fragrant cheeses, regional wines and local specialities like Camargue sausages and Collioure anchovies. The Place de la Comédie is Montpellier’s centre and a brilliant place to people watch, plus it bursts at the seams every morning with organic fruit, honey, herbs and olive oils.

Siblu’s Le Lac des Reves holiday village is just five miles from Montpellier, but even closer to several of the region’s brilliant beaches. A family can stay for seven nights from 13 August in a standard two-bedroom holiday home from only £1,119, saving £184 for bookings before 30 April. Price includes free barbecue facilities, children’s clubs, pools and entertainment.

Bon appétit !

Please note, all prices are subject to availability.

Dave Bates and Nicola Thomas recommend travelling overnight, so dodging the problem of bored children during the day. Paul Robinson suggests a twist on this idea, by taking an overnight ferry crossing to St Malo, which leaves a shortish drive to many of the west coast resorts.

New technology plays an important role for many parents too, with in-car DVD players top of the list for lots of families. Paul Robinson champions a DVD player and Sat Nav combo, to make the journey a cinch for everyone. Jo Taylor, Simon Childs and Nicola Thomas agree.

Food might be the way to a man’s heart, but it’s also a way of entertaining your little ones on long drives. Will Goodridge packed himself fizzy pop and chocolate to keep alert during his drive, only to find they’d been found and gobbled up by his kids. Snacks helped to keep Simon Taylor’s girls quiet on two 12-hour drives too, and Paula Beale has even spotted the potential of food wrappers to divert little ones.

Old-fashioned bits and pieces are recommended to. Paula Beale continues her theme by recommending fiddly toys and threading beads (yes for boys too) to keep youngsters occupied, while Katharine Childs recommends wipeable travel cards and pens for doodles from Usbornes, which went down a treat with her 7 and 4 year olds …until they lost one of the pen lids!
Sarah Birch suggests the clever ruse of a bag of must-not-touch items, including an egg timer, calculator and old mobile phone to play with in the car. Another tip from Sarah is to go round the pound shops, as they have lots of good travel bits.

What other ideas you can suggest for keeping children entertained on long journeys?

Tempete Xynthia lashed the Vendée and Charente Maritime regions in February, causing damage to those parts it hit and, tragically, some deaths.

Of 350 holiday parcs and campsites in Charente Maritime, five were so badly effected they have not been able to open in time for Easter.

Siblu has five holiday parcs located in the two regions and all avoided the worst of the storms and are now opening their doors for 2010.

Les Charmettes general manager Stephen Smith was interviewed for the main news bulletin on TF1, one of France’s main television channels, to talk about his hopes and expectations for the season ahead.

The final film includes interviews with siblu customers making the most of the sun that blessed Les Charmettes over the Easter weekend, a far cry from the events of earlier this year.

French authorities acted immediately after the storms to ensure that funding and willpower was in place to ensure the regions recovered in the shortest possible time.

For holidaymakers, this means that both the Charente Maritime and Vendée are up-and-running for 2010 and both are outstanding, highly-recommended, family holiday destinations – as recently highlighted by the Daily Mail.

Science park Futuroscope and history-themed park Puy du Fou are both located on France’s west coast, where the big beaches, friendly seaside towns and activity-packed holiday parcs make for an ideal family holiday destination.

Puy du Fou
If you want a noisy, smoky, live spectacular that will bring your children’s history lessons to life, then step back in time at Puy du Fou in the Vendée where, in one afternoon, you can experience a Roman circus, Viking longboats and an 18th century village.

Puy du Fou is essentially a series of live historical shows dedicated to 2,000 years of French history. You can watch gladiators battle, Vikings loot and, in a new show for 2010, armies lay siege.

There are performances of falconry, jousting, magic and music, and the park explodes into life during the evenings when a thousand local volunteers perform a historical sound and music extravaganza on what they claim is the world’s largest stage.

Siblu’s four-star Le Bois Masson holiday parc, in the coastal resort of St-Jean-de-Monts, is within a short drive of Grand Parc Puy du Fou. A two-bedroom holiday home starts from as little as £725 for two adults and up to three children staying for 7-nights, based on a 17 July departure. Puy du Fou tickets start from €27 for adults and €17 for children.

Futuroscope
Futuroscope in Poitiers, in the Poitou Charente region of west France, is the country’s second most popular theme park.

There are a series of giant Imax cinemas that broadcast awe-inspiring films which include an interactive safari to see the animals of the future, the legendary Apollo 11 moon flight as viewed by a fly on the wall, and, in a new show for 2010, take viewers on an incredible 4D-adventure created by renowned film director Luc Besson.

There are many other attractions, including giant robot arms that dance with their occupants, and a light show blasted onto water.

Siblu’s Les Charmettes holiday parc is located at La Palmyre in Charente Maritime, within easy reach of Futuroscope. A 7-night stay at the four-star parc starts from £921 for two adults and three children staying in holiday home accommodation, based on a 17 July start date. Tickets for Futuroscope start from €35 for adults and €26 for children.