What makes Chateau de Salles a great holiday park:
We've been working with Chateau de Salles since 2003 and we know what makes the park so popular...
Why choose Alternative Aquitaine to book your Chateau de Salles holiday:
Best for:
Family groups with young children who are looking for something authentic and 'low-key' compared to the 'typical' sprawling holiday village with tigghtly-packed accommodation. There's a Kids' Club in July & August whilst pre-school families will enjoy the park's tranquility, nature, amenities and nearby safe-bathing lakes.
Outside the main summer season, the park is popular with couples who enjoy the peaceful surroundings and a great base for exploring the region - there are many opportunities for golf, vineyard visits and days out further afield.
Suitability for:
Anything to watch out for?
Why Choose The Landes Forest:
The park is situated in the Parc Naturel Regional des Landes de Gascogne pine forest, just inland from Arcachon and Biscarrosse - both are popular summer resorts for French and Europeans. This area truly evokes the Aquitaine spirit... the fresh scent of the pine trees, the vast lakes, huge sand dunes and rolling surf - you couldn't be anywhere else but Aquitaine!
The local village of Salles (10 min walk) has the basic shops to help with daily life and a couple of restaurants too. The park itself has many amenities to keep you and your family occupied whislt just off-site there's river-kayaking, lake beaches & water sports, horse-riding and cycling.
The more active can take days out by car to the ocean (Biscarrosse or Arcachon), the vineyards around Bordeaux, visit the city itself, or head south to explore the Basque Country, Pyrenees and northern Spain. The park is conveniently situated to explore this unique region.
Spacious holiday lodges and villas on a popular woodland holiday park
In total there's around 100 detached lodges and villas on the park approximately two thirds of which are included in the holiday rental programme.
Set in peaceful woodland surroundings, the park was conceived by a Dutch company with a northern European audience in mind; the accommodation is much more spacious than the typical holiday venue.
We've been promoting Chateau de Salles since 2003 so we know it very well. Just call or email us if you would like some guidance on choosing your accommodation.
The following types of lodge are available through Alternative Aquitaine. Note that we only work with a the park's lodges - those meeting a checklist of criteria:
'Classic' lodges - 2 and 3 bedroom options, these are the original lodges built in the 90's.
'Superior' lodges - 2 and 3 bedroom options built in the early noughties, offering a larger and more modern interior and a higher level of comfort.
All Classic and Superior lodges include wifi, flat-screen TV, DVD, dishwasher and BBQ. Superior Lodges also have a washing machine.
Villas with private pools - 3 and 4 bedroom modern villas also constructed in the last 10-15 years.
As well as a private heated swimming pool, all villas with pools include wifi, flat-screen TV, DVD, dishwasher, BBQ and washing machine.
We rate the Classic lodges 'Simple' quality whereas the Superior lodges and villas with pools merit a 'Good' quality classification.
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ACCOMMODATION DETAIL
2 Bedroom Classic Lodge
3 Bedroom Classic Lodge - Type Champagne
There is a more limited supply of Superior Lodges and Villas with Pools:
3 Bedroom Superior Lodge - Type Fronsac:
3 Bedroom Villa with Pool - Type Fronsac:
Exactly the same as the Lodge version but with the addition of your own private swimming pool heated by heat exchanger and with a hard cover. 3 units on the site, all in peaceful locations.
4 Bedroom Villa with Pool - Type Margaux:
Shared pool, depth 1.0m to 2.5m, heated. Also a children's splash-pool, 0.5m continuous depth. Both open from late April to early October. There are 6 villas on the park with a private heated pool
No smoking inside. Pets permitted - supplement applies
To get your bearings, Salles is at the gateway of Les Landes pine forest some 50 km south west of Bordeaux, 35 km south east of Arcachon and about the same distance north east of Biscarrosse. The village centre is a 10 minute walk and has basic shops including boulangerie. Arcachon is the nearest main town and is also a major resort with fabulous beaches, shopping and restaurants. The area is a natural haven of pine forests, lakes and ocean.
Nearest village / town: Arcachon (35 kms)
Nearest beach: Arcachon & Biscarrosse ocean beaches 35 kms. Lovely sandy lake beaches at Sanguinet and Hostens 20 kms
Boulangerie: In the village - 10 minute walk
Restaurant: On-site, or Salles (500m) - Domaine du Pont du l'Eyre recommended
Market: Weekly market in the village. List of local markets at reception
At the park you can enjoy swimming, tennis and squash. A short distance off-site you will find excellent water sports, river-canoeing, cycling, golf, horse-riding and more.
Two hard courts for tennis | Squash court | Pay & play | Equipment hire on-site
Bike hire on-site | Adult & child bikes available | Forest trails to explore
River Leyre runs past park | Serene paddle all the way to Bassin d'Arcachon! | Organised excursions possible
Summer Kids' Club for 4 to 12 year olds | No pre-booking necessary | Mix of nationalities inc. Dutch, French & British | Kids' play area too
Sanguinet lake 18 kms | Hostens lake 20 kms| Windsurfing, sailing & SUP | Sandy beaches perfect for young kids | Picnic, cycle, swim - family fun!
Large, shared pool (heated) | Fitness studio | Table tennis | Badminton | Volleyball | Petanque
Two tennis courts* | Large heated communal pool | Squash court* | Multi-sports court | Pool tables | Petanque court | Volleyball | Badminton | Table tennis | Fitness studio | Summer tournaments - tennis, boules, table tennIs | Bike hire & go-karts*
*Pay locally
RESTAURANT:
Cafe-restaurant open from part-time in June & 7 days a week in July & August | Special themed evenings each week such as Arachon oysters & clams | Weekly wine tasting evening in July/August | Large screen TV | Wi-fi
KIDS' CLUB:
Infant play area | Kids' club Monday - Friday in July & August (4 to 12 year olds) | Mini disco!
MISCELLANEOUS:
Laundry room (pay locally)
COVID-19:
Please note that as a result of the Covid-19 protocols in place on the site there will be restrictions on the numbers of people using the games room and fitness suite at any one time. There will also be a requirement to book in advance for the children's club, bike hire, tennis and swimming pool.
Service: They worked quickly to check availability and offer a great option for a family holiday. The specialist I spoke with knew both accommodation options we were considering and was able to provide some additional information which helped us to decide the right one for us.
Service Comment: Thanks for writing. Delighted you enjoyed your stay at Chateau de Salles
Service: Really friendly and helpful company. Easy to use website with lots of great information. We had a fantastic holiday in a beautiful part of France. Lots of wildlife, great beaches and lakes and a lovely villa. Quiet and peaceful.
Service Comment: Thanks you very much for replying to the questionnaire - and your kind words! Delighted to read that you had a lovely holiday at Chateau de Salles and we hope to see you back in Aquitaine soon!
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Service: Very helpful and friendly staff. Villas well appointed and nicely spaced out. Bar/restaurant very handy and reasonably priced.
Product: See above comments. Only things we can think of that they could do better would be air conditioning and better recycling system.
Product Comment: These points (aircon and recycling) are noted and we will pass them on to the management team at the park
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Service: Excellent , very helpful , we have now used Alternative Aquitaine for a couple of years and both holidays have been amazing . Thank you !
Product: Great location , private , quiet and clean . All the staff were very approachable , we would definitely return there .
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Service: Very good
Product: Excellent villa on great park
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Service: Fabulous service. Great advice and holiday was as promised. I can't fault them!
Service Comment: Perfect! Thanks for writing. Justin
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Service: I have been using Alternative Aquitaine for 8 years and have always received efficient service. They are friendly, trustworthy and focused company. They are always ready to help, even when outside of their remit. Wholeheartedly recommend them as a travel agent.
Product: We love this place.
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Service: Efficient service
Product: Very nice complex, lovely woodland and scenery. Nice big, clean pool. Reception staff efficient and friendly. The chalets weren't too close together. The chalet could benefit from air con in this very hot weather.
Service Comment: That's great - thank you for sharing your experience. Aircon would have been ideal this summer with temperatures regularly in the high 30's. Justin
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Service: Great communication and useful information before departure. Website has good pictures of the accommodation.
Product: Lovely peaceful site. Great sports amenities, tennis/pool/badminton net/table tennis/cycle hire. Also feels safe enough to allow the children to cycle around unaccompanied. Spacious, modern accommodation very clean and well equipped, very good Wi fi. A few niggles, no washing machine only a launderette and no UK satellite tv only French/Dutch.
Service Comment: Thanks for responding to the survey with your helpful comments. I think your comments about the park and local area are spot on. It is a Dutch-owned site and as such UK TV doesn't get much of a look in, I'm afraid. There is a washing machine at this villa! Anyway, delighted that your holiday was a success and thanks again for writing. Justin
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Service: easy to book helpful proactive service
Product: a few furnishings were broken before we arrived but overall the accommodation was safe and comfortable...could have done with air conditioning but one cannot have everything
Service Comment: thanks for writing. Chateau de Salles continues to be one of our most popular parks and it sounds as though you made the most of exploring the area's lakes, forests and beaches. It's been a very hot and dry summer in Aquitaine and it would be great to see more venues with air-con, I agree. Justin
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Service: I found the service excellent and would definitely use them again but I do not need my inbox flooded with advertising.
Service Comment: Thanks for your feedback - really glad your holiday went well and that you would consider a return trip to Aquitaine with us. We try to make our newsletters as useful and relevant as possible, and we only issue one every 6-8 weeks. We completely understand that not everyone likes to receive these emails and have removed you from our mailing list. Hope to hear from you again! Bethan
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Service: The booking company were most helpful and very quick to answer our questions. Very easy to book through them.
Product: The site itself, was very good. Welcoming and helpful Reception team. The facilities on site were great. It was locating in a quiet rural area but within easy reach of the beach and lakes. I prefer it that way. Our property was very nice and clean on arrival and had everything we needed. The only negative I have is that the eating area outside - there was an infestation of ants crawling all over the table and chairs all the time so we could not eat outside. One more other small point the outside lounge chair covers which were kept in the under stairs cupboard could do with a good clean - they were fusty. But again due to the infestation of ants we could not use these anyway. Overall I would go back to this site but would select a different villa.
Service Comment: Thanks for your feedback - delighted to hear that you enjoyed your stay. We agree that the quiet rural location with plenty of green space is a real plus at Chateau de Salles. Really sorry to hear about the ants - the on-site team are usually very good at dealing with any problems they are made aware of. We will make sure to pass on this information as well as your comments about the chair covers. Glad that your overall experience was a good one, despite these points! Bethan
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Service: Efficient and effective handling of the reservation
Product: The resort is excellent - quiet and peaceful. A great place to relax - spacious. A good location to move around - beach, Bordeaux, to Blaye, vineyards and down to Spain. Areas that could be looked at to improve more are - better WIFI (stronger), better quality beds and linen,outside furniture to be upgraded, the shed at the back could be cleaned out!, better quality bikes and more regular empty of the bins (some days over flow). But we had a lovely time and the staff and service are great. Points are just to help out as it is not a cheap stay.
Service Comment: Thanks you for your thoughtful & constructive review, it's much appreciated. Delighted you enjoyed the venue and exploring the region. We will share this with Chateau de Salles, they are great partners of ours and work hard each year to keep improving things, your suggestions will help them to prioritise. Thank you again! Alex
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Service: Very professional and great communication.
Product: Fantastic chalet.very clean and Upto date.the site was perfect for us with 3 children aged 8,6,4.
Service Comment: Thank you, it is so nice to read your kind comments. Very pleased you enjoyed Chateau de Salles, we think it's perfect for younger families and so it seems! Alex
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Service: Good level of attention when booking the holiday
Product: Clean, tidy very nice house. Website was very accurate, no surprise on arrival
Service Comment: Delighted to read your holiday was a great success. Justin
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Service: Couldn't fault the service. So helpful and responsive. Welcome pack is great.
Service Comment: Thank you for writing. Justin
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Service: They offer a very good service which is competitive on price. You can tell that they have done good research on the properties that they offer.
Product: A charming place in a lovely setting. There are good facilities there and it is well located for Arcachon and the surrounding areas to visit by road or by bicycle.
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Service: Couldn't be more helpful - friendly and personal service and very knowledgeable about the destinations we were looking at. Definitely helped us feel confident in our decision.
Product: LOVED this place. Loads of freedom for the kids to race around, but also peaceful. The accommodation was everything we needed and more. Everyone on the park was helpful and spoke brilliant English (which helps with my schoolgirl French!) Absolutely nothing to fault at all.
Service Comment: Thank you! Chateau de Salles is where we took our first booking 12 years ago, it's fantastic to hear it is as good as ever. Alex
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Service: Helpful company, did everything expected in a timely fashion
Product: well equipped, good location
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Service: We decided to book last minute in August and Justin was excellent in helping us get a suitable property at short notice in August
Product: Accomodation was of an excellent standard. Wi fi the best we have had while on holidays. Property staff at reception excellent. Swimming pool exactly what we needed. Only negative is offering in the restaurant. Food was okay but front of house customer service is not good or welcoming. The food outlet at the gate offers better customer service
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