talking about the campsites and coachs made me get my photos out and with luck might be on the website gallery tommorow, it makes me want to go back now, one of the most relaxing holidays i have ever had, did it two years running with redcrest but could not face the coach journey again as i have arthritus, and could not sit for that length of time ,but would love to go back to parafrugell one day
Rosie

LOL, im always looking at the pics to get me in the mood for going back again this year!

My favourite pic.....a view from the Roca Maura hills in Estartit!



I sent a couple of these into Holidaytruths for their picture guides but no one was interested!

When and where did you send the pictures cidermonster as I know that there is a Costa Brava album with pictures in it although admittedly not many.

Rosie your pictures are now in the upload album and will be there till the end of the month then will be transfered to the main Costa Brave Album.

Thanks for posting them.

Sent a few aerial shots of Estartit in ages ago, well over a year ago. Just assumed no one was interested. Like you say, the Costa Brava album is hardly full!

If you like post them again in the upload album and I'll move them into the Costa Brava album. Please ensure you let us know the place and any informaton you think helpful for others.

Anyone interested i have put some pics on of la siesta campsite at parafrugell, not a bit of litter on campsite as you can see spotless campsite
Rosie

Thanks allmen, i have uploaded 5 pics, use whatever you think are suitable for the album!
I think the aerial ones are particularly good, give a great view of Estartit, etc, and let people know that there is much more to places like Estartit than sitting in the shade drinking beer all day!!

...plus i have a nice guide to getting up to those hills on my website (oh, i can never resist a plug!)

Consider it done as of now uploaded to new pictures album.

reading this thread as we are going by coach in august with my in laws, god help anyone esle on the coach lol in total there will be 10 of us. decided to go by coach as with 5 kids the flight costs were huge and having been by coach when we only had 3 young uns and myself doing the coach run with my parents as my mum has a fear of flying. we alway found that the holiday started from getting on the coach, meeting new friends some that are still friends 25 years later.
we are travelling with redcrest this time as seista would not accomodate 7 in an apartment. we are staying in the mar'dor apartments so if anyone knows them can they give any input please.

Never stayed in the Mar d'or, but they always were regarded as some of the best apartments in Estartit. Decent location, close to Jocs, and also nearby a few of the local venues that attract the Brit holidaymakers....Itaca/Jimmy's Cellar, Miami Bar (Forbidden planet?), etc, etc.

Enjoy!

ditto - check out Ferris Holidays, they are very good on price! and you can upgrade to superclass coaches for a small charge.

oh dear guess who ive booked with yes Canabrica. Was really looking forward to our first foriegn family holiday and now im starting to feel more than a little apprehensive. Are Cantabrica really that bad? Even if they are there is nothing i can do now so what im really after is some advise to make the best of the situation.

Im not worried about the accommadation(diamond lodge) or the campsite( le brasilia) as ive fully researched it and all i can find are good reviews. Its the journey that is worrying me as im going to be travelling on my own with four kids.

As i mentioned above this is our first holiday abroad. As a single mother of four the cost has always been prohibitive but as my eldest is now 16 i thought that this may be one of our last family holidays so what the heck lets try and go abroad. Obviously package tours were just too much and im not experienced enough to go DIY, so to just pick up a coach locally (cantabria had the nearest pick up point to me) and get escourted to holiday seemed the best option. Choosing the right campsite was the main criteria and i feel that that decision was at least right( unless any of you know something i dont). Cantabrica were the only company i could find that went to this campsite.

So does anyone have any tips on the best way to travel with cantabrica.

Will there be alot of waiting around at "hub changeover point"?

What selection of food is likely to be available on coach and is it expensive?

Does it get cold at night on the coach, do they supply blankets or should i try to take some throws for kids?

Ive asked for us to sit together but as there are five of us one will have to sit alone, are coaches usually full or could there be a spare seat? we will be travelling early july.

How often will the coach stop? are french service stations expensive to eat at.

How strict are they about hand luggage, with kids activity toys, drinks, snacks, books, personal stereos, gameboys, wet wipes, spare clothes, throws and not forgetting the kitchen sink we are going to be preety laden.

I could go on forever with my little paranoid worries, as you may be able to tell im getting fairly worked up about it all so please answer and tell me im being silly and we will have a wonderful time

Dont get too worked up, glosflamingo, ive travelled with Club C on 4 occasions. All coach companies have their ups and downs, not just club c!

Im heading offline just now, but ill try my best to answer all your points tomorrow to see if i can help!
PS Which part of the UK are you travelling from? Might help with the hub answer!

food on club c coach was very limited when we went with them. sandwiches and hot/cold drinks but not very expensive. eating hot meals at service stations can be expensive, as can sweets/crisps, but we found sandwiches were good value. we take some nibbles/eat sandwiches and wait till we get there to worry about hot food.if we travel early on the ferry we have a proper meal ie lunch and so dont need much else.
re night time on coach there are no blankets, but we use fleeces to keep warm if necessary, but in july that should not be a problem (unless they have got the air-con working ) as an extra tip we take a pillow each as this helps with sleeping at night and provides a bit of relief for the bum when sitting down for long periods.
all coaches let you take a piece of hand luggage each and that should be enough to get all the little bits you need to keep the family amused. you will also find that they will show a couple of films on the journey to help keep you all happy,
all coaches usually stop about every 3 to 4 hours for about 1/2 hour, but our problem with club c was that they seemed to stop at very haphazard intervals -sometimes for 10 minutes then 1 hours driving then another stop etc.
everyone has good and bad holiday experiences but if you treat the journey as part of the holiday and relax and go with the flow i am sure you will have a great time.

hi glosflamingo,
we went with cantabrica,last june (and again this june).and we found them ok.
its a long way so go prepared,and you will be fine.we live in lancs so we have a way to go beforewe get to the change over point,but by the time you go to the loo,get a drink etc,there isnt much time left.
thats if everyone else is on time.
last year we had 5 drivers who where very good,we had a hostess but only average!!but on the way back the hostess was really fantastic.
the food on the coach wasnt expensive pot noodles assorted sandwichs crisps,hot and cold drinks.
i take a small fleece blanket with me,and a pillow and roll it up together,you can sit on it so it doesnt take up to much space.
the coachs are usually full,but if there is a spare seat get it quick !!
the coach stops every 2-3hours even over night,but they dont wake you up to get off.
we had our evening meal and breakfast,which werent expensive at all,
but you havent got long and they might be 3-4 others coachs there as well.
they didnt seem to bad with hand luggage,but remember what you cant fit in the overhead lockers has to go by your feet.
take snacks and drinks with you and you can buy more if needed,
take asprin and all medication in you hand luggage.
you might need something to put on you head as it gets a bit cool with the air conditioning.(my husband hasnt alot of hair and he found it cool)
hope all this helps to ease your mind,dont worry to much it will be fine
have a great time.
regards angelica

Cant argue with any of those answers!

If you are on a bit of a budget, then yeah, food can be quite expensive, worth taking a cool bag with some goodies in it, also worth putting a few cans of juice (or plastic bottles) by for during the night, as the service will stop around 11pm or midnight. Also, not sure where you are coming from, but when i went with Club C, the hostess service didnt start till the hub (outside london) - not really good for me coming from Falkirk! Also, take good advantage of your chance for a meal on the ferry! A lot can also depend on your host or hostess, there are good and bad!

We use fleeces on the bus, as the temperature cant really suit everyone, and i always feel they err slightly on the cold side. There should be enough stops, but as someone already said, they can be a bit erratic.....they also do stop quite a lot during the night, but like has been said, they wont announce it.......you can get off for a leg stretch though (i think they only do it for fag breaks for the drivers!! )

Feeder coaches sometimes have spare seats, we always found that we could get a seat each going from Falkirk to the hub, but we did go early / late season, so that might not be the case for you. The Hub? Well, i dont like it, but it can go smoothly and it does give you a good chance for a break.........but if only one coach is late (missed the ferry, etc) then there can be a long wait....i think we did over 2 hours once, might have been closer to 3!

As has already been said, hand luggage is per person, so you can take plenty on board, we always take a pillow too, and having plenty of medicines (headache tablets, travel sickness, etc) is a good idea!

many thanks for all your reassuring words i dont feel so bad again now in fact im we are really looking forward to it.

Any further advice or information would be appreciated though.

Any particular questions, Glosflamingo?

Post them here and we will all do our best to help