Everything must be finished to welcome tourists and the hundred or so employees who keep the campsite running for the season. And the first figures are already encouraging since the occupancy rate is higher than in 2023, reaching 85%. With 63 mobile homes added in 2023, the campsite now has a capacity of 3,400 holidaymakers. “We have no choice but to open on time, because we only open in July and August. What is not ready is lost, and we will no longer be able to have it,” notes the director, Julien Durand.
22 chalets de 35 m²
This year, Sandaya, an outdoor hotel brand and owner of the Grand Dague since 2019, invested 1 million euros for “an upgrade,” says the campsite director. Which details: “81 mobile homes over fifteen years old were replaced and 22 additional chalets were installed”. The latter, so-called premium accommodation of 35 m², are made up of two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Philippe Greiller
The future chalets, currently being installed.
“We rent premium accommodation or the cheapest offer very quickly”
These chalets, installed in a forest area of the campsite, required a lot of effort to be transported, because nothing was cleared to put them in place. “We had to bring in a remote-controlled crane with a 30-metre arm, and they didn’t arrive assembled, but in panels,” explains Julien Durand. With as little vis-à-vis as possible on the neighbour, in the shade of the trees, the chalets, designed by the company Os à bois, are already reserved almost all summer long.
“We rent premium accommodation very quickly, or the cheapest offer. The longest to complete is intermediate accommodation,” notes the director.
70% foreigners
The Grand Dague’s clientele is 70% foreign, mainly Belgian and Dutch, “but in August, there are as many French as foreigners.”
Philippe Greiller
Julien Durand has been the campsite director since 2018.
Before the opening on Friday June 28, the teams still have to complete the route through the campsite, as well as the aesthetic arrangements. Some chalets are also to be finalized, and they must be furnished. In total, around ten companies participated in the work. And they continue to work for a season launch with fanfare.
