FAMILY HOLIDAYS LES VILLAGES NATURE DESTINATIONS
and sieved, before the kids actually got their hands messy. Then they weighed out their flour,
yeast, salt and water, made and kneaded the dough, and formed it into shapes ready for proving and baking. We were supposed to return at
2pm to watch it go into the ovens, but Marijke and I were otherwise engaged – attached to karabiners, clips and pulleys, several feet up in the trees on the parkour adventure course, a slightly more hardcore version of Go Ape in the UK. It’s more intense because once
you’ve had your safety briefing, you’re on your own, and kids are allowed to go around the course without parents. It’s not dangerous, but it’s not easy either, and I frequently had to reach forward past my daughter to help two six-year-old boys in front of us to get their clips and pulleys in the right place, which held us up and was a slight downside to an otherwise phenomenal facility. After lunch in Chez Meunier Bakery,
we headed back to the farm so Marijke could feed the cows and then take a half-hour horse ride through the forest. Each child is led by their own parent and the ponies walk very sedately – perfect for young kids who have never been on a horse before. We finished the day with another trip to the Aqua Lagoon, followed by
The morning of day three saw us on our bikes to collect croissants from the boulangerie and freshly- squeezed orange juice
a delicious authentic French meal of boeuf bourguignon in on-site bistro Cépages.
w PARK LIFE The morning of day three saw us head out on our bikes to collect croissants from the boulangerie and freshly-squeezed orange juice from the Franprix supermarket. Then we cycled back to the West Entrance, where we were collected for our day at Disneyland Paris. We were met by a VIP guide, Bilkis,
who was so lovely with my daughter that within 10 minutes, I had been ditched and Marijke was happily skipping along holding Bilkis’ hand and chatting 19 to the dozen. Bilkis took us to all the best rides in both the main park and Walt Disney Studios, each time taking the Fastpass line to avoid the long queues. It soon became clear my daughter is something of an adrenaline junkie, so her favourite rides were Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith, RC Racer and Big Thunder Mountain, while I was enthralled by the Ratatouille simulator. Both of us loved Disney Stars on Parade – a must for every visitor. We stayed so late in the parks that
ABOVE: BelleVie Farm
LEFT: Marijke learning to make bread
we had to grab a takeaway for the way home – essential fuel to give us the energy we would need for a repeat performance the next day. After a second brilliant day at the parks, Marijke asked if we could get back to Les Villages Nature in time to go to the Aqua Lagoon again. Something has to be pretty awesome if it’s able to drag kids away from Disneyland Paris!
SAMPLE PRODUCT
A three-night self-catering stay in a Clan
Comfort Cottage during the Easter holidays costs from £607 in total, for two adults and two children.
villagesnature
paris.co.uk
7 February 2019
travelweekly.co.uk 55
PICTURE: MILAN VERMEULEN
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