Our journey to Spain with Brittany Ferries was a great experience. The Glisten Camping resort is in the South of France, just over the Spanish border and near a place called St Jean De Luz, which is about 20 mins from Biarritz. Getting a ferry to Calais would have meant a really long drive down through France which would have been pretty hellish with two kids and flying was a possibility but I seem to have become absolutely petrified of it. When we flew back from Spain a few years ago I spent the whole time in a state of pure fear and couldn’t even help look after Cherry which has totally put me off doing it again.
So a ferry to Spain seemed the perfect option, we sailed with Brittany Ferries and took the Plymouth to Santander crossing which meant we only had a 2.5 hr drive once we got there. You can also sail into Bilbao which is even closer to the French border.
I am so happy with the decision we made to take the ferry to Spain. Being able to take your car when going away with kids makes life so much easier. When you fly you can only take a suitcase but we were able to fill an entire car which was much better, plus it meant we had our own transport when over there and didn’t have to worry about hiring cars etc.
We travelled on the Pont-Avon which provides passengers with a cruise-like experience, something which makes the 24 hour journey a lot more fun, especially when you have two kids.
The ship is enormous and the kids were so excited. Cherry said it was the best day ever and that she loved it more than Doc McStuffins which is really saying something!!
Tiger was excitedly screaming out ‘BOAP’ every time he saw a boat.
We stayed in a cabin which had a telly and that was a bit of a lifesaver as it kept Cherry entertained in the evening and when we wanted to go back and chill out for a bit.
There are a number of restaurants onboard, we went for the buffet style one as fine dining with two young kids wouldn’t have been a very enjoyable experience for us, or any of the other guests! The food was really good, I had the biggest plate of pasta ever and the kids were happy with the box of toys that came with their meal. The best part was the desserts though, I think I ate about five strawberry tarts during my time there and back, they were so good that I didn’t even manage to take a photo before devouring them. The prices were really reasonable too. I did notice they had a microwave for people to use though which meant if you were on a tight budget and way more organised than me then you could save money by taking your own food.
Right next to the eating area was the kids zone which is where we spent most of our time. They had a little soft play area and lots of tables and chairs with colouring and other activities. We had it all to ourselves on the way there then on the way back there was a little girl the same age as Cherry and they became instant friends in the way only kids can.
The crossing was so smooth on the way there and it was sunny in the daytime too so it was nice walking around the deck although we were slightly envious of all the retired couples who could just sit and relax in the sun with a drink!
Tiger loved hanging out in the amusement arcade.
There is also a swimming pool, spa, shop and cinema on-board as well as entertainment in the bar. There is so much to do that the time flies by.
We really enjoyed our time on board. My personal favourites were the breakfasts, freshly baked rolls with jam and the yummy set yoghurts that you don’t get in this country and sleeping to the rocking motion of the boat, it was actually really relaxing and the kids slept well too.
Before we knew it we had to vacate our cabin and go up on deck to wait for the ship to dock.
This is by far my favourite way of getting to Spain / South France and we will definitely be choosing to travel by ferry next time. If you would like to know more about the UK-Spain crossings or any of the others then you can see them here.
Thank you to Brittany Ferries for inviting us to be guests on the Pont-Avon.
If you would like to read more about where we stayed in Spain then here are the links to the posts…
Glamping in the South-West of France.
Things to do in South-West France.
A Day in San Sebastian, Spain.
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