Great location for touring, rentals need a bit of attention
20 June 2023 at 10:33:55
My husband, myself and our two dogs Dorcas & Daisy came to stay at camping Biper Gorri due it is location, especially to Espelette.
This campsite is in a perfect location for visiting the stunning Basque country. The campsite is easy to find once you get to Espelette as there are plenty of signs.
Espelette... is a beautiful village, 2 km's from the site and is a must to visit, as are all the villages around this area.
On arrival, the welcome was perfect, the young lady was super friendly & helpful, very smiley.
Sadly we were told that there would be a problem with leaving on the Wednesday (our departure day) As due to heavy rain & flooding, the road around the bridge at the entrance to the site had been damaged, and the mairie had chosen that day to do the repairs. So we had to be out before 7.30 am or after 2 pm. We could have been informed of this before we arrived, especially as they had telephoned us the day before.
Anyway, another very friendly lady came and showed us to our rental cabin, which we think could have had the best view on the site. We were high up with a great view of the riding school next door and the horses, with a view of fields after that, very pretty.
At the entrance to the site is a river, this is great for families and dogs, the water is shallow so perfect, our dogs loved it. Such a pretty area with paths to wander around, not a large area but so handy for us, as with having dogs, we could not use the pool.
We had been given an inventory on arrival, that we had to check off and report if anything was missing or damaged. This was a first for us and we have camped all over France since 2002. Normally in a rental, the list is available, maybe taped to a cupboard door. Never have we had to fill this in and do their work for them. Now we are English but we live here in France, but there were two of iteams we were unsure of, but we did what we were asked and ticked off the items. One thing on the list was MOP, there wasn't one. So the following day we took the list to reception as asked and we spoke to a lady, who was not as welcoming as everyone else had been. My husband took a dislike to her due to her attitude, I got the impression she was very busy and the last thing she needed to deal with were guests.....well she could have gotten the nice lady sat next to her to help us.
We said there was no mop, so she started to speak English to us and told me what a mop was "to clean the floor" as a 56 year old woman, I know what one is. She then told us there was a floor cloth. We had found that, but as this is 2023, I didn't expect to get on my hands & knees & clean the floor with a cloth. First rental we have ever stayed in without an actual mop. Anyway, she would not let us get a word in, ask a question or in fact answer hers, so we gave up and left.
We had decided to stay until after 4 pm on the Wednesday until we found out that we still had to be out of the chalet at 10 am, so we would have 4 hours to wait. Normally we would walk to town but our older dog (14 years in Sept) could not manage the 2 km walk. So we decided to leave before 7.30 am. Otherwise, what were we to do. Sit in the car? The restaurant is closed Wednesdays, we could not go around the pool. What were we to do with no shade.
The campsite is small. The spaces for camping cars and tents are a great size BUT the size of the plots for the rentals is too small. There is very little outdoor space once you park the car.
Our rental only had one shady space and the car was in that as there was nowhere else to park it. There was a parasol, but it was too small, so we were in full sun all the time. Great for us humans, not for the dogs........and the flies. Never have we seen so many flies, not in their tens but in their hundreds, everywhere and everyone was covered in them. So it was close yourself inside and cook or open the windows and be covered in them.
There is a small shop onsite but we never saw it open, another first. Also you could not order your baguettes or croissants for the following morning, another first. Never have we stayed somewhere you could not do this, nor get in the shop for water, loo roll or fly spray !!
We did have to pay the €70 cleaning charge, and I was ok with that as quite a bit of dog hair was left behind, but without a mop, and a sweeping brush that was too soft that the hair, fur, dust etc just got spread around instead of being swept up, I did the best I could. Also having to do this at 6 am didn't help. Sadly I didn't check the cleanness of the fridge or the toilet, so we were charged. They sent photos of all the dog hair left behind, some is to be expected in "dog friendly accommodation"
BUT in truth, the place was not clean on arrival. There were splattered mosquito's on the walls and ceiling in the main room, the bedroom and toilet. The bathroom was a bit smelly, like bad drains. Even a dead moth in the middle of the floor on entering !!
There is only one single socket in the bedroom and this is behind the bed, a few inches off the floor. We pulled the bed out to get to it....bad idea. I don't think anyone has cleaned properly under the bed for a while. So many cobwebs & dead insects and a lot of dust.
The outside of all the rentals are dirty, windows & door covered in huge cobwebs, many full of dead insects. The seating area outside was dirty with cobwebs and our fence leaned a little, the BBQ wasn't clean and made you feel that you didn't want to use it, which we didn't, but the table & chairs were ok.
There is a sign at the entrance saying Dogs must stay on leads, at 6 am, every dog on site was wandering around without a human & crapping everywhere. None was picked up. We were the ONLY people with poop bags. There is also a Jack Russel on site, often in the accueil, she is not friendly to other dogs.
Would I recommend this camping ? Yes I would. The pool area looks fab and the restaurant also, with plenty of seating. The paving is loose outside on the terrace above the pool though so be careful. There are plenty of things for kids to do and this is what gives the camping its 4 stars.
So if you want a campsite that is ideally located to tour the Basque country, then this is perfect. If you are traveling in a camper or with a tent then it is also perfect. If you want to spend all day around the pool and just use the rentals to sleep in, ok. But the space given to the rentals is much too small, they have got as many as possible on site, and the price triples in high season. Plus the cleaning could be better. We had 3 dirty spoons and a dirty knife. As mentioned, under the bed is very dirty, the bathroom smells and blood splatters from the mosquito's not wiped away. Also, the toilet window opened onto the outdoor space for the next door rental.
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