We have always wanted to go to Provence, so when we spotted one of Keycamp’s mobile home holidays was nestled in the hills near Saint Tropez we booked our break and got ready.

Despite being able to fly down and also having a five-month-old boy we decided to load up the car and head off to Calais to catch the ferry.

After visiting Bruges in Belgium and stopping off with my brother in Germany for three nights our journey saw us head south and through Luxembourg to France.

We met lots of people on our holiday who had driven down to Provence in a day from Calais but we broke up the drive with a stop-off in Dijon, both on the way down and the way back.

And we were delighted to discover it is a beautiful medieval city, by the way.

Our holiday was just before the July heatwave so we were longing for some time in a nice warm place, leaving a chilly England and having some wet weather in Germany too.

The skies looked pretty grey as we drove south and then something magical happened. It can be no coincidence that the A7 motorway south of Lyon is called the Autoroute du Soleil. It has a point called Porte du Soleil – the door to the sun – where the grey clouds suddenly gave way to pure blue skies and bright sunshine.

We watched the temperature go up by a degree every 10 minutes as we headed deeper into Provence. We drove through the stunning hills and arrived at the La Pachacaid holiday parc just after 9pm.

And as our friendly holiday rep welcomed us the warm evening air was a joy, just like that moment when you get off the plane in a warm country.

The parc is set on the side of a hill with stunning views from our lovely two-bedroom mobile home. We had a spot to park our car outside the mobile home, with loungers and a table and chairs in the shade in our own outside dining area. On our first full day we discovered the lovely facilities and instantly fell in love with the place.

The huge main pool refreshed you from the heat and I could not stop taking in the views of the lush green hills surrounding us. Our four-year-old daughter had the children’s pool to play in to her heart’s content. Then there was the trampolines and the waterslides that she was allowed on as long as I went along to join in the thrills. She also had the popular kids’ club events to join in with.

And to relax we had a sauna and jacuzzi, an outside gym that looked state of the art and ideal if I had been inclined to work up more than the sweat that I already had from strolling in the 30 degree heat.

The restaurant provided great French classics like steak tartare, as well as pizzas and pasta and I enjoyed a great beef Carpaccio, which was a culinary highlight of the trip for me. The restaurant included a huge outside seating area in front of the stage where the impressive entertainment took place each night.

They had a great relaxing guitarist and singer on our first night, following up with dancing and singing cabaret acts and the staff’s hilarious comedy show.

In fact the staff were a great part of what makes us want to return.

Their warmth and French joie de vivre put you straight in the type of holiday mood that got you dancing to all sorts of music and smiling all day.

And the camp slogan “we love you, we kiss you”, will live long in the memory.

We could easily have stayed poolside for the entire holiday but could not resist seeing Saint Tropez, the bustling port full of cosy streets and with great art on sale.

And the lovely café where we stopped off to catch some shade sold the best chocolate éclairs it can be possible to taste.

From Saint Tropez we drove back along the coast, with countless sandy beaches to choose from.

Saint Clair, recommended by our Keycamp rep, gave me the chance to try out my snorkel and enjoy spotting fish in the glorious warm water.

The Keycamp website shows they have lots of stunning locations to choose from across Europe, but we are already dreaming about a return to La Pachacaid.

Getaway

Keycamp offers self-catering holidays to over 90 top parcs across eight European countries, including Italy, Spain and Austria. Each boasts excellent facilities and a choice of stylish mobile home, lodge and even tree house accommodation. 

Seven nights from 9 September 2013 for a family of two adults and up to four children staying in a three bedroom Villagrand mobile home with decking and air conditioning at Keycamp’s La Pachacaïd parc will cost from £266, accommodation only. Fly-drive and ferry packages can be arranged though Keycamp at a supplement.

For the latest deals, further information or to make a booking, visit www.keycamp.co.uk or call 0844 406 0319.