Vidauban with kids: a holiday park among the vineyards, coast 45 minutes away

Seventeen nights at Le Clos des Oliviers in Vidauban, among the vineyards of the Provence Verte. Not a campsite but a holiday park, with an unheated outdoor pool with two slides, and Fréjus and Port Grimaud both 45 minutes away.

Vidauban is not a destination that overwhelms you with highlights, and that is exactly its strength. We spent seventeen nights there among the vineyards of the Provence Verte, with the coast 45 minutes away and the hills around the corner.

Our base was Le Clos des Oliviers. Officially it is not a campsite but a holiday park with 170 villas. It did feel a little like a campsite, and with children it was a great place to be.

Our arrival was memorable for all the wrong reasons. The navigation cheerfully sent us down a gravel road into the middle of nowhere. A small tip if you are heading here yourself: check that you have entered the right Clos des Oliviers in Vidauban and not a vaguely similar option further along.
 

The house, and the upgrade we had not asked for

We had booked a six-person Prestige. On arrival the park turned out to be sold out and we were not on the booking list: somewhere between the tour operator and the park something had gone wrong. This house was still free, so we ended up in an eight-person villa.

That was a type 6 of 120 m²: four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large terrace and a private parking space by the house. Downstairs the living room, the kitchen and a bathroom with shower and toilet; upstairs the four bedrooms with a second bathroom and a separate toilet. A genuinely spacious house.

Do not do the maths on that. We paid about 127 euros a night, and that was the price of the six-person Prestige we had booked, not of the house we ended up in. So we do not know what this house normally costs.
 

The pool: two slides, and not heated

Not every day had to be an outing. The outdoor pool was surprisingly quiet, even on warm days, and quickly became the favourite spot. There are two slides. The park says it is 600 m², and large it is not, but it was exactly enough.

With swimming certificates freshly earned, confidence grew fast. Our eldest spent hours diving, sliding and inventing pool games with other children.

One thing though: the pool is not heated. For the first week that was no problem at all. Towards the end of our stay the water got noticeably cool, because the nights dropped away, and for the youngest that meant regular warming-up breaks on a towel. That is the difference with a campsite that has heated pools, like Camping La Sirène.
 

Is the park car-free?

No, and the park does not claim it is. The car sits by the house in its own space and people simply drive on the park. In practice that was fine: people drove normally, not too fast.

That is a more honest starting point than it sounds. We have now stayed at three parks that do call themselves car-free, and the difference comes down to whether there is a barrier. At Landal Park Eksel car-free is an agreement without any enforcement, and then it depends on the people making it. Here there is no agreement, so there is no expectation to be disappointed by either.
 

The playground and the snack bar

There is a proper playground and we went there several times during our stay. Wooden climbing towers with rope bridges and nets, a crawl tunnel and a thatched shelter, on a large sandy area. Our children were 3 and 6 at the time.

There was also a snack bar with a striking number of Dutch snacks. The owner was Flemish at the time, which probably explained a lot.

In our last week he had run through part of his stock and some things simply were not available any more. That was his last week too, because the park closes around three quarters of the way through September.
 

Port Grimaud, the highlight of this trip

If you visit only one place along this stretch of coast, Port Grimaud would be our pick. A village built around canals instead of streets, largely car-free, with a beach of very fine sand that stays shallow for a long way and a view of Saint-Tropez across the bay.

From Vidauban it is about 45 minutes, the same as Fréjus. The whole story is in Port Grimaud with kids, including where you park, how far you then walk and what renting a boat cost.
 

Fréjus: the easy beach day

From Vidauban the coast is always within reach, and Fréjus became our default for an uncomplicated beach day. About 45 minutes of driving, and then a wide sandy beach with a view of the hills behind the town and enough space not to sit on top of each other. It cost us nothing, because we only went for the beach.

The sea feels different here than at Port Grimaud: less clear, but livelier. Small waves, water that gets deep fairly quickly, and just enough movement to keep it interesting. For the children that meant building confidence step by step, and by the end of the day they were both jumping over the waves.

Fréjus does not try to be picturesque, and that is exactly what makes it practical: you go there to swim, play, dry off and repeat.
 

The Massif des Maures and the traces of the fire

As soon as you start driving around, the landscape changes fast. Vineyards become hills, forests open up, and suddenly you are in the Massif des Maures.

What we had not expected to see: parts of the area were still visibly marked by the forest fires of that summer. Blackened trunks next to greenery already coming back. It made an impression, and nature here does not hide its history.

We kept it simple: short walks, viewpoints, stopping to look. With children that worked far better than turning it into a real hike.
 

Aix-en-Provence: beautiful, but not our city

We had set aside a day for a larger city and chose Aix-en-Provence, known for its fountains, its historic streets and Cézanne.

The city is undeniably beautiful: narrow streets, impressive buildings, fountains everywhere. We took the tourist train, which gave a relaxed overview and worked well with children. That cost 12 euros per adult and 6 euros per child, and under 3 it was free.

Even so, Aix did not entirely win us over. It was busy, warm, and parking with a roof box turned into an adventure of its own. Worth seeing, but not a place we wanted to return to for a second day. We enjoy smaller towns more, where wandering takes less effort.
 

September in Provence: what the weather actually did

We were there from 3 to 20 September 2024. At the start it was genuinely warm. Towards the end it kept getting less so: we had rain, and the nights, mornings and evenings turned noticeably cooler. Even then we still swam in the sea plenty.

That is one September and not a forecast, but the pattern does explain why the park closes around three quarters of the way through the month.

Beyond that you notice the end of the season in the small things: fewer people at the pool, empty loungers, a lifeguard with time on his hands, reduced opening hours, and that snack bar running through its stock.
 

Frequently asked questions about a family holiday around Vidauban

 

Does Vidauban work for families?

 

See also

Destinations Port Grimaud with kids: shallow water, no cars and where to park Destinations Camping La Sirène with kids: six weeks, new pools and a huge terrace Destinations Center Parcs Les Trois Forêts in January with kids: lots of forest, one night of snow, expensive groceries

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