Why do so few people in the UK know about this?
Canvas Holidays have been around for a long time. I’m not sure exactly how long, but I used to go when I was a kid and I’m very much middle-aged now, so let’s say 50 years at least.
I wanted to write a post about them because they have loads to do for families, are usually ideally located for other attractions in the area, and are affordable to boot. Just what you need if you fancy a holiday during a cost of living crisis!
With all the hype that companies like Center Parcs et al get, it baffles me that Canvas Holidays are almost invisible to many Brits. Especially since they are a British company and European families love them!
So if you are looking for a family holiday that is hassle-free, not too expensive, and that everyone in the family will enjoy, I want to thoroughly recommend Canvas.
Here’s everything you need to know.
What is a Canvas Holiday Like?
When it was set up, the idea was to provide camp sites that already had all of the equipment people needed. So they wouldn’t have to bring tents and caravans, because they would already be there on site.
Things have progressed a bit since then though, and now their sites are full of mobile homes, lodges, holiday homes, and equipped tents. An equipped tent is basically a small house with rooms, furniture and fittings, but the walls are made of thick tent material.
The accommodation is on the same site as pools, water slides, rapids, sports facilities like football pitches, table tennis, badminton and tennis courts, places to get food and drink, zip lines, BMX tracks, rowing boats, kids clubs and evening shows – even petting zoos at some locations. Plus loads more.
They are all different, so each park will offer its own range of features and activities, but it certain elements such as water fun are a guarantee.
The idea is that you can pick a location based on what you want from the holiday, but all are heavily focussed on the outdoors.
Canvas split their parks into a few different categories:
- Traditional Campsites
- Resorts
- Splash Parks
- Villages
- Marvilla Parks
Their website even helps you choose a destination based on who will be going. So they can tell you the best locations for babies, for toddlers, for teens, for couples, for large groups, etc.
To be honest, the categories are a little loose and some of the sites fit into more than one of them, but here they are.
Traditional Campsites
The traditional sites most closely resemble the original vision of the company.
These are the smallest, most relaxed laid back locations, best used as a base to explore the wider area than a place to stay for the whole week.
There will be a pool and maybe a few other bits to do, but mostly these sites are for lounging in the sun then setting off to visit a local town or beach.
Resorts
Looking for a self-contained type of holiday destination? The Resorts are probably for you.
Mostly located on or next to the beach, the resorts are larger sites with much more to do contained within. The one I have been looking at even has a surfing machine which creates waves for you to practice on, but there are laid back areas too, like lazy rivers and wellness areas.
Expect lots of restaurants and bars, lots of sports, plus enough activities and entertainment to keep you and the kids busy all week.
Splash Parks
No prizes for guessing the focus of the Splash Parks.
If water parks are the order of the day then this is the option to go for. Although all Canvas’ sites have pools, these sites are like water based theme parks, with loads of water slides, wave pools, perhaps a spa, plus indoor pool options if the weather turns against you.
There are other activities too, just as many as at other types of site in some cases, but the water park element is a guarantee at the Splash Parks.
Villages
The most popular of all the types of campsite, Villages are usually the biggest and busiest, but there are some mid-sized ones too.
It’s the sort of place you could stay the whole week if you wanted to, with a wide range of activities and entertainment to suit families looking for poolside fun and couples who want to relax and enjoy the various bars and restaurants. It is quite literally a village, but a village set up for your enjoyment above all else.
So there are supermarkets, restaurants and bars, but you won’t have to go to the local church council meeting or anything like that.
You’ll find all sorts at these destinations, from horse riding and tree top adventure courses to quad biking and go-karting. Plus family shows in the evening.
Marvilla Parks
Marvilla Parks is a sister company to Canvas Holidays, and the sites in this category are owned and operated directly by Marvilla.
I haven’t been to any of these, but from what I can tell they are a mixture of all the other types of park. The only difference is the staff work directly for Marvilla, and some of the arrival rules are slightly different. The experience itself should be the same though.
I don’t know why they have this category to be honest, but don’t let it confuse you. If the camp you like the look of is one of the Marvilla Parks sites then go ahead and book it. You’ll have just as much fun as at any of the others.
Where are the Camp Sites?
Many are located close to beaches, some even have direct access onto the beach. Others are inland but all are in idyllic locations close to some sort of water, whether that be a river or a lake.
Some are close the mountains, others near or in woodland, some are near to big cities and others are more off the beaten track but never far from civilisation such as a small town.
They have 432 sites across 11 countries in Western Europe, so the options aren’t exactly limited.
This number could change as time goes on, but as of 2024, here is a breakdown:
- France – 242 sites
- Italy – 81 sites
- Spain – 44 sites
- Croatia – 31 sites
- Netherlands – 15 sites
- Germany – 7 sites
- Portugal – 6 sites
- Austria – 2 sites
- Switzerland – 2 sites
- Luxembourg – 1 site
- Slovenia – 1 site
The great thing is that you are never far away from a town or city. If you want to go to Italy and experience a bit of authentic Italian culture, you can still do that on a Canvas holiday. The sites aren’t generally in tourist heavy areas so you can get real feel for the country you are in if you leave the park and explore a little bit.
When you go to the website, you can filter the parks by their type, country, size, activities, features, and even what they are close to.
Look at this:
So if you want to visit a city you can select that option. Want direct beach access, they will show you the parks that have that. Using these filtering tools narrows down the search, and allow you to tailor your holiday however you like.
How Expensive is it?
This varies. It depends where you want to go, the quality of accommodation you choose, when, and for how long.
The prices for a 7 night stay can range from a few hundred pounds to a few thousand pounds.
For example, a 7 night stay for 4 people at Arinella Bianca in Corsica, France, was coming out at £2,156. However, this was for their premium accommodation with all the extras, in August of 2024 which is high season, and at a popular Village location. The exact same deal but with the equipped tent as accommodation instead cost £1,071.
The same dates were available for the same number of people at Les Fontaines, near Paris, for £537. Again, this was for the top tier of accommodation available at that site, with the price reducing to £326 for less salubrious lodgings. Les Fontaines is one of the smaller sites with fewer activities, but is ideal for exploring Paris and other parts of France.
Prices will be less during the off season, so it really is impossible to give you a fixed idea of what a Canvas Holiday costs, but what these examples do show is how cheap and expensive they can be.
That’s the beauty of it though, you can decide the type of holiday you want and how much you want to spend.
Based on the prices I showed you here, the mid point is £1,241, and for a family holiday with 2 adults and 2 kids in peak season that’s pretty darn good if you ask me.
