The start of an adventure
It all started in Holland, where the owner of the campsite, Pierre Jaspers, was born.
Together with his pregnant wife and 1-year-old son he crossed a few
European borders to settle in the south of France. Their dream? To become owners of a campsite.
But upon arrival in South-France he was confronted with a harsh truth: theland prices were way too high.
Luckily they quickly found a solution. They took the map of France and searched for a region with the cheapest land. And on their way to the Vendée they went!
Once they had arrived in the Vendée, they went on a quest to find an abandoned farm. They found two, but the farm of La Guyonnière had stolen their hearts right away.
Part of the farm as a ruin, they bought the land around it and started their adventure by opening a farmers campsite with 6 pitches.
The farm of la guyonniere
The start of an adventure, la Guyonnière
The first season in 1991
The first field was called «La Pointe» en two rooms in the house were turned into guestrooms.
Alongside the D12 a sign was placed that read «Camping at the farm La Guyonnière».
The first visitors were Dutch. They were curious to see the terrain, but they didn’t stay the night.
Now what? What could be done to encourage these visitors to set up their tents on the brand new campsite?
Pierre and his wife decided to put their own old caravan and tent on the field.
And so they found the key to success! Before they knew it the first tourists settled on the campsite.
The first camper of the campsite
At the start the guests were a bit different from those who visit La Guyonnière now. The vacationers were primarily looking for peace and nature. Most of them were Dutch and Belgian.
The second year, 1992
the first works of the campsite la guyonniere
the first works of the campsite
By now the house had 6 instead of 2 guestrooms. One of the outbuildings was renovated and on La Pointe 30 pitches were appointed.
The work continued day and night for Pierre and his wife: they welcomed campers, provided entertainment and even prepared meals for the visitors in the guestrooms. But the campsite was open, the bar was packed and the mayor of Saint Julien des Landes even came by to play on his violin. All of that to get in as many guests as possible!
The hard work continues (1992-1998)
Campsite La Guyonnière, a campsite close to Lac du Jaunay
Little by little the campsite took its form, thanks to the effort of Pierre and his wife, but also thanks to the vacationers who decided to come back during the winter and help out. The number of pitches soon expanded from 30 to 70 and then 125.
Per request of the guests, in 1998 an outdoor pool was constructed.
The victory at the finish line (1999-2012)
The epic story of the campsite
After eight years of hard labor, in 1999 the amount of campingguests doubles as the new outdoor pool is opened. By now French guests have found their way to the campsite too.
After «La Pointe» the other fields were constructed:
•«La Ruelle Haute»
•«La Ruelle Basse»
•«Le Quarteron»
•«Le Grand Pré»
•«Le Criquet»
•«Le Tournesol»
In 2000 the first mobil-homes were placed on the field La Ruell Basse. But Pierre and his wife soon noticed that the combination of tents and rentals on the same field didn’t work. That’s why they decided to construct a field solely for mobil-homes: «le Quarteron».
With the same idea, in 2000/2001 Le Grand Pré was constructed only for chalets. After that came Le Tournesol, a special field for tents.
In 2002 the indoor pool was build and in 2006/2007 the outdoor pool got a slide and a wild water path.
How to explain this flashing success?
Still the same values
The values of La Guyonnière are still the same and haven’t changed over the years. In the spirit of the farm rest and nature are still important.
Take for an example the names of each field of the campsite. Those aren’t chosen at random, but refer to a name that already existed for the field.
The landscape architect has hardly changed anything and the original shape of the fields has stayed the same. No trees were cut or ponds were moved, the campsite has adapted to the nature that was there already.
That’s why the feeling of freedom and peace are so strong on the campsite.
The campsite la guyonnière, a campsite that loves its guests
A partnership between quality campsite
La Guyonnière has never operated alone, but instead opted for cohesion and team spirit.
That’s why the campsite has been working together with the other campsites around Lac du Jaunay for 10 to 12 years now..
As proof of its quality, La Guyonnière first received two, then three en now has five stars!
Through the use of expertise and experience the campsite has had a quality mark for 10 years.
But quality is hard work. The owner Pierre likes to take good care of his guests. He tries to establish a close bond with everyone and stays in contact.
He notes the comments and suggestions of his guests in a notebook to be able to take them in to account for the next season. All the employees of the campsite do their very best as well to make a pleasant connection with the guests: they try to keep the vacationers and their children happy and satisfied, so everyone can enjoy a carefree holiday.
At the end of the season a meeting is held to draw up the balance. These are probably the moments in which the quality of the campsite is safeguarded and improved. The regulars can confirm this. Many families come back to the campsite year after year and La Guyonnière is them very thankful for this. Every season a few of the most loyal guests are rewarded with a present.
The team spirit of la Guyonnière
Some extras that makes everyone choose La Guyonnière
The biggest share of the animations are for free, such as the daily tractor ride and the soccer and volleyball tournaments. Besides the French staff, each year Dutch staff is hired, both for the reception and the animation. The level of English spoken by the staff ranges from very reasonable to excellent.
The tractor ride of the campsite la guyonniere
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