Activities on site at Etang Vallier

The amenities and leisure activities on site at Etang Vallier are organised and managed by the Resort Services. Most are open to the public ensuring that you have a good group for having fun- locals, tourists from outside the parks and park residents giving a true international experience. Many of the activities offered are run by local professionals who come on site specifically at our request during peak holiday periods to offer you fantastic activities at your finger tips!

There are additional activities in July & August that are offered free of charge or at significantly reduced prices by the owners of homes in the Pinede and Clairiere parks. These activities are run by the Resort services on the owners' behalf and are reserved solely for residents of these 2 parks.

All the activities are detailed on the activity calendar which you can consult prior to your arrival to help plan your visit and decide in advance the things you are sure you don't want to miss... Calendar We keep the calendar up to date all year long. If there aren't many events listed as yet for your holiday period-there will be! Generally, the full summer holiday schedule is ready in May with only minor changes later. Use the calendar to plan your holiday dates, and if in doubt, send us an email to ask. We're happy to help.

Listing of on site amenities and Family activities

• Clubhouse & Spa Facilities
• Quai Sud restaurant & Bar with its terrace overlooking the lake (April through October)
• Bread orders delivered on site daily
• Lake with sandy beach, fishing areas, kayak rentals and sailing school
• Mini Golf and play area with trampoline, bouncy castle and giant games
• Daily of youth activities in July and August crafts, games, sport...
• Poney Riding onsite in July and August plus several nearby centres
• Bicyle hire with numerous Hiking, biking and equestrian paths leaving from the park or nearby
• Theme nights all year plus Country Barbecue and dancing weekly in July & August
• Big special Events!
• Outdoor pools reserved solely for the use of Pinede and Clairiere park residents (open 15 june to 15 september)

Food Services Etang Vallier Resort

In addition to the fast food restauration and full bar open all year in the Clubhouse, You can also place your daily bread order for pick up the next morning at opening. There is also the trendy Quai Sud de l'Etang Vallier full service restaurant. The restaurant features sweeping lakeviews with its large terrace that is over 1/2 covered and largely sheltered from the light evening breezes. The restaurant features traditional french favorites plus a large selection of Tapas, salades and multiple items with a Basque or spanish influence. At lunch time, sit in the sun or choose a shady spot to observe the goings on the beach and minigolf and finish off your meal with an ice cream sundae or other sweet. For a flaming end to your evening meal ask the proprietors Fabrice & Sandy for a "Cucharacha" (All the better if you are staying on site though so you don't take the car after! Quai Sud operates from April through October every year.

Lake Activities

Etang Vallier is spring fed with excellent water quality tested every 2 weeks by local sanitary officials. The beautiful sandy beach is welcoming and you can hire a sun lounger and lightweight sun umbrella from the clubhouse in July and Ausgust. The marked swimming area assures you can touch bottom in approximately 80% of its area. The areas outside the marked swimming areas get much deeper, but still have smoothly sloping entries. You can also rent kayaks from the clubhouse during good weather for a good paddle about. The optimist sailing boats are available in July and August after you pass the basic 1 hour course for safety and use. The lake is also well stocked with fish and you can buy a fishing card for your stay or your day visit in the Clubhouse. No state issued fishing permit is required.

Mini Golf and Games areas

Both the Pinedes and the Clairière parks have their own free play areas reserved for the park residents. There is also a free climbing structure on the beach. Soon, we will be adding a water slide (no promises for dates!) on the beach too for further amusement (not free, but not expensive either, just something to cover costs!) In the mini golf and play enclosure, you can play giant chess, bounce on the trampoline, take a turn in the bouncy castle or swing on the swing sets in addition to playing your 18 holes of golf. Adults for mini golf are 5€ each, Children are 4€ including childrens' access to the trampoline and bouncy castle for the full day. If you are residing in the park you get a 1€ discount on the mini golf prices. If the children only want to go on the games it is 1€ for the day, and they must wear a bracelet that we give them at the time of entry.

Summer activity Schedule

Our July & August activities offer something every day (except Saturdays when we bid farewell and welcome park residents!) A typical week includes a theme night Country Western barbecue or latino music with tex mex meal, squash night, a free outdoor professional concert, and games night. During the day time, there are generally 2 outside games/sport activities, a group hike or a group bike ride, an art activity and an early evening youth disco. We also arrange for the youngest to have poney rides available, often there is a candlemaking workshop or a pottery workshop, there is tree climbing, lama walking and sometimes even archery. As you can imagine, things which have high material costs, or are run by our professional exterior partners have fees, the kids activities are offered by the owners association and are therefore free. On the activity calendar, each activity is marked so that you know if it is open to the public, park residents only, and the corresponding cost of each thing.- if you don't see it, just email us, we're happy to correct our oversights!

Poney and horse riding

In July & August Le Molin poney centre brings 2 poneys to the lake as often as needed to accommodate our appointments. They take the smallest children on an hour long ride around the lake. The children go 2 at a time and are led if needed by Veronique who is a specialist at overcoming fears and making a gentle good time for all. It is the perfect photo opportunity for mom and dad! If you are a confirmed rider, there are 2 other riding centres no more than 10 minutes away that offer lessons and trail rides for all levels. They are open all year and we can arrange appointments for you if your French is not up to par!

Bike Hire and local trails

All year long, you can hire a bike for as little as 2hrs, 4 hours, 1 day, by the week or 2 weeks directly from the Clubhouse reception. If you are residing off site, you need to leave a 250€ deposit per bike. If you are on site, your house security deposit covers the bikes as well. If you need multiple bikes for the whole family, please email ahead. Otherwise, it can take up to 48 hours to procure bikes for you if we run out. Bikes all come with a anti-theft chain, and helmet. They are maintained frequently and are in perfect condition when you take them out. We are supplied by the company Bike Hire Direct. There are many local paths and trails. Maps are available from the Brossac tourist office and we can offer you maps of the Brossac trails at the reception located in the Clubhouse.

Bike Hire Rates
• 2hrs- 4€ adult/2€ child or youth
• 1/2 day- 6€ adult/4€ child or youth
• 1 day- 10€ adult/7€ child or youth
• 7 days- 30€ adult/20€ child or youth

Theme Nights

Thanks to the American heritage of Eleanor who dreamt up all these crazy events (or most of them anyway!) our longest running and most popular theme night is Country western night pretty much every Monday in July and August. Come enjoy a mixed barbecue grill, homemade salads and slaw, cheese, melon (water melon when we can get it) and ice cream dessert. In between all the good homestyle cooking, Jean Luc our longstanding country crazy friend and his wife Lisiane will get you stepping out on the terrace for some good old fashioned barn style line dancing. If you think it's silly, we dare you to try to stay seated throughout the evening- no one has managed it yet in the 5 year run of the Country night! For the rest of the year, enjoy latino nights, Indian night, fish and chip night, mexican night, chinese night and whatever other crazy ideas we come up with (including tropical night in February where everyone came in summer clothes, we put the heat up to 30° in the club and suspended tropical fish decorations from the ceiling!)

Special Events

Several times a year there are large communal and county events on site. On Easter sunday we do a big brunch and Easter egg hunt. In late June there is the Trial de 3B a cross country foot hike, 13k run and 25k run, and the 13th of July there is the annual Bastille day fête (yes, 1 day early in Brossac!) To celebrate the national independence day, we organise the sandcastle building competition on the beach (judged by locals from the crowd) while the villagers of Brossac get the fireworks show and music ready. Then, everyone eats their picnics or in the restaurants, sits back and enjoys the show and then finishes with a big dance party by the Brossac Commité des fêtes

Pools

There are 2 separate outdoor pools open from 15 June to 15 September which serve the Pinede and Clairiere park residents. Each is has its water tested 2 times a month. If you are visiting out of pool opening periods or staying outside of the accommodation parks at Etang Vallier, or just visiting for a day, don't, forget the indoor pool of the clubhouse & Spa which is open all year, is indoors and is heated to 28°!