Camping Clau Mar Jo

This is a small family campsite in Bormes-les-Mimosas, with 77 rental units rather than traditional camping pitches. You choose between mobile homes and apartments, then settle into a self-contained base with your own terrace, kitchen and outdoor dining area. It suits you if you prefer a little independence over hotel formality, especially when a full day outdoors leaves you wanting to eat, shower and sit down without ceremony.

The website is available in English, as well as French, Dutch, German and Italian, so you can check the practical details in the language that suits you. The accommodation is air-conditioned and has a private entrance, which matters in the warmer months when you return sun-warmed, salt-covered and ready to stop moving for a while.

The atmosphere is family-oriented, with children's play areas, a water park and shared outdoor facilities. Quiet hours run from 23:00 to 08:00, giving the site a defined night-time rhythm rather than the soundtrack of an improvised festival.

You are in Bormes-les-Mimosas, on the Var coast between Hyères and Le Lavandou. The Mediterranean is about 1.2 miles away, with the beaches around Favière, Pointe de Gouron, Plage de l'Anglade and Grande Plage lying roughly 0.9 to 1.1 miles away as the crow flies. By road, the beaches are about 1.4 to 1.8 miles away, so this is a coastal base rather than a toes-in-the-sand address.

The centre of Bormes-les-Mimosas is about 1.9 miles away. Le Lavandou is around 1.9 miles from the campsite, while Hyères is about 13 miles away. For a change of scenery, Fort de Brégançon is about 3.1 miles away and Parc du Cigalou about 1.1 miles away.

A supermarket sits about 0.3 miles away, useful when you need breakfast supplies, cold drinks or something quick for the kitchenette. Restaurants are also close: Restaurant le Zèbre Vert is roughly 300 metres away, while L'Imprévu is about 1 km away. You can therefore cook at home, walk out for a meal or keep the decision until hunger has made it for you.

The accommodation is built around self-catering. Every mobile home has a fully equipped kitchen with a microwave, fridge, stovetop, kitchenware and coffee machine, plus a dining area, sofa and private bathroom with shower. The terrace comes with garden furniture and an outdoor dining area, so you have somewhere to sit with a drink while the kitchen does the useful work in the background.

For two people, an apartment with a terrace gives you a compact base with a clear separation between indoor living and outside sitting. For families or larger groups, the bigger mobile homes provide more room to spread out, with family accommodation reaching up to eight guests. The smaller units suit a couple or a small group that would rather keep the accommodation straightforward and spend the day elsewhere.

Air conditioning is available for the night, and heating covers cooler evenings outside the main summer heat. A wardrobe, drying rack for clothing and a socket near the bed deal with the less glamorous business of living out of a holiday bag. Bed sheets are available to buy at reception, while towels are not provided; pack accordingly unless you enjoy turning up at the supermarket in search of linen.

The campsite has a restaurant and bar in its own food area, with cocktails, ice creams and snacks on offer. That gives you somewhere to get a cold drink or a quick bite without turning the evening into a full expedition. The bar is the only bar described, and its cocktail offering gives the post-dive debrief a reasonable place to land.

There is no stated breakfast or board arrangement, so the kitchen in your accommodation is central to the way you eat here. The fridge, microwave, stovetop and coffee machine let you make an early start manageable, keep food for later and avoid building the whole day around restaurant timings.

The nearby supermarket and restaurants widen the choice. You can stock up for the terrace, walk to Restaurant le Zèbre Vert, or make the short trip to other local options such as L'Imprévu and Bô, à Emporter. No room service is available, which is hardly a tragedy in a place designed around terraces and kitchenettes, but it is worth knowing before you arrive hungry and overly optimistic about someone bringing dinner to your door.

The 200-square-metre outdoor water park is the main leisure feature. It has three slides, a secure paddling pool and sun loungers around the pool, with access described from April to September. After a day spent concentrating on depth, buoyancy and the small matter of breathing properly, the slides are optional; a lounger and a quiet drink are perfectly legitimate alternatives.

The sauna gives you a second way to warm up and unwind, while the boules court and table-tennis tables provide low-stakes competition for couples or families. Board games are available for slower evenings, and children's play facilities keep the younger members of a group occupied without asking you to organise a major outing.

The family character is clear, but the layout also works for adults who want a base with something to do between excursions. The pool has firm rules: suitable swimwear is required, street clothes and diving suits are not permitted, and children must be supervised because the pools are not supervised. Dogs under 40 kg are welcome, apart from category 1 and 2 dogs, with dogs kept on leads.

Check-in runs from 16:00 to 18:00 and check-out from 09:00 to 10:00. Plan your arrival around those windows, particularly if you are travelling from an airport or arriving after a long coastal drive. A refundable damage deposit is taken on arrival by card and returned after the accommodation has been checked.

Private parking is free on site and does not require a reservation. Visa and Mastercard are accepted, while cash is not. Wi-Fi is available throughout the property for an additional charge, and laundry facilities are available for a charge, useful when swimwear and outdoor clothing have started to take over the accommodation.

The nearest listed airport by road is Saint-Tropez La Mole, about 12 miles away, with Toulon–Hyères Airport also around 12 miles by road. No airport shuttle is described, so you will need to arrange your own onward transport. Smoking and parties are not permitted, and the campsite asks for quiet between 23:00 and 08:00.

End-of-stay cleaning is handled either by you or through a cleaning charge, and disposable bed sheets can be bought at reception. Baby equipment is available on request, while cots and extra beds are not available. The mobile homes are not equipped for guests with reduced mobility; apartments can accommodate accompanied guests with reduced mobility.