There's no such thing as a hassle free holiday with a toddler but limiting the travel time and ensuring you have as many home comforts as possible certainly helps.

That was the case for us when we recently visited one of Eurocamp's sites in Normandy with our two-year old.

Travelling by car instead of a plane obviously meant our luggage allowance was not restricted either, so we packed the car with as much as we could - too much- and made the half an hour journey down the motorway to Portsmouth to catch the overnight Brittany ferry to Caen. The crossing was just under eight hours in total so we opted for a cabin allowing us to get some sleep on the way, and once our little girl got over the excitement of being on a ferry which had bunk beds, we all finally manage to get some rest.

Once in France it was just a short 40-minute drive until we arrived at our base for the next four days, Le Valle in Houlgate.

Arriving at the park bright and early and feeling refreshed our keys were ready and waiting for us and we were soon settling in to our home for the holiday, a three-bedroom Azure chalet, complete with decking and all the mod-cons you would wish for.

The park itself is one of Normandy’s premier parcs, set in a rural setting not far from the nearby magnificent sandy beaches and Houlgate town as well as being in a prime location for visiting the stunning nearby D-Day landings beaches.

The park is centred around a beautifully converted Norman building which is home to the evening entertainment, bar and restaurant.

For kids looking for non-stop activity La Vallée has everything you could wish for with kids clubs running daily for children aged from six months to 17 years offering everything from zorbing to pony trekking. These clubs tailor make the activities to the age group and parents are asked to attend with their little ones until they are four years old.

The jam packed schedules run six-days a week and really does have something for everyone.

Visiting during the the quiet season (non-school holidays) we decided to give the mini fun sessions a go and my daughter tried her hand at the balance bikes activities as well as taking part in a group session inside the creche making the most of the vast collection of games and arts and crafts supplies they have on site.

With a toddler pool, children's pool and two family pools, this park caters for all ages. Add to this four waterslides and you have a waterpark built for fun and action. The outdoor pools offer the chance to swim in the glorious sunshine whilst the covered pools provide an all weather option so nothing can stop your fun.

In addition to this there are two sand playgrounds along with a bouncy castle which all provided hours of entertainment for our family during our stay.

Just a 20-minute walk out of the complex takes you to the beautiful beaches of Houlgate, you can walk for what seems miles when the tide is out looking back on the Normandy town in the distance, while the town itself is home to a number of traditional French brasseries, shops and of course it wouldn't be a visit to the seaside without enjoying the local ice cream parlour.

A nearby supermarket meant we stocked our chalet full of food and opted to cook and eat on our decking rather than waiting for the restaurant to open each evening, this in our opinion made meal times stress free and with a barbecue included we thought it would be rude not to give it a go.

The evening entertainment was pretty basic but the team still managed to entice our daughter along with a lot of others onto the stage to join in with the dancing.

Being so close to the D-Day landing beaches we couldn't not pay them a visit especially as were were there just after the anniversary. The closest to us was Sword beach, just 45 minutes from Houlgate, the beach is once again another stunning beach which made it difficult to imagine it was a battlefield but the various monuments along the beach were sure to remind of us of exactly what happened when the British troops landed.

We travelled back to Portsmouth on the daytime ferry, again with a cabin which we could use as a base and despite not sleeping during this journey it went remarkable quickly with plenty to keep us entertained including soft play, the onboard cinema and generally exploring the ship, another bonus of not flying!

All in all this was a successful trip with under an hour of driving each way and something we would definitely consider again when planning a family break.

Eurocamp is the largest operator of premium outdoor holidays in Europe, with more than 180 parcs across 13 countries including France, Spain and Italy

Parcs are situated near the beach or lakes, in the countryside, by the mountains or in city locations

Le Vallee is open during the following dates:

29/03/2018 - 28/10/2018

05/04/2019 - 02/11/2019

Prices for 2019 at Le Vallee start at £317 per party for seven nights in a two bed Classic.

For further information visit: eurocamp.co.uk