"Dream multi-destination holiday" offers a real change of pace for a fantastic getaway
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Unless you are planning a road trip, most people pick just one destination for their holiday. But now there is an easy way to enjoy a special two-stop holiday which is very much double the fun and a whole completely different change of pace.
Excellent ferry links between the UK, Guernsey and France mean that a multi-destination break is just the click of a mouse away, and it really could not have been easier - making you think that all holidays really should be built this way!
The first part of our break saw us hop on board the rather comfortable overnight Condor Ferry from Portsmouth to Guernsey, which then got us onto this perfect little Channel Island at 6am so that we can make the most of our first day and not waste a second.
Guernsey is the perfect antidote to the overcrowded beaches and hustle and bustle of many people's holiday nightmare, and on my first visit to this beautiful little island I wondered why on earth I had never visited it before.
During our stay we took a stroll around the gorgeous cobbled streets of the island's largest town Saint Peter's Port which is bursting with charm and character, as well as shops, eateries and places to visit.
We also spent a day beach-hopping which, unlike the packed beaches of seaside towns of the UK or European hot spots, were rather empty with plenty of space to spread out and relax, play games, make sand sculptures and go for a swim.
With clear-blue waters, sandy shores and magical coves, you really could have just stumbled onto paradise, with plenty of opportunity to take part in kayaking, paddle boarding or even coasteering if the mood takes you!
A spot of adventure golf of a must for my rather competitive family, but we also spent some relaxing time together at Sausmarez Manor, Gardens and Sculpture Park which is Guernsey's only stately home and is surrounded by wonderful grounds and, according to my son, the best scones he had ever tasted - high praise for a 15-year-old.
We also decided we had to experience something which is very much part of this Channel Island’s identity. This being the German occupation during the second world war.
There are so many places to visit which explore this part of the island's history, and we decided to visit the German Occupation Museum which eloquently tells the story of what residents faced. Through artefacts, photographs, recreations and human stories it really shines a light on this dark moment in its history and is just as vital to visit to really understand the impact on Guernsey.
We really packed so much into our three-day stay (though we certainly would love to have stayed for longer), and our 6pm ferry ensured we were able to make the most of our final day without the need to clock-watch.
And so that evening we hopped onto the fabulous fastcat to St Malo - and just two hours later we were in France for the second part of our holiday, driving down to Carnac where we stayed at Eurocamp’s La Grande Metairie site.
Then followed a week of fabulous fun both on and off the holiday park site in a real change of pace for our two-stop stay.
As expected, the site has a bucketful of fantastic facilities. Of course it has a large fantastic outdoor pool and slides which gets busy, but not too busy, and isn't freezing cold, as well as smaller covered pool and indoor pool next to it for a bit of variety and space away from the crowds.
There is also a park, lots sports facilities you can use - the table tennis tables were a particular favourite of ours - and a little shady farm area which was a perfect place from getting away from the sunshine if you need to as well as to entertain any tiny humans you bring with you.
When my children were little, finding things to entertain them was never hard. But now I have teenagers and they are a different ball game altogether, awkwardly too old for 'kiddy things' and too young for 'adult things'.
But thanks to a tree top adventure which was on site we were onto a real winner - and it lead to us spending a day at the much larger nearby full on treetop adventure site called Forêt Adrénaline.
Now, I've done Go Ape before. But I have to say that Forêt Adrénaline is perfect for all the family as it has multiple courses for you to try for all ages and heights in completely different way. This also included a fabulous course of zipline after zipline which I found to be the most fun.
My 15-year-old son took great delight in dragging me on the toughest one where, after struggling up the cargo net to get to the top, I wondered what on earth I was thinking in agreeing to it. He also loved the fact I 'got stuck' and needed help from the fantastic staff to get down at the end. So at least I amused him.
But Brittany isn’t all about being busy if you don’t want to be, and there is the chance for a change of pace at the other nearby fantastic places to visit.
Our accommodation site was next to a historic site called the Alignements de Kermario - a Neolithic megalithic site, featuring 1,029 large menhirs (historic stones) which was a real tourist hotspot. We were also a stone's throw away from the fantastic little town centre of Carnac with its shops, bars and atmosphere a real winner.
We also headed to the coastline just south of Carnac town centre which boasts the most amazing long and wide beach areas perfect for all sorts of activities and fun - with the opportunity to hire paddle boats and water sports equipment if the mood takes you. Or simply lap up the waves and go for a paddle and walk along the promenade which is what we did to just relax.
Just off the main beach (Grande plage de Carnac) is a real hive of activity with restaurants, bars, shops, ice cream stalls and even a cinema which was an area we visited more than once, with my daughter falling in love with the crepes on offer and my partner the abundance of fantastic oysters and mussels in the fabulous eateries.
If the mood takes you, there is also the fantastic picture-perfect medieval town of Vannes which is only a half hour drive away, with all of its chocolate box appeal for anyone looking to really throw themselves into a bit of French history.
And we were very much left with the clear conclusion that when it comes to holidays, two destinations is certainly better than one!