If you’ve ever camped in the national parks of North America, you’ll already have an idea in your mind of what forest camping should be like.
It's precisely such camps that Huttopia are trying to emulate – natural,
untouched and simple, but with all the essential facilities for family camping.
Despite being less than an hour from central Paris, Huttopia Rambouillet somehow
matches precisely that criteria.
For starters the campsite is lumpy. That probably doesn’t
sound like a good thing at first but it’s a sign that nature here is allowed to
take its course. There aren’t manicured lawns and pruned hedges. Instead,
campers arrive and loop their way around, carefully picking the best camping
pitch they can find, one where the roots aren’t going to be poking through the
bottom of the tent and digging into your back. It reflects the fact that trees
still rule the roost here, it’s up to you to work around them.
The camping pitches themselves come in various types. ‘Forest
Spots’ are smallest, tucked in among the trees and suitable only for tents,
while ‘Nature Spots’ are more open, less wild and suitable for campervans and
caravans too. Excitingly named ‘Normal Spots’ offer pitches of the more regular
campsite kind – grassy, open and with electrical hook-ups. Plus there is a
stash of eco-friendly glamping accommodation, built from French Douglas fir
wood that gives the fully-furnished interiors a wonderfully earthy aroma.
Activity-wise, the amount on offer seems slightly
incongruous with the ethos of the place. After all, how can camping feel ‘wild’
with a swimming pool and restaurant? It’s only when you discover the pool is in
fact supplied entirely by natural water that the sheer ingenuity of Huttopia
becomes apparent. The eco-pool has two basins: one for swimming and the other full
of filtrating plants and minerals. The water’s crystal clear and there’s not a
single chemical added.
As for everything else, there’s a reception backed by
friendly staff, taking orders for the next morning’s bread delivery, a small grocery
area selling essentials and a lounge with board games and books to borrow in
case it rains. They reflect the impeccable quality of all the facilities on
site, regularly cleaned and well looked after. So even while you’re camping North
American-style beneath the trees, you know the essentials are always within
easy reach.
