We visited in late May and our home, handily placed a short walk from the beach and one of the camp's two pool complexes, could sleep up to six and also included a decked veranda. From the well equipped kitchen (the big fridge freezer and microwave were especially useful) to a respectable size family dining area.

Thomson, a comparative newcomer to the European camping market, have upped the ante when it comes to this kind of accommodation. In fact, the chrome and pale wood kitchen units could be straight out of an MFI showroom showing that camping is getting more sophisticated by the year.

When the weather takes a turn for the worse you really get to know your new home and this was a bright and airy space to be with the rain lashing down. We could hear the sound of the waves and when we ventured out to the beach we saw an unusually raging Med with crashing waves below dark, brooding skies.

Still, when there are three children to occupy, parents can't sit around forever reading paperbacks so down the coast we went to take a look at the busy port, Cap d'Agde. Here we walked along a windswept bay, a Tricolour on a hillside flagpole trying to break its fastenings to head out to sea, then made our way past various yachts in a harbour. We popped into a quayside restaurant for a good but quite expensive meal, paying the price, quite literally, of the pound against the Euro.

Faced with another grey day we decided to explore the Carmargue, miles and miles of wetlands, pastures, dunes and salt flats and a region that maintains a fragile ecological balance in which plants like tamarisk and narcissi thrive. We saw a few of the flamingos associated with the area and, fortunately for our horse mad daughter, some of the small, white Arab-type horses ridden by the gardians or cowboys. It's a wilderness worth seeing but perhaps best observed on a day of sun and blue skies.

Had we been faced with more cloud and grey we might have headed to the perfectly restored medieval town of Carcassone which we had viewed from our carriage when travelling by Motorail from Calais to Narbonne. Instead (joy?) on the fourth day of our week-long holiday the sun burnt its way through and we were able to take advantage of the pool. Visiting these resorts early in the season always runs the risk of bad weather but when things brighten up you can find you have the pool to yourself.

So we gratefully lazed by the water, popped up to the beach bar for a drink and then played a few games of table tennis on the nearby tables. Perhaps it was the ideal break a few days of sight-seeing followed by some by the pool before driving back via another very good Thomson holiday village at Parc des Alicourts in the Loire Valley.

Final reflections on Marseillan Plage? A well run camp with pleasant staff and some mature Thomson Al Fresco reps who were thoughtful and very helpful. Go peak season and the beach we visited only occasionally is probably packed but the sea a lot calmer. Camping in France is preferable and much as I love Britain, for those who like their creature comforts.

Motorail

We've travelled by Motorail three times now and I'm still in two minds about it. On the plus side it's a quick and efficient way to get holidaymakers and their vehicles to the south of France. On the down side it's still expensive and the train is not the height of style or comfort. You leave Calais station (a fairly soulless place) at around 9pm on a weekend evening and pull in to Brive at around 6am or Narbonne at 10am.

Couchets came with pull down beds but it's all a bit cramped and I've never had a full night's sleep. The cynic in me suspects it's a service the French run for the stoic, uncomplaining Brits but the staff you meet on the train are very helpful and charming. I didn't even mind the courier who kept walking past our breakfast tables when we arrived at Narbonne saying: ''You are enjoying your breakfast, yes'' Said meal was a basic coffee, croissants and some bread rolls and jams. There was then an hour's wait for our cars to be disembarked. Despite all this we may use it again, I just think that with some investment in the service and slightly more competitive pricing, Motorail would be a much sought after option for holidaymakers who don't want to do Flydrive or the hard miles behind the wheel.

You could say we were old hands then. Certainly we are experienced old hands and as such have particular tastes - evolving tastes. As such this year's summer break had to meet the demands of the picky Murray Tribe.

For the now teenage Miss Ms there needed to be plenty of excitement at almost all hours of the day. I say almost all hours as we could take for granted that the not-so-little darlings would be fast asleep for all of the mornings during the holiday. Certainly in the afternoon however they would seek activity, even in the form of lounging by poolside or sand, that would allow them to remain looking cool while staying hot. In the evening they would demand nothing less than full-on entertainment into the small hours. Oh, and there had to be plenty of like-minded teens around to share in the fun. The parents of the aforementioned Miss Ms of course wanted something a little less hectic - well, a lot less to be frank

For Mrs M the resort needed to be quiet enough for her to enjoy sitting by the pool polishing off her small library of paperbacks. A good supermarket and selection of shops was important, but a nice little restaurant was a must. For me the poolside would be nice, but with a short attention span its proximity to the beach, town life and a few local attractions was paramount.

Most of all, no matter which of us was having their say, comfort was essential. We had had enough of lumpy mobile home sofas and even lumpier beds in hot, humid accommodation we couldn't wait to get out of. Thus it was we chose Les Méditerranées in the gorgeous Languedoc region staying with Thomson Al Fresco. Bloomin' marvellous.

For those who know the region you will be aware it is one of the gems of the Med. Not as sophisticated as the Riveria, true. Not as up beat as Spain. Not as bustling as Italy. But neither is it overcrowded, choked with traffic nor cluttered with high-rise hotels and apartments.

Certainly all of those benefits apply to lovely Marseillan Plage where our resort Les Méditerranées was situated. Right on the beach, the resort is lively, attractive, and ideally situated for a host of local attractions and amenities.

What¿s more, the resort is just a two and a half hour drive from Marseilles Airport with its direct flights to Bournemouth with Ryanair, and a two hour journey from Perpignan with direct flights from Southampton with Flybe

A 45 minute drive from Montpellier, and sandwiched between resort of Cap D'Agde - with its famous nudist beach bytheway - and the tremendous fishing port of Sete, Marseillan Plage is a true French seaside resort. The resort's main street is packed with restaurants, boutiques and bars. And although the town does attract some foreign holidaymakers, the majority of visitors are the French enjoying a home break.

During the day the beach is the main attraction, with miles of golden sand emptying into the warm waters of the Med. By night Marseillan Plage is an energetic resort, its bars and restaurants crammed with visitors enjoying the marvellous food and street entertainment.

For the Murrays the resort offered the best of both worlds. If we wanted to stray from the campsite there was plenty to do within a short stroll. If, however, all we wanted to do was relax a short hop from the door of our luxury mobile home, then so be it. With a choice of two pools and the beach we were never going to become bored with our surroundings. In the evening there was great entertainment on the site, including stage shows and a nightly disco for the young or adventurous. Activities ranged from sports to team events, including poolside keep fit - if you felt the need!

In fact at Les Méditerranées you have the facilities of two parks at your disposal: on the Nouvelle Floride side there is access to a water complex with slides, an entertainment area and the sandy beach. At Charlemagne, there¿s a more relaxed tempo with a second pool complex, and the bars and restaurants of Marseillan Plage outside the door. Thomson entered the resort homes market late in the day and as such have targeted the upper-end of the market. The emphasis is on style and comfort with a superb support structure, ideal for those of us who have moved on in years!

Thomson Al Fresco offer an up-scale resort experience for families. Their sites provide the latest in mobile home luxury with spacious, well appointed accommodation. To help with the heat of the day all of the Al Fresco homes in Italy, Aquitaine, Cote d'Azur, Portugal, Spain and - delightfully - Languedoc offer air-conditioning. Bliss.

As Al Fresco implies, there's also an emphasis on being outdoors and the Thomson experience means a spacious decked veranda to every home, just the place to enjoy breakfast, lunch time escapes from the sun under your parasol, and of course the perfect spot to sit and enjoy those warm evenings by candle light (Al Fresco homes in Northern and Central France offer full-sized patio heaters). We also had the use of a free barbecue.

We found our mobile home - a Rossini - extremely clean and well maintained. On arrival we were met by our Thomson hosts who ensured we settled in and had everything we needed to start our holiday. The Thomson crew were never intrusive, but did drop by from time to time to check all was well and were a great help when I had problems with our hire car. Their base on the resort was a centre for information on activities on the site as well as farther afield.

Although our resort did not have an Al Fresco Kidz club, there are several on offer at sites used by Thomson. However, Thomson did provide a large chest of free games equipment to borrow.

Although our daughters have now grown into picky teenagers we were impressed by the child safety standards set by Thompson. The mobile homes were toddler-friendly and Thomson also provide if required children's wrist bands to help in the unlikely event youngsters become lost around the site. The Thomson section at Les Méditerranées is set aside from the main section of the site and we found this did provide a little extra comfort from noise and, we felt, a touch more exclusivity.

Security on the site was very good, and we felt happy to leave our teenage daughters to stay out with friends. In the end did we feel we had made the best choice for all of us? Most certainly.

To learn more about Thomson Al Fresco visit: /www.thomsonalfresco.co.uk Or call 0870 060 1378 For flights visit www.ryanair.com or www.flybe.com