Meet Raphaël Bony, Co-owner of Castel Camping Château Le Brévedent

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Three words to describe your campsite?

In three words: permaculture, commitment and authenticity.

Music, friendliness and beauty.

Three things people don't know about running a campsite

It's a huge topic! To run a campsite, you have to be passionate. It's all about passion. And it's an incredibly rewarding job.

It's about loving to welcome people and sharing a little part of yourself: your life, your daily routine, your garden, your children, your animals. And that's just wonderful.

I also discovered that running a campsite means being able to do a bit of everything. You have to be multi-skilled, and that's incredibly enriching.

Have you ever welcomed any famous guests?

In fact, every season we welcome remarkable people with fascinating stories and incredible experiences. Last year, we had the pleasure of welcoming French comedian Élodie Poux and her husband Michel, which was lovely. That was actually how I discovered Élodie Poux myself.

On a more personal note, during one of the open-stage concerts we organise, an extraordinary trumpet player joined us on stage. We were completely blown away by his performance before realising he was the trumpeter who had played with Amy Winehouse and Jamiroquai. That was a truly special moment for me. His name is Malcolm.

What has been your best season and why?

We've thought about it since opening the campsite, and honestly, there hasn't been one "best" season. They've all been different. Some have simply been more challenging than others.

In 2007, we opened the campsite for the very first time. We had just taken over the business, and Simon was only three months old when the season began, so it was quite an adventure.

Then came 2012, when our second child, Eva, was six months old at the start of the season. She was such an energetic little girl. She was like a little koala — always in my arms. I couldn't put her down! Those were certainly more demanding seasons than others.

Looking back, even 2020 and 2021, although much more difficult, were still incredible years. We shared some very intense moments with our guests, and the whole situation was so surreal that those seasons have become unforgettable.

What's your next project?

You should never ask Jess about projects because she always has so many ideas, and winter is never long enough to complete them all!

Perhaps our next big project is one that's particularly close to our hearts: redirecting the traffic so that cars no longer drive in front of the château. We'd love to create a paved village square that would be pedestrian-friendly — or at least free from passing traffic.

Technically, it's actually very easy to do. It would just need to be designed beautifully afterwards. So perhaps that will be our next project. To be honest, I still don't understand why it hasn't happened yet because it's really quite simple.

What's your biggest fear?

One month before opening. Three weeks before opening. Two days before opening. One hour before opening.

We'll never be ready.

Actually... are we ever ready?

What are you most proud of?

I think our greatest pride comes when guests leave. Holidays always have to come to an end, of course, but we regularly hear people tell us they've just had the best holiday of their lives. That they've shared precious moments together as a family.

We hear that kind of feedback almost every day. And that's what makes all the hard work worthwhile. That's exactly why we do what we do.

What has been your greatest achievement?

Without a doubt, transforming our family property into a place that reflects who we are, while respecting its history, its spirit and its soul. That's what Le Brévedent is all about. We're happy to see that it works.

What are your passions?

We have lots of passions.

Our main one is horse riding.

Mine is music.

What's your craziest anecdote?

Perhaps it's not that crazy because it's simply part of life, but it was incredibly heartwarming.

A single father and a single mother met here at the campsite. The following year, they came back to celebrate the anniversary of the day they met here.

And they're still together.

Maybe it's not the wildest story, but it's a beautiful one.

What does being part of Les Castels mean to you?

Being part of Les Castels is really an extension of what we experience here on the campsite. It's about sharing, family and passion.

We've been members of Les Castels ever since we took over the campsite, and we've learnt so much from the other campsite owners. More and more, we realise that we all share the same values and the same commitment to creating truly memorable holidays for our guests.