Our aspirations
for our campsites
After taking up the (somewhat crazy) challenge of transforming the ageing municipal campsites La Clape Village in Cap d’Agde and La Tamarissière en Agde Cottage Parks’ mission is to contribute to the development of a sustainable tourism offer in France, and thus to help the outdoor hotel sector evolve, as well as attitudes and behavior, in the face of today’s ecological challenges.
Our objectives
- Democratize the eco-chic camping concept among vacationers and professionals in the outdoor hospitality sector.
- Promote the influence and commercial success of campsites committed to a daily eco-responsible approach
- Support independent French campsites committed to sustainable tourism in their sales, environmental, marketing and entertainment strategies.
- Create a synergy between the various players to encourage exchanges and the perpetuation and generalization of best practices.
- Create a network and put the strength of this network at everyone’s service for marketing, operation and development.
A revolution in the outdoor hospitality industry
Cottage Parks was created in 2021 under the impetus of François Cros, with a clear objective: to anchor the open-air hotel industry in the area of eco-responsibility, by developing a network of eco-chic campsites, with concrete actions, meeting both the demanding expectations of today’s and tomorrow’s holidaymakers and the eco-responsible management expected in the profession.
Thanks to this strong commitment to sustainable tourism, Cottage Parks has been awarded the management of the La Tamarissière campsite in Agde and the La Clape Village campsite in Cap d’Agde, in the Hérault region of Occitanie.
These two former municipal campsites have been completely rethought, renovated and refurbished to offer families a successful eco-responsible and sustainable vacation! Cottage Parks campsites offer holidaymakers a true art of living based on closeness to nature, conviviality and the pursuit of well-being.
Decoration that gives pride of place to natural materials, landscaping that favors melliferous plants, choice of vegetation in keeping with the particular features of the site, shared vegetable gardens, water and waste management policy, choice of suppliers… Every action counts!
The flagship of Cottage Parks’ eco-chic camping concept, both campsites have been awarded the Clef Verte label for 2022, as well as Refuge LPO (Ligue de Protection des Oiseaux) certification. In 2023, Camping La Tamarissière in Agde has also been awarded its4th star and Camping La Clape Village its 5th star.
Cottage Parks is not content to rest on its laurels. Development continues, and infrastructure and services are constantly being improved, as is the search for new eco-responsible actions to implement.
What’s next for Cottage Parks? Democratize sustainable tourism by developing and promoting a national network of eco-chic campsites. On the one hand, to help committed holidaymakers find their ideal vacation spot in line with their convictions. Secondly, to encourage the sharing and deployment of best practices between professionals, and to support all campsites in their commercial and environmental strategy.
François CROS is an entrepreneur at heart. A jack-of-all-trades with a background in telecoms, real estate and catering, he moved into the world of camping in 2000 when he joined the Socnat group, which at the time owned CHM Montalivert, the cradle of naturism in France.
Over a period of ten years, he has succeeded in revitalizing campsites by providing new facilities and infrastructures, new services for customers… In this region of high ecological value, in the middle of the Gascony forest and the beaches of Aquitaine, it was necessary to develop economic activity while preserving the pine forest and the dune belt. Naturists, ecologists by nature, were able to immerse François in their vision of simple, sober camping.
On a personal note, a change of life took him abroad and he sold Socnat to a group you know well: Vacanselect. On his return to France, his entrepreneurial spirit intact, he decided to do it in his parents’ native region, where he spent every summer – a gift!
He then decided to team up with another local lover: Serge MAS.
A long-standing developer in Cap d’Agde, Serge Mas grew up on the coast. His Biterro family had a house, still visible today, on the famous volcanic cliff of La Conque. With almost 10,000 apartments built in the commune, Serge knows the seaside resort like the back of his hand. He still spends much of his time there with his entire family.
These two atypical men, with strong personalities, have made their common points the cement of the founding values of the Cottage Parks company:
- The family. At the head of their respective tribes, family and intergenerational gatherings are essential moments for them. So it was obvious that we had to think in terms of suitable locations that would meet the tastes and expectations of all generations.
- Beauty, but also well-being in the home: both have a taste for decoration, landscaping and, above all, original ideas. To look good, to do well and to stand out from the crowd: that’s their motto.
- Vacations by the sea: each in their own time, they spent their summers at Cap d’Agde, Marseillan… Memories abound, and the desire to share drives them.
- Super-active! A keen sportsman, François is an unrivalled walker as well as an underwater archaeology enthusiast. His outlet is mountain biking, which he does regularly in the hinterland. As for Serge, 85, what can I say except that he never stops. A planned retirement, very little for him.
- Wellness in nature. A lover of the great outdoors and of travel, François finds inspiration wherever he can explore. Serge, for his part, can’t imagine building without greenery. It’s the finish, the true value of a property.
Cottage Parks was born out of a desire to respond to invitations to tender from Occitan town councils for the delegation of public services for their municipal campsites.
Indeed, these sites are often ideally located (in the heart of the resort, with direct access to the beach, etc.). Due to a lack of resources and skills, local authorities don’t always know how to develop campsites on their territory. In decline, outdated or poorly optimized, this is the perfect opportunity to set up and develop the eco-chic camping concept developed by Cottage Parks.