Beach Premium Teen Summer Camp on the French Riviera

French lessons run every weekday morning at the Le Chateau school: 20 lessons of 45 minutes a week, from 09:00 to 12:30 with a short break, in classes of no more than 10 to 12 students. All levels are taught, from complete beginner to advanced, and the first Monday of the stay is set aside for the placement test. Teaching is built around speaking, with grammar and written work supporting it. Students who want more can add an intensive supplement of two afternoons a week, from 13:45 to 16:00, in groups of up to six; it is a paid option and is listed under extras.

The package is all-inclusive on the ground. It covers tuition and teaching material, accommodation in a residence or with a host family, full board, weekend transfers from Nice airport and from Antibes railway station, round-the-clock supervision, the daily leisure programme, the weekly excursions and the entrance fees that go with them. Booking is from two weeks, with arrivals on Sundays through the summer. International flights, visa, passport and medical examination fees, personal spending money and the optional insurances (luggage, flight delay, medical, liability and emergency repatriation) are not part of the package.

Students share a room with two to four other campers in one of three residences a ten-minute walk from the town centre and the beach: Castel Arabel, the Astor Residence or the Aragon Residence. All three sit in a quiet part of town, on enclosed grounds surrounded by gardens; Castel Arabel and the Astor Residence have a swimming pool. Rooms are air-conditioned, bed linen is provided, WiFi is available, light housekeeping is done daily and a thorough clean once a week. There is a rest area and a large terrace. A homestay option is available for the whole summer instead of the residence, with families within a twenty-minute walk or bus ride of the school. A private bedroom, and an upgraded room at Castel Arabel with balcony and towel kit, are paid options listed under extras.

Full board is included for the whole stay: breakfast, lunch and an evening meal. The school has a self-service restaurant and vending machines for snacks and drinks. Gluten-free meals can be arranged as a paid supplement, listed under extras.

The activity programme is run by the operator's own group leaders. Every week there is one half-day excursion along the coast, to Cannes, Monaco or Nice, and one full-day excursion at the weekend, chosen between a day at a watersport centre with waterskiing, water tubing and an extreme jet boat, the Aquasplash water park with its slides, tunnels and wave pool, or a catamaran trip on the Mediterranean with a picnic on board. During the week two further half-day premium activities are included, such as sailing, bowling, the trampoline park or a visit to Marineland. Evenings are given to beach parties, barbecues, pool games and games organised by the leaders.

Lessons are held at the Le Chateau school, a fully renovated farmhouse with 22 bright classrooms equipped with modern teaching equipment. On site there is a covered terrace, a self-service restaurant, vending machines for snacks and drinks, a library and free WiFi. A free shuttle bus connects the campuses with the town centre and the beaches.

Camp leaders are with the group around the clock from arrival at Nice airport, apart from the free time each age group is allowed, and supervision is graded by age. Twelve-year-olds may not leave the campus unaccompanied. Campers of thirteen to fifteen are free to go into town or to the beach once the scheduled activities are over, with a curfew at 19:30. Sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds may stay out until 22:00 from Monday to Thursday, until 01:00 in the summer on Fridays, Saturdays and the day before a bank holiday, and until 19:30 on Sundays. Age is counted from the full date of birth, not from the year alone. The camp is international: students come from all over the world and share French as the common language.