For those summer vacations made a little special by the coronavirus crisis, and which will for many be the first since confinement, if you decided to travel otherwise? Almost everywhere in France, tourism players offer unusual accommodation to allow their customers to leave their holidays with memories rich in strong emotions. Friday, on Europe 1, the teams of La France bouge presented some of these initiatives.
Boats ... on dry land
If you like the idea of living aboard a boat, but are a little scared of the open sea, Bathô has a solution for you. This shipyard specializes in the re-use of end-of-life boats, which it transforms into unusual accommodation on dry land. Didier Toqué, co-founder and president of the company, had this idea when he noted the inexorable aging of pleasure parks and the rise in the average age of boat owners.
"We don't know what to do with boats built in polyester since the end of the 60s", he confirms, "we don't know what to do with hulls and decks". To get rid of it, "the only techniques we have is landfill or incineration, which are necessary but expensive processes and have a strong impact on the environment. So we said to ourselves: 'Why do not try to reuse them for uses other than navigation? '"
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But how are these boats transformed? For sailboats, "we take them, we remove the keels and we redo while keeping all the accessories to reproduce the idea of navigation", explains the guest from Europe 1. "We shorten the mast a little, we puts pontoons and terraces around the boat, as if it were moored at its last port. "
According to Didier Toqué, this experience is for "all those who love boats but have a problem with water, such as seasickness". For the moment, Bathô operates in the Pays de la Loire region, "and we will try to develop it in other regions".
Sleeping among wolves and bears
If you love nature, why not live among wild animals? In Lorraine, the Sainte-Croix Animal Park offers accommodation in lodges allowing you to sleep in the wilderness among wolves, bears and deer. The idea came to the management of the Animal Park ten years ago. "There has been a mass movement towards unusual accommodation and that has opened up a lot of prospects for us," explains Laurent Singer, the co-director. "The first challenge was to find places to integrate into nature while respecting the well-being of our animals and the place."
Several "universes" have therefore been integrated into the living spaces of the animals and the park offers for example to "sleep with the wolves", by living in a wooden accommodation of a hundred square meters, from which we can observe the pack, including overnight. Visitors can also go to "the great plain of deer", or choose the "bear river" lodges. "These are stilt houses whose feet are in the river where the bears bathe, which coexist with coyotes, bison, etc.", explains Laurent Singer again.
Huts to rest on hikes
A hiker, Yves Poullain has noted on several occasions that certain areas are poorly provided with accommodation for travelers. He therefore created Hello Cabanes, which offers "hiking cabins" in which one can spend the night and regain strength. Cabins have already been installed in Saône-et-Loire, in Normandy, or even in Loire-Atlantique. A way for the company and its teams to help the regions.
"In certain sectors, as soon as accommodation is no longer found, attendance stops at the expense of the economic benefits of rural areas," says Yves Poullain. And this, while the presence of hikers could represent a real economic opportunity. "Studies show that itinerant tourists consume 30 to 40% more than traditional tourists," assures the guest of Europe 1.
Sold fully assembled to the municipalities for the sum of 9,500 euros, these cabins are manufactured by integration companies "and have been designed so that it is easy to install for the municipalities. There are no foundations, they can be displaced without impact from the ground ". Wood is preferred "so that it is easy to clean".
The cabins have three beds, as well as a dining area, but also a luggage area. For the keys, Hello Cabanes has set up a code lock system, the code being transmitted when booking.
Sleeping suspended on a cliff
A mountain guide for 15 years, Guillaume Avrisani co-founded Inax Aventure, which offers spending a night hanging ... on the wall on a cliff. Travelers taking part in the experience join a summit overlooking Lake Annecy, then abseil down, before stopping in the middle of the wall. There, Guillaume Avrisani sets up camp, installing a "portaledge", an aluminum structure, "connected with sewn fabrics and a single strap that attaches to the cliff".
"People are a little surprised the first 15 minutes and wonder if it will hold," laughs Guillaume Avrisani, "then they become familiar with the elements".