Rolling up to the seaside town of Biarritz, we're a little concerned. It has a reputation as an expensive holiday spot for France's rich and famous. Snobby frogs and inflated prices are not what we are looking for.

Driving through town, the incriminating evidence is mounting… designer stores and five-star hotels sit side by side. To say that 'Spinal Tap' stands out would be an understatement.

Surprisingly, a quick stop at the tourist information office gives us hope. Biarritz has a special free parking area for campers. But getting back in the van, we're thinking it may be too good to be true. Perhaps this is just a way of getting us to their "free campsite" a long, long way out of town?

But once again Biarritz proves us wrong. The parking area is right in front of the best beach in town. About twenty campers have already taken up residence, making it a little too crowded for our tastes.

Thankfully, there's a public car park just across the road that's an even better spot. It's so close to the beach that it's practically on the sand. Clean public toilets are just a few metres away, there's a fresh water shower on the beach, and we are even picking up free wi-fi on the laptop. It's the perfect location for a few days, perhaps even weeks.

One of the beautiful things about 'Spinal Tap' is that he's the size of the average minivan, which means you don't get stuck parking with all the other monster campers. Finding a home for the night is as easy as parking a car.

Just after unpacking the table and chairs, the local cops turn up. "Here it comes", we're thinking, "the rich police are going to turf us". They're heading towards the van and we're already looking for the car keys. And then, just like that, the three of them give us big smiles and head down to the beach.

As the sun starts to set, it's time for a late afternoon cocktail. Just up the hill is a very cool open-air bar that overlooks the whole coast. It's overflowing with an extremely good looking crowd… and they're friendly too. No one even bats an eyelid when we crack our 1 euro bottle of supermarket champagne and sit on the nearby benches.

Perfect sandy beaches, rolling waves, friendly guys and girls… Biarritz is turning out to be the sort of place that's hard to leave, particularly if you are living in a van.

WICKED TIP… If have a laptop, take it. There is free internet everywhere. Our drill is: one drives while the other searches for an open wi-fi connection. We never have to look very far.