My family and I went to Ile de Re over Easter. For those of you who don’t know it, it is an island just off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, in the Charente Maritime. It is relatively small being only 14 miles long and 4 miles wide and is filled with the most extensive and beautiful network of bicycle routes I have ever seen. Parisians tend to flock there in the summer and many of them have second homes on the island. It really is the perfect place for a week long family holiday. I was worried that the weather would be unfavourable due to the time of year, however, we were blessed with the most fantastic weather, with temperatures rising to 28 degrees. We drove over the long bridge which connects the mainland to the island and the minute I saw the long sweeping sandy beaches from the car I knew that my kids would love it there. We drove straight to La Flotte to meet the very friendly and helpful letting agent, Alex c/o Artemis Locations, who took us to our fisherman’s cottage in Ars en Re.

The cottage was nestled down a quiet back street only a few minutes walk from the main square. We absolutely loved it. It was small but perfectly formed with a downstairs living area and two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. After checking into our place we went straight out to explore Ars en Re. We walked through a labyrinth of small streets in the afternoon sun and came across the main square with the most spectacular looking church at its centre.

Fisherman’s cottage + Photo of St Etienne Church by Guillaume Cattiaux, CC by SA 2.0

From there we walked to the harbour which was small and very charming, sat down at a bar/restaurant at the port and had a drink in the last of the sun. We then made our way to a restaurant in the back streets called Le Grenier a Sel which is a French restaurant with a little bit of Asian fusion thrown into the mix. The food was delicious, our kids loved it and the staff were extremely friendly. I highly recommend it. Ars en Re really is a very special place as it has been well preserved. It reminds me both of St Ives and Cape Cod (USA) at the same time. It is very chilled out with only a handful of cafes, restaurants, galleries and shops in and around the main square.  During the high season (other seasons times vary) a lovely daily market operates a stones throw away from the harbour. It sells fresh produce and other items ranging from clothing to straw bags. Most of the villages on the island have daily markets in high season.

Cycles & Peche Bike Shop in Ars en Re

The next morning we rented bikes and helmets from the cycling shop Cycles et Peche. Various different sized bikes and helmets for kids were on offer as well as trailer carriages for those travelling with toddlers. We immediately embarked on our first cycling adventure. We decided to go to the Phare des Baleines, the imposing lighthouse in the northern part of Ile de Re. We cycled for 1.5 hours through the countryside along beautiful and incredibly well signposted cycle paths. Even though you are able to go to the top of the lighthouse we decided not to climb the 257 steps and so we simply viewed it from below; the kids at this point were more than desperate to go to the beach. Conche des Baleines which is located to the right of the lighthouse is a sight to behold. It is a large and sweeping beach with pale yellow sand which seems to go on forever with various bunkers from World War Two dotted along it. Needless to say the kids had a great time there.

Photo of Conche des Baleines by Thierry Llansades, CC by NC-ND 2.0

That evening we drove to the island’s capital, St Martin de Re. It is a very beautiful walled town which oozes history. It has a picture perfect harbour, gorgeous cobbled back streets with various upmarket boutiques. The atmosphere of St Martin is markedly different from Ars en Re; it’s like St Tropez without the full on glitz and glamour. We ate dinner at a small and lively place on the waterfront called Bistrot du Marin which serves home cooking at reasonable prices. After our meal we walked along the harbour front and came across what has to be some of the best home made ice cream I have ever eaten. La Martiniere has ice cream parlours both in La Flotte and St Martin which sell a whole array of incredible flavours and is not to be missed when visiting Ile de Re.

St Martin de Re Harbour

La Martiniere Ice Cream Parlour

The following morning the sun was shining brightly and the air was reminiscent of those fresh and cool mid-summer mornings. We knew it was going to be a scorcher. We realised that there was only one thing for it; to embark on another adventure and cycle 9km from Ars en Re to La Couarde sur Mer. I really recommend this route as it takes you through some really gorgeous landscape; past salt marshes, oyster farms, vineyards and fields. We had such a fantastic time cycling on these paths; it is what all family holidays should be made of. When we finally got to our destination we wandered through Couarde sur Mer, which like every town in Ile de Re has it’s own unique identity. It is a family friendly resort and, although pretty, would not necessarily be at the top of my must see list on Ile de Re. The beach at La Couarde, Plage des Anneries, is definitely worth a visit though as it is long and wide with beautiful golden sand which is perfect for playing in.

We spent the next couple of days doing pretty much the same thing as before, cycling through beautiful countryside, spotting birds, listening to frogs croaking, playing on beaches (Plage des Prises being my favourite), visiting markets, exploring villages, eating good food at St Martin and Ars en Re and of course eating lots of ice cream. There are plenty of other activities to undertake on Ile de Re such as sailing, horse-riding and fishing, however, I do think that renting a bike on this wonderful island is a must. We returned from our holiday feeling totally invigorated and refreshed by our experience and although we were geographically quite close to our home in London we felt like we had been a million miles away; far away from the pressures and stresses of everyday life. We had managed to completely decompress and chill out.

PLACES TO STAY
Artemis Locations – This rental agency has a good selection of properties.
Hotel Le Senechal – A lovely three star hotel in the middle of Ars en Re.
Le Clos de Vieux Moulins – Holiday villas located in La Flotte.
La Baronnie Hotel & Spa – Spa hotel in the heart of St Martin.

PLACES TO EAT
La Grenier a Sel – French restaurant with Asian influences in Ars en Re.
Bistrot du Marin – French restaurant in St Martin.
La Cabane du Feneau – Ile de Re’s best oyster shack which is on the road between La Loix and Couarde Sur Mer (00 33 5 46 30 43 68). Opens late April until the end of September.

HOW TO GET THERE
Take Le Shuttle from Folkestone to Calais or Brittany Ferries high speed ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre and then drive to Ile de Re.
Fly to Bordeaux on BA or Easyjet and hire a car using Holiday Autos
Alternatively fly on Easyjet from London, Gatwick to La Rochelle – service available from late May until mid-September.

WHEN TO GO
Visit in Late May/Early June or September when the weather is warm but the crowds have disappeared. This place gets seriously busy in July and August.