Ooh la la... it’s Tahiti!
YOU DON’T need to catch a plane to bask on the golden sands of Tahiti. You can get there by boat – and in less than a day – from the UK. I kid you not. Of course, this isn’t the Tahiti of exotic French Polynesia in the South Pacific that has captured the imagination of travellers since the 18th century.
In fact, it’s on the west coast of Brittany, France.
Plage de Raguenez, to use its original name, became so renowned for its caster sugar sands and azure waters that the locals re-christened it Tahiti Beach.
Now, even the road signs point the way to ‘Tahiti’.
We spent a couple of enjoyable afternoons taking our inflatables on to the almost waveless waters during a week-long family holiday in August.
It’s not without fault – there’s no café and the toilets weren’t pleasant during our visit – but if the facilities were any good it might become unbearably crowded.
We discovered two other equally nice beaches close by, both with clean toilets and places to purchase those all-important ice creams for the children.
Picturesque Port-Manec’h, at the mouth of the River Aven, is fringed by woodland and beach huts, and has an island you can wade to when the tide is out.
And Rospico is another sheltered beach with fine sand and a stream heading into the sea which the children took pleasure in damming.
All three beaches are within five miles of Domaine de Kerlann, a Siblu resort that is popular with British families and was our home for the week.
And it’s the place to be if it’s not hot enough for the beach.
There’s no chance of the kids getting bored – there’s a playground, a soft play area, bouncy castle, mini golf, tennis and a multi-sports pitch.
And there are three distinct children’s clubs, all free of charge.
The Bubbles Club is where under-fives play games and create artistic masterpieces (under parental supervision); the Pirate Club for five to nine year-olds offers adventure, water fun and sports activities, while the Barracudas Club for 10-14 year-olds is the cool place for giant games, sports and theatre.
But the wooded resort’s major selling point is its pool complex.
Outside, there are two heated pools – one large and deep, the other shallow – plus a water slide and the best splash zone we’ve ever seen.
Inside, there’s another large pool with a water slide and a spa bath plus a ‘beach’ area for little ones. All the pools have lifeguards.
To my horror, I received an email a few weeks before the holiday warning that ‘‘for hygiene reasons’’ swimming shorts were not permitted in the pools.
It’s commendable that they put hygiene above bookings because I’m sure the sight of middle-aged English dads in their Speedos puts guests off returning!
Our comfortable ‘Excellence’ caravan had a double room with en suite shower, two twin rooms and a kitchen/dining/living area that opened onto a terrace with outdoor furniture.
Just down the road is the town of Pont-Aven, which was put on the map in the mid-1800s by artists drawn to its scenery and atmosphere.
The most famous of these was Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), who built his reputation there before