Fabulous family fun in France
ZOE CHAMBERLAIN SAYS CHARENTE-MARITIME IS A BRILLIANT HOLIDAY DESTINATION FOR FAMILIES
IT MAY be the most familyfriendly destination the French have. There are dedicated cycle routes down to the beach, which are perfectly flat, making them ideal for exploring with kids.
The coast is full of diverse coves, beaches and bays to visit, each one with a unique character, making it well worth visiting a different one every day of your holiday.
There’s live music on the beach, restaurants on the promenade and boulangeries and patisseries galore for picking up those all important baguettes and croissants.
Welcome to the CharenteMaritime region.
More particularly, Les Logis De Melisandre, on Avenue de Malakoff in the pretty town of Vaux-sur-Mer, perfect for school age children who love lots of outdoor space, large bedrooms and free wi-fi.
Our gite also has the best equipped kitchen I’ve ever seen, with every pot, pan and utensil you could ever want plus lovely crockery, including breakfast bowls with ‘Bonjour’ printed on the side.
The shower was large enough to be able to wash the kids’ hair after the beach plus there were two sinks, which was great for time-saving in the morning.
Best of all was the private terrace with a large dining table, comfy chairs, parasol and reclining loungers plus a hotplate barbecue.
Owner Marie Roumieux runs a guest house next door and is absolutely charming.
The town’s football ground is right opposite (but that doesn’t make it busy at all) and there’s a free pitch for kids to play on next to it. My boys, aged 11 and nine, loved the gite and its location.
It’s easy to see why this area is known as the ‘Beautiful Coast’ and why Picasso chose to live here for a year. There’s loads to do here for all ages.
This is a place that boasts five beaches, a pleasure port and a stunning mix of architectural buildings centred around the Church of Notre Dame.
Our favourite beach was ‘La Conche’ (The Shell) of Pontaillac, which is large, with a row of pretty carrelets (fishing huts) on one side of the bay and turreted properties and fancy hotels on the other.
It was a just 10- to 15-minute cycle away from our gite and is part of the Gironde Estuary, which is great for kids as it means the water is much calmer than the open Atlantic sea.
All the beaches are perfectly clean, well-maintained and offer gorgeous views.
Pontaillac is like stepping back in time, thanks to a picturesque row of blue and white striped beach tents lining the shore. There are old photos showing the beach with these tents on from yesteryear, with people fully clothed to protect their skin from the sun.
The sand is golden and soft, the sea is gentle, calm and clear and doesn’t have any seaweed or pebbles underfoot. We enjoyed watching fish flit past us as we paddled, then happily swam out as the sea gradually grew deeper.
There were several lifeguards on duty and a surf club too.
And did I mention a kids’ club complete with a heated pool for those who want to drop their children off?
Five minutes cycle away is small intimate St Sordolin, a bay surrounded by rocks for climbing and very sheltered. It had an almost residential feel to it, with families who looked like they’d just popped from home with a picnic for a quick swim.
Further up is Saint-Palais sur Mer, which has a cosmopolitan feel. There’s a French square, surrounded by intriguing shops and delicious-smelling restaurants.
Nearby is the bay of Nauzan, which has a promenade lined with a couple of restaurants and an ice-cream shops, with fabulous views.
There’s a sailing club here and we spent a lovely couple of hours on the water in a sailing boat, heading out towards France’s oldest lighthouse and touring the coastline from the sea.
The children even got the chance to have a go at steering, thanks to Captain Eric! We loved the coves of Conche du Conseil for rock pooling too.
Further afield, and well worth the 20 minute drive, is the Grottes du Régulus – a series of caves nestled in the white cliffs initially used as secret meeting places for the Protestants then as a hideout for a pirate and his goat (there’s a nearby bay named after him) then as a restaurant right up to the 1970s.
Now it’s a museum, with guide information in multiple languages so you can learn about the history and legends of this place.
It’s in Meschers-Sur-Gironde, 12 kilometres south of Royan, and the beach is beautiful too, with two
cafes and a sailing school on site. There was even a little stall giving away free books when we visited.
The region also boasts Zoo de La Palmyre, one of the most renowned zoological parks in Europe, housing 1,600 animals from 110 different species over 18 hectares of pine forest.
You can also step back in time by catching Le train des Mouettes from La Tremblade through 21 kilometres of French countryside to Saujon and Mornac-sur-Seudre. Dating back to the 19th century, the Schneider 030T train is the oldest steam locomotive of its class still running in France.
If you have thrillseeker kids, you may want to check out the giant zip wire, free fall jumps and laser tag fun at Coolongalook Parc Adventure or go canoeing on the Seudre.
When it comes to food and drink, head for Le Calumet, a restaurant with great views overlooking the beach at Pontaillac.
Fresh fish and seafood are specialities
here, as is steak tartare, which my husband Adam thoroughly enjoyed.
The kids, meanwhile, loved tucking into huge buckets of moules marinière and French fries, and I had a lovely sea bass in a creamy butter sauce. There’s a tank full of lobsters, wine is served in carafes and the staff are really friendly, making a fuss of the children.
But, then, that’s what we found everywhere we went. This really is family-friendly.