The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
The island where chic Parisians go on holiday
The Île de Ré off the southwest coast of France heaves with holidaymakers in summer but is heavenly in spring. Emilee Tombs is a convert
Standing atop the belvedere of Le Lanternon hotel, I watched the weathered, pale stone buildings of Île de Ré’s capital turn the colour of ripe peach flesh. In front of me, SaintMartin-de-Ré unfurled in a star shape against the Atlantic Ocean. Behind, the two-mile bridge connecting Île de Ré to La Rochelle felt like it existed in another universe.
This beachy island off the coast of western France boomed in popularity during the pandemic, with wellheeled Parisians flocking to enjoy its patchwork of 10 hollyhock-filled villages, salt flats, cycle paths, dunebacked beaches, oyster shacks and a Unesco-listed port town. And who can blame them? The Gulf Stream creates a microclimate that makes Île de Ré one of the sunniest places in France, with an average of 2,600 hours of sunshine per year. Only Corsica and Marseille top it. At 33 square miles and flat as a crêpe, Île de Ré is ideal for exploring by bike, and spring is the best time to avoid getting caught in bike traffic on its 60 miles of tracks.
Given that 580 hectares of the island is under vine, it is perhaps surprising that locals have historically not rated the local plonk. There is a long history of making fortified Pineau des Charentes and cognac, which you can find out about at the recently renovated museum in Saint-Martin-de-Ré.
These wines aren’t made with international cépage (grape varieties) and aren’t traditionally considered great for making still wines, but things are changing. The island’s first organic winery and tasting room, Domaine Arica, opened in April 2024, and owners Marine Houttemonne, 33, and Simon Pitoizet, 34, have grand plans for their Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Provence-style rosé.
Picturesque port capital Saint-Martin-de-Ré is encircled by a Unesco-listed Vauban citadel and is home to the type of boutiques that sell Breton tops and straw market bags to well-heeled visitors. In springtime, you might not need a reservation for buzzy Bistrot Marin on the waterfront, where the menu du jour often includes sweet razor clams drenched in parsley butter and catch of the day. For those travelling avec les enfants, don’t miss the ice cream at La Martinière or Crêperie La Sarrasine. Irrespective of season, book ahead for A Côté de Chez Fred, an unassuming spot tucked away down an alley off the waterfront where my husband and I enjoyed the best meal of the week; oysters, panfried sole meunière and a gorgeously mineral bottle of Menetou-Salon.
The north and west of the island are given over to vineyards and salt flats, with several whitewashed stone buildings serving fresh oysters and shellfish on paper plates until mid afternoon. Ré Ostrea, with its colourful metal barstools overlooking the water’s edge, is a popular spot, while the garden setting of La Cabane du Feneau gets booked up quickly and only opens between 11.30am and 3pm.
The best beaches are in the south of the island. Bordered by dunes or forests, La Couarde, Gros Joncs and Grennettes are better protected from the wind and ideal for taking a dip. At Plage des Gollandières, Beach Bar serves up hulking plates of steak frites and has tables on the sand.
Loix is the place to indulge in waterbased activities. Arrange a guided canoe trip or paddle-boarding excursion down the Fier d’Ars with Planète Sport et Loisirs, try your hand at windsurfing or charter a catamaran. Horseriding with Les Chevaux de Loix is another way to see more of the island.
The further north you go, the quieter the island gets, and among the latticework of salt flats you will find the prettiest villages and ports. Fleur de sel – known locally as white gold – is still raked by hand here, and there are honesty boxes along the cycle paths where you can purchase 250g (or larger) bags to take home as a souvenir. At the tip of the island, you can scale the 1850 Phare des Baleines lighthouse for sweeping views over the golden-sand beach. From Les Baleines, loop round to Les-Portesen-Ré, where 80 per cent of the village and surrounding area has been bought up by second home owners. The village is pleasantly quiet, home to a ceramicist’s boutique, a small boulangerie, a great little wine shop and a few hip brunch spots such as Café Maau, run by a collective of young surfers. Venture a little further to Cabane La Patache for experimental French fare located on a pine-backed cove that disappears at high tide.
Each of the island’s 10 villages has a fresh produce market, some of which open daily. Flotte, a “Plus Beaux Villages de France” (an official classification of the country’s most beautiful villages), has a charming medieval market selling fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, local cheeses, local meats, salt and takeaway bites. Ars-en-Ré has a large indoor-outdoor market and a small but perfectly formed harbour with a few good restaurants and several art galleries. Saint Etienne Church, where pre-Romanesque, Romanesque and Gothic architecture converge, has an octagonal monochrome bell tower that is visible for miles.
Back in Saint-Martin-de-Ré, fiveroom design hotel Le Lanternon, which