Can you tell me about St Martin, Ile de Re?

[Ginandcolic]

After a really shitty few months, I decided to book a short holiday for DD and me and booked a hotel in St Martin rather too spontaneously.

I'm now in a panic as I know nothing about the place. I'm celiac and finding gluten free things to eat in restaurants is always hard so I'm assuming I'll be having a lot of salads and fruit ... any recommendations on restaurants?

It looks like it's quite easy to get about on bikes but I could be totally wrong.

ARRRRRRRRGH! As you might be able to tell, part of the shitty few months has been my anxiety spinning out of control so I'm probably over thinking it.

It'll be fine once we get there right?

(I'll obvs pack my beta blockers)

Thanks in advance for any tips

I haven’t ever been but visit family who live near there regularly. I’ve heard it’s lovely though and am determined to get our act together and visit this year! Of course those who’ve been will have better info than me.

When are you going? If it’s August then I would suggest booking stuff in advance - bike hire, restaurants etc. as it is heaving then. (makes note to follow own advice)

Are you driving there from UK or flying? If driving then check Bison Fute for traffic - Saturdays in August are gridlock so avoid if at all possible or at least choose roads that don’t go from/to Paris. The bridge to Ile de Re is a bit of a bottleneck too.

Ignore all this if you are going in September!!

Gluten free should be fine in theory - my dad is gluten free (though not coeliac) and is ok as long as he goes for “meat/fish plus veg” and asks for sauce to be on the side. Depends how strict you need to be about cross contamination though, if you are made ill by traces then it will be harder. Seafood might be a good bet, it’s usually served in its shell so is uncontaminated… ?

Thanks mini and great advice about booking things advance. We definitely want to get some bikes so I'll get onto that tomorrow.

We are going in August and we're flying. I've sorted out a car from the airport so hopefully that'll be fine.

Great to hear about your Dad's experience with the food - I'm feeling much more reassured.

So bikes and restaurant booking are on the list to be sorted out tomorrow

Lots of fresh seafood, it’s easy to get about and definitely get a bike!!
try the frozen macaron - should be gf and amazing in St Martin.
cycle to blois plage, great little market there and sandy beaches.
have an excellent time, it is such a lovely place!!!

Lucky you. Il de re is lush.

This. One of my favourite places in the world. Visit to la flotte also a must. Have the most amazing time

My favourite place on Ile de Re is called Ars (teehee I know). Its so lovely though, if you were looking for a place to stay I would recommend La Senechal, but as you already have booked I will just direct you to their things to do page which does sum up the best restaurants: en.hotel-le-senechal.com/247-nearby/956-nearby.html. Really its all about cycling on the lovely pathways from one vin et huitre place to the next!

Lucky you ! It's amazing. La Rochelle is just there too and also worth a visit for moules frites

Only been there on a day trip so nothing much useful to add but wanted to say it is absolutely beautiful there and I definitely plan to go back one day. Everyone seemed to be on bikes and there were loads of seafood restaurants if you can eat that.

Oh thank you everyone for taking the time to reply - I'm now actually very excited and love all the fabulous advice.

Sooooooo helpful and v kind of you to share your thoughts

was going to say the same as everyone else - it’s a magical place, you will have a fab time. We stayed in an air bnb in town and it was great to have so many things on your doorstep, especially with young children. We cycled around the island and just enjoyed the markets and lunches out in the smaller villages and beaches. The food markets are great and could be good places for you to pick up a packed lunch. (Meat / fish / salad bar type stuff)

It's flippin gorgeous- the perfect place to relax. There’s a network of cycle paths that cover the whole island- flat, easy, stress-free cycling.
I can’t recommend any specific restaurants but there are loads, as well as amazing food markets. My favourite place is La Flotte which is perhaps a half hour bike ride from St Martin but the whole island is beautiful- honestly, just idyllic.
Have a fantastic time!!

Sorry for disappearing, I am trying to tie up some work stuff before our break.

Thank you so much for all your responses. I've booked bikes, restaurants and transport from the airport so I'm now feeling very excited.

Thanks for calming me down and giving me some great tips

The Ile de Re & St Martin are gorgeous, you'll have a wonderful time. There's an amazing ice cream place on the quayside, a nice beach, plus all the villages on the island are characterful & there are lots of beaches & markets. The aquarium at La Rochelle is great too.