Brittany for summer hols

[cantdecidewhattodo]

Thinking of booking a cottage in Brittany for July 2011.

Would be driving and have 11yo and 9yo.

Any recommendations of good places to stay?

Also, what is best ferry route?

All suggestions gratefully received

i love brittany its great for children. carnac area is my favourite - the weather is more reliable than northern brittany. beaches are beautiful and i am fussy. interesting towns and standing stones. we've been all over brittany and its all lovely though.

ferry route depends on where you live and whether you prefer a longer crossing/less driving/more cost or less crossing/more driving/cheaper. portsmouth-st malo is overnight is the former, portsmouth/cherbourg or le havre middling; dover calais latter.

try not to travel on a sat as the french all start their hols then and traffic is worse.

can't recommend anywhere to stay - we did a
cottage one year but the kids got a bit bored so we did eurocamp type hols after that.

Thanks dreamingofsun, will look into carnac area as weather is an important factor.

If weather is an important factor then be aware that Brittany is much like Cornwall - don't expect unremitting sunshine. And it can be windy at the coast. Lovely though! We were there this years. Stayed in a lovely farmhouse just down the road from a campsite called Le Ty-Nadan so boys had the use of their facilities while parents chilled on the terrace with a drink1

IME Brittany is really easy to ger around by car - you can cover really large distances in no time thanks to the lovely, clear roads (perhaps not so clear near major resorts and the like, but way, way clearer than in the UK).

What sort of interests do you and your DCs have?

I'm looking for a similar holiday so shamelessly bumping

I live in Southern Brittany, near Vannes. I love it, but am a bit biased obviously! Ferries, I would suggest the Brittany Ferries overnight from Portsmouth to St Malo - meal on board, glass or two, off to bed and you wake up here. You can have a look at our website which gives a bit more idea about places to go etc, and ask away if you have any specific questions...good luck!

jenpet I have a feeling I mentioned this ages ago, back in the summer maybe, but we went to Lohéac, which was fabulous (if you have a petrolhead in the family that it - even I got excited though!). It's essentially room after room of cars, but there are some very beautiful ones

We travellled down from near Villedieu - so a bit of a trek - but well worth it (and I love whizzing up and down the autoroute anyway). It deserves a day to see all the cars, and imo the admission charge was very reasonable.

If you want better weather then go to the Vendee instead. It is only 3 hours drive from St Malo to the South Vendée, and the weather is loads better.

For cottages try ownersdirect or Holiday-rentals.

jenpet Your gite looks lovely and good value - unfortunately we are after one with a pool. Don't suppose you can recommend one at all? 3 bedrooms if possible. Thanks!

weather better in the vendee - unfortunately everything else not as good - towns not as pretty, or countryside, or beaches. and anyone reading this be warned - don't drive down on a sat as traffic awful

You seem to have repeated the comment about the traffic several times. It isn't always that bad! It isn't every Saturday. There are 3 worst days of the year, the Last Saturday in July and the first 2 Saturdays in August, the rest of the time the traffic in France is great, free flowing, and very very rarely see a traffic jam.

terribly sorry if i repeated myself but wasn't sure everyone would read all the current threads. we went down on the 3rd sat in july and it took over an hour longer than coming back. the queues at the tolls were horrific. because the traffic is usually so good in brittany, and it wasn't august, we were really suprised.

My PIL's have a gite for rent in a tiny place called Beganne, about half an hour from the coast (is an hour from Rennes) and it's gorgeous They have four bedrooms, and are just in the process of putting in a pool! PM me if you'd like details