France help please - two centres - second one where?

[PiedWagtail]

Hi :) Planning our summer hols and thinking of a two centre break, one week in Brittany/Normandy and the other further south.

We like beaches/water, walks, swimming pools, kids like play areas/zoos/aquariums etc etc. Can anyone recommend anything about 4-6 hours drive south from say Dinard??

Thanks!

I would suggest the South Vendée. (much nicer than the north). Near enough to visit La Rochelle and the fabulous Aquarium, close to lovely beaches and there are some great walks (and a zoo) in the Mervent Forrest. Fontenay le Comte or Luçon are nice towns to be based around.

Whilst you are there you could take a day trip to the Puy du Fou (fabulous day out)

We stayed in Charente Maritime, near Saintes, 2 years ago and are going back this summer.

It is so lovely. Lots to do, and we had great weather. We stayed rural by choice and not that near the sea, but there are loads of areas to choose from. We hope to visit many of the places we didnt see last time.

Second Charente Maritime. We used to go on hols to Ile d'Oleron every year and loved it. Recently went back last year with a family I nannied for and is exactly as I remember. Good beaches, nice walks/cycle paths through the pine forests. Close enough to La Rochelle to visit the Aquarium, Zoo at La Palmyre.

Merci beaucoup - will have a look :)

De rien! Any questions just shout! There was a thread either last summer or the summer before about Ile de Re and Oleron

Ile de Re is by La Rochelle, isn't it? Where is Oleron and what is there to do there?

It is, Ile de Re is slightly to the north of La Rochelle whereas Ile d?Oleron is to the south. Oleron is slightly less touristy (quieter) than Re and is also quite a bit bigger.

My favourite things used to be trips to the rockpools, several on the island but we always went to La Cotineire, afternoons on a lovely sheltered beach in St Trojan (which is where the hotel is that we stay at). We also used to go wandering around markets, went on the little train around La Chateaux, went to the zoo at La Palmyre, trips to the aquarium at La Rochelle or just a day wandering around La Rochelle. There is also a lighthouse in St Dennis that you can climb, bike rides and walks through the forest or catch ?La Petit Train? from St Trojan out to the Atlantic beach that is only accessible by foot/bike or train. As we got older we used to go to the mini golf in St Trojan but still used to love going to the rockpools (competitions to see who had caught the biggest/most fish etc!) Evenings were spent in our favourite restaurant at La Cotineire or at a couple around the working port in St Trojan.

Please feel free to ask anything else here or by PM ? happy to help.

We went to Ile de Re and Royan the other year and although Ile de Re was very lovely, we preferred being on the mainland as so much more to do with young children. Nice to spend a few days there tho.

C'est Tout - don't suppose you can recommend a gite near La Rochelle?? Sounds lovely :)

You could try www.vendee-vacances.co.uk but they are mostly for larger groups. Recommend you get somewhere with a pool, makes all the difference to the kids.

There is a lovely Channel Island nearby by the name of Alderney. Hard to get to, but well worth the effort. You can fly from Dinard via Guernsey. What time of year were you thinking of travelling?