Anyone know the La Rochelle area of France?

[Madamlulu]

Hi,

Looking for advice/inspiration please.

I booked cheap flights to La Rochelle in
Autumn with the plan to stay on Il de Re. My hubby said to book for 2 weeks and not one and so I did.

I've now realised that the accommodation is a bit pricey on the island that we want which is fine for a week but think we might stay somewhere else for the other week for variation as well as cost.

I'm thinking we could stay in the centre of La Rochelle but that might get boring for more than a few of the nights and also pricey as we will end up eating out every night in the gorgeous restaurants. So now thinking of staying there for a few nights and then a few nights somewhere else - maybe just outside La Rochelle for variation?

Happy to blow the budget if there is somewhere that we really should stay at or go to as we can scrimp on other stuff in the run up to this.

Should mention 2 x DS who are 15 & 13 - they will do anything with us - love food, pool & activities but equally open to new ideas - we have done plenty of just pool & actively holidays so not a priority.

Thanks in advance

Place marking - one place I want to go back to

Ou est Claude le Clochard et son cochon d'inde?

I used to work with a guy from La Rochelle, he was bemused as to why almost every person he met in the UK knew where La Rochelle was. Happy days, ou est la bibliotecque?

Moi aussi!

I can even picture the front cover of the Tricolore workbook!!

Ile de Re is nice but nothing much to do there, also you get kind of stuck because the bridge, which though really cool is also 5 EUR a pop! Maybe a two or three day stay unless you just like loafing on the beach. Restos and gîtes also more expensive because you're on an island!

Further up the coast is the Sables d'Olonne which is touristy but pretty. All around there are château, attractions, vineyards, amusement parks etc. We stayed at a rather groovy gite with pool called the chromatic which was nice in itself and good for days out. There's loads to do and the Loire is very pretty.

Further down the coast is Bordeaux which is also lovely but obviously a big city which you might not be after. Angoulême inland is nice and it's also very pretty round there.

Have fun

Île de Ré prices can vary by town - if you stay further up the island, say in St Clement (quiet, lovely beaches) it should be much cheaper than St Martin or La Flotte. There are also loads of campsites with chalets which are very reasonable - try La Grainetière near La Flotte, or Le Phare up by Les Portes.

Second the recommendation for Oleron. Both islands have mini buses connected to the airport.

If you are willing to drive then Bordeaux is about an hour away and a bit further than that is the peninsula Cap Ferret which is also very beach/ surfy and has campsites.

It looked very nice in my Tricolore textbook in 1985... sorry, that's probably not very helpful!

Bordeaux has this which is really worth a visit (and there are a number of very nice restaurants nearby): https://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk/sites-monuments/water-mirror We spent ages here! It's kind of hypnotic. There are also a number of interesting museums etc, including a couple of wine museums which are good.

Royan is a really nice little town and great for tourists. It has a lovely beach.

If you drive up the coast a bit, there are lots of other very good beaches often almost empty and backed by beautiful pine forests and sand dunes. Lots of big waves! Good for surfing if you like that kind of thing.

Oh yes. Never been there but feel like an expert. Thank you Tricolore.

Thanks for reminding me of the Tricolore textbooks! Ah, those were the days!

We had a lovely holiday in Chatelaillon-Plage, about 30 minutes by taxi from La Rochelle (or I think there's a train). Absolutely gorgeous beach and you can see Ile d'Oleron from there. Our DC were quite little so easily entertained by the little road train and the swimming pool at the campsite, but there's plenty of nice restaurants & shops in the town and it is very pretty there. We went right at the end of August so slightly out of season but I'd imagine it would be quite lively in July. Happy memories! Dd2 was conceived there 😉

Just came on to say Puy de Fou is brilliant but I see someone else has already done it!

Also, if you wanted to go a bit further afield, you could look at staying for a bit in the Marais Poitevin. We stayed in an absolutely bonkers gite there a few years back and the area was brilliant - loads to do and see. There are lovely canals where you can hire bikes and boats. Lots of lovely little towns with brilliant antique shops and pottering to do.

It was actually La Phare that I was considering but it's over 2500 euro for 7 nights which I thought was pricey.. maybe I'm just being unrealistic about what pricey means

Blimey that’s gone up then! We stayed there 2 years ago, didn’t think it was that much.

You have to go to Puy de Fou!

Camping Cormoran near Ars en Re. It’s a quieter end of the island. Can get a 3 bed mobile home thingy for about 1.5 e pw. Good pool, pitch pour la joue au football 😉bike rental and about 6 mins cycle to the supermarket/ pizza shop. Great market in Ars near the harbour too. There’s loads of similar campsites in that area.

Oh wow will take a look at this tomorrow thanks!

Will definitely look at this !! Thanks for everyone - keep any tips coming - so glad I asked- thanks everyone!

The AirBnB French equivalent is Vrbo. Should not be expensive in October.

Do you cycle? The Isle de Re is flat and very cyclable. I would be tempted at that time of year to stay in La Rochelle and visit Isle de Re. There will be more open and more happening, like a nice craft market by the harbour, though we once stayed in the centre when there was a street jazz festival which was a bit of a disaster. Buses from the airport work fine. French provincial airports don’t seem to have taxi ranks, so book in advance if you need something.

Bordeaux is also beautiful and a car would make visits to vineyards, oyster farms and other stuff possible.

Thanks for this. Just going through all this helpful info now. Where is Ars en Re please? Is it on the island Il de Re or on the mainland.? Thanks

Ars en Re is on Ile De Re and has the best market on the Island. If you are staying on Ile De Re then you need to factor in bike hire as it's the best way to get around. Getting to Ile De Re from the airport isn't straight forward - the taxi's are quite pricey, there is an unpredictable bus or it's 2 buses - one into La Rochelle and one out again. It is a gorgeous island. Bordeaux is a 2 hour drive and Nantes which is a great city is about 1:45 drive.

With teens and wanting chalets I would choose Royan area over Ile de Re.

Ile de Re is very chichi but also pricey and doesn’t have a whole lot to do other than cycling and beach - it’s got a deliberately sleepy “1950s but with money” kind of vibe. Whereas Royan area has loads of attractions, zoo, Go Ape type stuff and just more going on. Plus you can access other local areas without having to get through the bridge traffic.

Chatelaillon-Plage is a lovely beach town but think it’s all rental houses/flats rather than chalets. Again, quite a retro/sleepy vibe but less busy than Ile de Re - nice for a day trip.

Would definitely recommend Puy de Fou, book early to get Pass Emotion if you can and I recommend 2 days/1 night there.

La Rochelle is a fantastic town, if you don’t stay there factor in several visits, it’s so pretty and lots of nice restaurants plus a cute town beach. Great Aquarium if you get a rainy day. Ernest le Glacier has great ice cream.

TheProvincialLady · 26/01/2024 14:03

Ou est la piscine, s’il vous plaît

The answer maybe “la piscine est fermée parce que les protesting farmers have sprayed slurry into it”
Seriously op, maybe check what’s happening as the protests have spread all over France.

We are looking to holiday near La Rochelle. Have previously stayed in Châtelaillon-Plage but found the beach super windy and now have two little ones (1&4) who I think will struggle with the wind! I heard Fouras is potentially less windy? Any recommendations for self accom places to stay close to beach for family of four? Thanks

We go every year to a town called La Tranche Sur Mer which is about an hour north of La Rochelle, might be worth a look. Lots of holiday homes to let, huge sandy beach, market twice a week, surfing, wind surfing, sailing or kite surfing if you want, nice restaurants. Makes puy de fou about a 90 minute drive, a waterpark called O'Gliss about 30 mins drive and various chateaux etc.