Île De Ré 'explorer tent' advice and tips

[AllFours]

Looking for advice or tips - we've booked a 5 day holiday in a 2 room 'explorer tent' for our family of 4 (2 DC, 9 & 11) on the Île de Ré. We leave on Sunday and I'm feeling very unprepared! Bedding and towels are provided, there's a microwave, hot plate and mini fridge/freezer. What will we need to bring? We're definitely hiring bikes for adventuring and food shopping. Just wondering if there is anything I wouldn't have thought to pack for improving our stay in a safari tent!

Rucksacks to carry your shopping - I loved being able to cycle to the supermarket. Maybe head torches if you think you’ll be cycling after dark. Fleece/hoodies for sitting out in the evening. Also anything non recyclable like cling film/sandwich bags are expensive in France ( and even more expensive on Île de Ré. Enjoy, I loved it!

Thank you, this is exactly the sort of advice we were looking for!

We love it- it is always part of our stay in Charentes- which I think is a very under-rated part of France.

And the whole stretch of coast from La Rochelle down to Bordeaux is lovely. I like the big, lazy, rolling rivers you find inland, deep, green and sided with trees - great cycling, and the pretty villages and towns.

Love the Ile de Re. Only been once for a few days last year but would love to go back. We found petrol prices to be cheaper on the island than off surprisingly. It may have been a quirk of the time we were there. St Martin is lovely, just outside the town is a prison which has been there for ages. If you go to the bit between the prison and the sea there is a small harbour. France used to ship out its criminal's to their colonies back in the day. If you have seen Papillon you will know about it. I found the carvings on the Ramparts here of peoples names and dates quite moving. There are some lovely oyster bars just outside St Martin. A glass of wine and a bit of seafood was a lovely way of spending an hour or so. There is also an old dry dock just outside the town which reminded me of the start of Les Mis film. A beautiful little town with some great restaurants, and a dark history.