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ILE D’OLERON Located
off the beautiful southwest Atlantic coast near |
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* More annually recorded sunshine hours than the Med * The great thing
about islands is that they are completely surrounded by sea. LA HUNE (The Crow's Nest) Adults Only Accommodation see below Searching
for a truly peaceful seaside holiday where the only roar you'll hear is the
sound of the surf crashing on the shore and the only cries from the seagulls overhead?
Last
of the 2012 availability
Where it is and how do I get here * UK flights from 1h 10min - 9 hr drive from Calais *
Car: Ile D’Oleron (the island of light) is located in the region of the Charente Maritime 2 hrs north of Bordeaux and about an 8hr drive from Calais or 4½ hrs from St Malo. The island is connected to the mainland at Marennes (famous for its oysters) by a 3 km toll-free bridge.
Flights:
There is now a choice of cheap flights to
Car
rental: All the usual international hire companies are represented at
The
welcome from your English speaking hosts, Phillipe and Florence Martinez, is
warm and genuine. They offer 4 very comfortable bedrooms which have been
converted from a row of stables on their old farm. All have been individually
decorated with great style and care by
There
are local restaurants nearby but if you are lucky enough to be there on a Tuesday,
Friday or Saturday I would seriously recommend that you take advantage of the
copious and delicious family meal offered at only 20E for 4 courses including
the aperitif, wine and after dinner drinks. Dinner is served in
the farmhouse kitchen around a large table and is shared with your hosts (who
obviously enjoy entertaining) and your fellow travelers.
We would be happy to assist you in booking your stop or you can make your own arrangements direct by telephoning them on 00332 47952961 or reserve online through their website. Visit their website on www.lesbournais.net
Don’t or don’t want to drive?
If you don’t drive or would
rather not we can arrange for you to be collected from
By car: we can arrange for you to be met and collected personally at La Rochelle airport by the wonderfully charming, Michel, and driven to Oleron by private car. Once on the island taxi service or car hire are both easily accessible.
By
train: the TGV (fast train) from Paris to La Rochelle is under a 3 hr
journey and now with the new fast link services from England (by Eurostar
change at Lille) the whole journey should be achievable in under 6 hrs.
So if you prefer trains to planes, its no problem, we would be just as happy
to collect you from the train station in the heart of
By
private boat: Alternatively, if the tide is right it may be possible for
you to sail from La Rochelle direct to the port of St Denis on Oleron by private boat. It's
only a very short ride by airport courtesy coach or by taxi from the
airport to the
Scheduled ferry boat: Port of La Rochelle to Port of St Denis with taxi service (approx 2km to La Hune.
Boat
trips around the island can also be arranged through
Michel. The day trip includes a tour around
Scheduled boat trips: to ile d'Aix (yet another Napoleonic imprisonment and now museum) and La Rochelle.
About Ile d’Oleron
Some of you may already know me if you’ve stayed before at one of the AccessibleFrance cottages in the Pas de Calais where for 14 years we had a holiday home of our own and the original Group started.
A
few years ago we sold our farmhouse in the Vallee de la Course and
moved further south to a stunning little island called Oleron set in the
Atlantic on the Southwest coast just off
For me it was love at first sight. A nostalgic mix of my early childhood years on Florida's Gulf Coast (wild and natural it was then) and the old fishing port of St Tropez (pre- BB) and before the rest of the world rushed in her footsteps to change it forever. This magical island, only 33kms long, has well repaid our impulsive decision to sell up everything and move here quickly.
Of course, our great haste also had a little to do with the
tremendous luck in finding LA HUNE (the
crow's nest) - a bijoux
beach house splendidly perched on the dunes with an 180 degree view out over the Atlantic (next stop
Known as ‘the ile lumiere (island of light), we have come to understand why. The island of Oleron officially clocks up more sunshine hours each year than the Mediterranean. Not a day goes by without some sunshine and when it does everything shimmers. Being on the west coast we also have the bonus of truly spectacular sunsets as the sun goes down on the sea.
The island’s western coastline, is called La Cote Sauvage. Our beach house is located here on the narrow northern tip of the island not far from the historic 18thC lighthouse of Chassiron. We are also just a few minutes walk from the start of Les Huttes' sandy beach, ideal for either wind or body surfing as well as mile after mile of uninterrupted coastal walks.
Miles of coastal footpath leading to the Chaisseron Lighthouse
This
end of the island also reminds me a lot of Cape Cod or maybe
La Cote Sauvage
Many of the island's beaches incorporate shallow locks known as ecluses
hand built of rock centuries ago by fishermen who up until 40 years ago were
the main inhabitants of the island. From these rocky pools you may take for
your own consumption what you find: crabs, shrimp, mussels, clams, oysters,
and a variety of other small shell fish in season. A veritable plateau de fruit des mer – I kid you not!
East coast with
glimpse of On the nearby eastern side of the island, facing Ile de Re,
Ile D’Oleron is a haven of natural sandy beaches lapped by
the waves of the Atlantic and warmed by the
A lot has changed on Oleron over the past 40 years. In the
1970's the old ferry boats were scrapped and a smart new bridge, the Viaduct was built spanning over the valuable oyster farms that surround the
island and attaching it to the mainland at Marennes - THE oyster
capital of
Of course plenty of fishing still goes on – La Cotiniere is the most intact of the pretty fishing ports dotted around the coastline. Others have transformed themselves into smart marinas with adjoining shops and restaurants.
The island’s small white-washed villages largely retain their
character but have evolved to provide the commerce required by today’s
visitors. The tiny capital of
Life on the island tends to be low key. It has a kind of barefoot, beachcomber informality but you would be wrong to translate that as ‘roughing it’. Ile d’Oleron like Le Touquet and our neighbouring islands of Re and Aix, is a treasured haunt of the Parisians and that means good food, fashionable shops and lots of creature comfort. As well as owning second homes here many of them also run seasonal businesses returning every Spring with the warm weather to re-open their shops and restaurants. Outside of the French community Ile d’Oleron is relatively unknown but the actor Johnny Depp was spotted secretly holidaying on the better known Ile de Re recently so – can it be long?
At the port of Boyardville on the east coast you will have a splendid view of (THE) Fort Boyard which you can visit by scheduled boat along with the islands of Re and Aix and of course the stunning town of La Rochelle with it's own medieval port. Foot passenger-only ferry boats make frequent daily crossings throughout the spring and summer months
Crisscrossing 33 flat kms is a network of dedicated
off-road trails taking you along the coastline, through pine forests, quaint hollyhock
filled villages , past inland oyster farms (where you can stop for a
degustation and a glass of local wine), marshlands with salt basins still mined in the traditional way with
donkeys and vineyards selling the island's produce and their version of
Pineau.
ILE d'OLERON is truly a
paradise for those seeking unlimited sun and sand in peaceful, completely natural surroundings. Surprised first time visitors often exclaim
they didn't think beaches such as these still existed today on France's over-populated
coastlines (another reason why the
French have contrived to kept Oleron to themselves).
Since settling here I had hoped to find other holiday accommodation of a
standard similar to that which we offer in the sleeping 2 - 4 adults.
Available for 1 week in June 2012
La Hune (The Crow's Nest) is not family accommodation Adults
Only * Sorry No Children Charming self-contained 2 bedroom
apartment
sleeping 2-4 comprising entire ground floor Stunning location on dunes of the Cote
Sauvage with panoramic ocean views
Final week remaining until 2013:
Any week you like in month of June only (full details below)
________________________________________
Available
as a
Holiday Rental
La
Hune (The
Crow's Nest) Les Huttes Plage ILE D’OLERON Sleeps 2 adults
Treasured by the
French for its abundance of sunshine, clean air and mild climate
the
Our beach house is located
on the dunes of
the 'Cote Sauvage' with extensive views
There is excellent surfing, snorkeling and sailing along miles of sandy beaches.
Les Huttes Plage below
There is use of the swimming
pool (9.5 x4.5m)
and full access Guests have a private front and
back entry, their own bathroom, WC, 2 double bedrooms The apartment's
beautifully equipped kitchen/dining room opens directly onto
the swimming pool deck and garden with summer
kitchen & BBQ pavilion.
Oleron is celebrated for it's fish. Shell fish gathering, known as peche au pied can be found right at the foot of the dunes at the back of our garden or you can cast your line for sea bass.
This stylish and comfortably appointed accommodation would suit those looking for a relaxing holiday full of sun, sea, an amazing array of local seafood and good restaurants all wrapped up in completely natural surroundings.
Cycles are included in the rental for those
who would like to take advantage of the island’s Oleron boasts a 33km network of dedicated
cycle and walking trails (crossing coastline, salt
marshlands, vineyards, pine forests & villages)
and is truly a paradise
for anyone who enjoys safe off road cycling through completely natural surroundings. The
entire island has now been
Our locals will tell you that the island of Oleron lies (as the seagull flies) about 4000kms from the island of Manhattan - starting just the other side of our garden gate!
If this sounds like your kind of holiday please scroll above and take a closer look at the rest of the island or contact me for more details.
2012 HOLIDAY RENTAL SEASON La
Hune sleeping 2-4
ADULTS available normally as a holiday rental choose
any week you like during the month of June.
***Please note:
LA HUNE
is accommodation for grown-ups. regardless of size,
age or temperament.
English & French spoken. Pool, Cycles, Electricity, Water inclusive. Linen hire. End of stay clean 35/45E Non-smokers. Sorry, no wheelchair access or special facilities for handicapped at this property.
La Hune is also available as a Holiday Home Exchange: If
you have a second home in mainland Europe (or could be your main
home) and would
I am
at my home in France now on 00335 46366625 Regret we
can not return calls to mobiles phones from France so if requesting a callback
please leave a landline number only .
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