Self-Catering Holidays in Atlantic Aquitaine, South West France - Villas, Cottages & Apartments

Villa les Délices is an imposing house built in 'grand villa' style on a good-sized plot with pine trees providing shade and privacy. The rear garden and pool overlook the bassin d'Arcachon and beyond to the Ile aux Oiseaux, the Maison Tchanquées and Dune de Pyla.

There is an electric-gated entrance with parking at the front of the house for up to 4 cars.

Living areas:
The entrance leads into a spacious living room with seating for up to 8 people, fireplace, TV and DVD player.

This room opens into a light, spacious conservatory overlooking the garden and which contains a dining table, miniature-grand piano, small sofa and chairs. A good-sized, modern, fully-equipped kitchen with breakfast table is stuated off the conservatory.

Sleeping:
The first bedroom is on the ground floor, off the living room, and contains a small double/large single bed (120 cm wide), fireplace, and en-suite shower room.

The main staircase from the living room leads to an upstairs landing where there is Bedroom 2, a double room overlooking the garden. There is a PC with broadband Internet access in this room. Stairs continue to the first-floor proper: Bedroom 3 is a double bedroom with en-suite shower room; Bedroom 4 is a spacious master bedroom with bathroom separated from the bedroom by a screen, separate WC, and dressing room.

A secondary staircase leads down from the conservatory to a bathroom (bath, shower & toilet) serving Bedrooms 5 and 6. A few stairs up further on lead to Bedroom 5: a children’s room with two single bunk-style beds; a further set of stairs outside this room lead to an upper mezzanine level with a single bed and private terrace area. This room does not have a door, so is also best suited to a child. Both these rooms overlook the front of the house.

Outside
The rear garden overlooks the bay. It is well-planted and has stone and decked terrace areas, plus some lawn. It is accessed via French doors from the conservatory. There is a terrace with garden table and chairs outside the conservatory, a covered summer dining area with table and chairs for 10 next to the pool and garden cabin/summerhouse, and a decked terrace area at the bottom of the garden overlooking the beach and bay. The 10m x 5m pool is recessed into the deck at the end of the garden, and can be heated if required (supplement applies). A gate in the side of the garden opens on to a path leading to the beach 20m on.

The garden cabin contains a small living area with sofa, a single bedroom, double bedroom with French doors overlooking the beach and bay, plus shower room and toilet. It’s simpler in style than the rest of the house, but with a pleasant sea-side feel. It’s often used by teenage members of family groups wanting some independence.

Overall the standard of accommodation is good-to-higher quality: it is well-equipped, and living areas are nicely furnished whilst bedrooms 5 and 6, and the summer house rooms, are much simpler.

In summary, Villa les Delices is a sought-after holiday rental, combining a very good level of comfort with exceptional views, lots of space and conveniently located for beaches and shops. It is an ideal place for one or two families to relax in style.

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Alternative Aquitaine's Guide to the Bassin d'Arcachon

Cap Ferret tourist office

What's the Presqu'Ile de Cap Ferret actually like? Difficult to say, there's nowhere like it! The closest we can get to describing this part of France is to say that it has the laid back ambience and relaxing natural environment of the Caribbean, blended with the subtle refinements of the French way of life - Barbados meets Bordeaux!

The Cap Ferret peninsula is a treat for the senses - the scent of the pine forest, the constant rumble of rollers washing up on the western coast, the salty, slippery taste of oysters washed down with a Bordeaux blanc and, at the end of the day, sitting on top of one of the dunes overlooking the Atlantic and watching the sun go down. Bliss!

Villa les Délices is exceptionally located for enjoying Cap Ferret - the bay of Arcachon beach with amazing views over to ile aux Oiseaux (Bird Island) is at the end of the garden, the Atlantic beach, popular with surfers, is about about 5 km away to the west. Claouey has its' own small oyster-farming quarter where you can stop at one the cabanes to enjoy a few oysters fresh from the producer, it's the way the French enjoy them best!

Piraillan, a 'village classé' (national heritage), and Le Canon, both larger oyester-farming villages are 6-7 km to the south and also worth a stroll around. The daily market in Piraillan (8am-1pm) in summer is lively, fascinating and defintely beats going to the supermarket! l'Herbe is another charming oyster-farming village about 2 kms further south, and hosts an annual oyster festival in late-August.

About 15 km south of Claouey, reachable by bike on one of the purpose-built pistes cyclables, is Cap Ferret village, the chic-est spot on the the Presqu'Ile. Smart boutiques, cafes and restaurants in a low-rise, laid-back setting - the ambience is casual, relaxed but appreciative of good living. A couple of 'bonnes adresses': it's worth stopping for a drink the stylish Tchanque bar of the Hôtel Maison du Bassin (so named after the famous houses on stilts close to the Ile aux Oiseaux) - the address for an 'apéro'; and Fredelian, a salon de thé renowned for its patisseries, especially the local favourite (and ours), cannelés.

From the village you can take a ferry over to Arcachon or Le Moulleau, or try a boat tour spotting the oyster beds and bird life of the bassin d'Arcachon.

There's also a charming 'p'tit train' that runs from the jetty on the bassin side over the Atlantic beach on the other side of the pensinsula; the trip takes 10-15 minutes and, especially if you have children, is a delight!

Heading on down to the Pointe is a must, stopping to climb to the top of the famous Cap Ferret lighthouse on the way - the views across the bassin to the sandy wild-life reserve of the Banc d'Arguin and over to the Dune de Pyla (Europe's highest sand dune) are breathtaking.

The famous '44 hectares' of the Cap Ferret peninsula are situated south of the lighthouse. This is an area of villas built in the earlier part of the century set amongst the pine trees all served by unmade roads, owned by several French stars, Bordeaux vineyard owners and generations of Cap Ferret inhabitants of more modest means. It's probably the most natural, exclusive yet unpretentious housing estate in France and also home to the island's most famous restaurant, Chez Hortense - laid back (what else could it be here?) and popular with France's VIPs.

If you feel the urge to leave the Cap - and many don't while they are here - the famous appelations of Pauillac and Margaux north in the médoc rouge are not far away. There are many vineyards where you can visit and taste some of the famous wines. Two very approachable châteaux are the under-rated (and relatively inexpensive) Château Maucaillou, a medium-sized, family-run estate in Moulis-en-Médoc; there is an interesting museum exhibiting some of the history of wine-making. Or for a very special visit, Château Giscours in the Margaux region organises tastings of various vintages of its grand crus classés, hosted by a particularly engaging, unpretentious and plain-speaking 'oenologue' (Master of Wine).

Around the other side of the basin is Arcachon, a popular French resort; a part of the town known as the Ville d'Hiver (winter town) is well worth strolling to see the quirky architecture of its many 19th century villas.

South of Arcachon is the famous Dune du Pyla, the largest sand dune in Europe, standing at over 100 metres. A journey to the summit (try it without the staircase provided!) is a must; sunrise and sunset are the best times.

If you're feeling beached out, Bordeaux is well under an hour away and is a good option for a day-trip, whether it’s boutique shopping, sight-seeing or culture. Walking around the 18th century old town centre (Quartier St. Pierre), you can begin to imagine the city’s commercial and maritime past. Medieval gems of the Gironde east of Bordeaux are also wonderful days out; St Emilion, with its 11th century basilica, is the best known but can be busy; St Macaire and La Réole are also enjoyable. Obviously there are more chateaux over here but an altogether different wine experience can be had at Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa, in the middle of the Château Smith Haut Lafitte, vineyards, just south of Bordeaux. The spa offers unique beauty treatments derived from grand cru grapes of the Graves appelation renowned for their anti-ageing and micro-circulation improving properties - in short, visitors apparently come out feeling good!

For further information try the links below. Please note that we cannot be held responsible for the content of third party sites.

Cap Ferret tourist office
Claouey tourism guide (in French)
Arcachon tourist office
Bordeaux tourist office
Gironde tourism guide
Guide to the Gironde coast
Château Giscours
Château Maucaillou
Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa