Go France: The sense of not much to do and all day to do it pervades Ile de Re – and that's what makes it such a great place to visit, writes ORNA MULCAHY
IT WASN’T the obvious way to reach Île de Ré – the tiny island on France’s Atlantic coast that’s been been likened to the Hamptons because of the number of posh Parisiens who holiday there. After all, Ryanair flies from Dublin and Cork to the city of La Rochelle daily in summer and from there it’s a quick drive across a bridge onto the island. But in summer the flights are pricey, naturally, and we wanted to take the bikes. The bike is king on Île de Ré – an island that’s just 30km long and 5.5km at its widest, but which has 100km of cycle paths meandering between its 10 villages.
And so the ferry it was, bikes on the back and buckets and spades in the boot. There would be a six-hour drive south from Roscoff, but then we had plenty of time and the boat would be part of the holiday, or at least that’s how we sold it to the children.
The journey started in Cork on the kind of beautifully sunny day that begs the question of why one needs to leave Ireland at all to go on holiday. But Île de Ré beckoned – a colleague had raved about the island and how relaxed she’d felt after just three days cycling through vineyards and eating oysters on the beach. Straight away we booked the hotel she’d stayed at, bagging the last two rooms available.
Arriving early to the Brittany Ferries terminal we were almost first in line and were soon directed into the mouth of the ship by smartly-dressed folk in blue and red jumpsuits.
The deck was squeaky clean which augured well for upstairs and soon we were exploring the perfectly functional cabin. Boarding insanely early had its benefits. We were among the first out on the open deck and, copying the people who looked as if they knew what they were doing, we arranged our plastic chairs to face the sun and felt as if the holiday had truly begun. There was a good hour of this, before the Pont Avenfinally made its way out of Cork harbour.
Cobh looks its best from this vantage point, its ice cream-coloured Victorian houses glowing in the sunshine. It was not till the boat passed the final headland, the last sight of Ireland, that our thoughts turned to dinner.
It seemed as if the whole boat had the same idea and the buffet was packed with the Irish determined to have steak and chips, while the canny French made do with the salad bar and their half bottles of wine. After dinner, a quick trot around the deck and then to bed, a narrow but spotless bunk that only needed a strong reading lamp to be just right.
A fresh croissant next morning and then Roscoff. We whizzed by the wine outlets, swept through a couple of handsome-looking towns with cut-stone buildings, and then hurtled on down through France, watching the temperature rise and we clocked up the miles.
THE GREY morning in Brittany registered 14 degrees, cooler than home. By the time we were crossing the magnificent two-mile bridge from La Rochelle the mercury had climbed to 28 degrees under a cloudless sky. The toll is a hefty €16.50 in summer, but it includes the return journey, and while we promised ourselves a day exploring La Rochelle’s narrow cobbled streets and excellent aquarium it never happened because the island is just too nice to leave.
The GPS guides us right to the door of the L’Ocean Hotel in the village of Le Bois Plage En Ré. It’s a charming rambling old house with much of the ground floor taken up by a restaurant, though there is a small sitting room and an atmospheric bar with comfy leather tub chairs.
Our family quarters are two adjoining bedrooms located in a little courtyard, with a patch of garden in front. There’s a good-sized pool too but one of the best things about the hotel is that it is right in the village centre – a single street of shops with a cafe at either end, and different market stalls every day.
Around the corner, past the church, there’s a square with a daily market selling knock-off Converse runners, Breton-style striped T-shirts and loose, linen clothes that along with espadrilles and a shopping basket make up the uniform of the island. There’s also a big food market, a decent supermarket and even a mini-funfair that draws toddlers in the evenings, after they’ve exhausted themselves on the beach, for that is the best part of Le Bois Plage – the expanse of pine-fringed sand and the shallow warm water make this a perfect place for children.
It’s a short walk from the village and there’s a handy cafe or two where you can get pizza, salad and drinks at very reasonable prices. No expensive sunbeds, no hawkers selling tat, just old fashioned sun and sand.
The sense of not much to do and all day to do it pervades the island, which until the end of the 19th century was a tranquil place producing salt and oysters. It was originally four islands – St Martin, Loix, Ars and Les Portes – but the channels between them gradually silted up allowing salt marshes to develop.
The Maison du Marais Salant, the salt marsh museum in Loix, has some fine vintage photographs, and souvenir shops all over the island sell bags of coarse grey salt.
Avoid this stuff in favour of the finer, whiter Fleur de Sel, deliciously light flakes which we found in little wooden trugs on our table for breakfast and dinner at the L’Ocean. You can buy it in bags of all sizes, right up to a five kilo sack, at Le Sel D’Isabelle outlet which is signposted from the cycle path just outside La Couarde sur Mer towards Bois Plage.
These days salt production is largely for the tourists, who come in their droves to the island all summer long. The resident population of about 17,000 swells to 20 times that in July and August. Holiday homes have mushroomed, but strict planning laws have kept them small and low, with paint colours from a strict palette that runs from a pale blue grey through to turquoise green. Hollyhocks, the islands’ flower, provide the only bright colour, their pink and red heads rearing up agains the whitewashed walls.
After the beach and a siesta, it’s time to take the bikes out for a spin. You can hire bikes anywhere on the island for up to €15 a day. They’re good solid machines too, with many gears to handle the few gentle hills the island has to offer.
The cycle paths take you through vineyards and vegetable patches, past oyster beds and chicken runs, through village gates and over drawbridges. No need to take the car out at all. Each evening we made the short journey across to St Martin, the capital of the island where cafes and restaurants are clustered around the port, the best of them being La Baleine Bleue which is more expensive than the average bistros but far, far better.
We took the car out just once, to drive to the far end of the island to visit the Phare des Baleines, a picture-postcard lighthouse complete with tourist market and gift shop.
We could have made several more trips, to different beaches or to one of the island’s many thalassotherapy centres where you can wallow in warm salt water pools. But the best part of the holiday was staying put on the beach.
One word of advice, a week on this island is too short. Two, even three, weeks are recommended, but make sure you book before the hoards of high season descend.
Get there
Orna Mulcahy used Brittany Ferries’ (brittanyferries.ie) Cork to Roscoff crossing. Summer return fares for two adults, two children in a four-berth cabin with ensuite range from €585 to €1,234 depending on the month.
Ile de Re where to...
Stay
The French like their holiday homes as much as the Irish and there are lots of them, many recently built and to let, ranging from one-bed cottages to compounds sleeping 20. Try ownersdirect.co.uk or Iledere.com for a good selection. Typically, a two-bed house will cost €700-€1,000 plus per week in high season.
Hotel Restaurant L'Ocean,Le Bois Plage En Re, 172 rue St Martin, 00-33-546-092307 or re-hotel-ocean.com. Delightful hotel that could more accurately be described as a restaurant with rooms, a small garden and a swimming pool. Great village centre location, with family rooms at ground level and more attractive ones upstairs. Doubles from €85 to €180.
Hotel de Toiras,1 Quai Job Foran, St Martin de Ré, 00-33-546-354032 or hotel-de-toiras.com. Relais et Chateau grand 17th century townhouse on the water's edge converted to an elegant hotel where Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis have been known to stay. Doubles from €175 rising to more than €1,000 for one of the best suites.
Eat
Le Taxi Brousse– the Jungle Taxi, 20 Rue des Anneries, 00-33-546-299033. Hidden away in the dunes behind the beach at La Couarde, this is an open air restaurant with its own pool. Great for a bowl of mussels at lunchtime. Open from midday till late with dancing after dinner.
La Cabane de la Patache, La Patache beach, Les Portes, 00-33-546-313822. Open air beachside cafe that is well protected from the wind and with lovely views.
La Baleine Bleue, Quai Launy Razilly, 17410 St Martin de Ré, 00-33-546-090330, baleinebleue.com. Overlooking the port in St Martin, La Baleine Bleu is more expensive than some of its neighbours, with the three-course dinner menu at about €43 a head (not including wine) but then the food is simply miles better. Think oysters, great fish, delicate patés and excellent steak. Outdoor tables are laid with stiff linen and tall stem glasses, and the service is formal but charming.
Go
On the hunt for oysters. At regular intervals along the roads of Île de Ré you’ll find cabanes where families serve up oysters they have cultivated, which can be eaten at nearby picnic tables, totally simple and cheap.
And finally . . . ice cream. There’s usually a queue at La Martinière, the island’s famous ice cream parlour in the port of St Martin and though the ices are pricey there’s a fabulous choice. Fleur de Sel is the signature flavour, but it also has Rocher (crushed Ferrero Rocher), peach-lavender and even oyster-caviar ice cream.