Holiday inspiration. Holiday Types. Family holidays. More inspiration. About us. Contact us. The beach is ideal for young children. Caroline, The Ocean Villa, France. The host, Marc, is responsive and helpful. Second time at this villa and recommend. A Feldman, Villa du Bocage, France. For many, the very thought of maritime France conjures images of a glamorous Mediterranean seafront, alive with tourism in every sense.
With km of celebrated sand, the additional presence of unbeatable seafood and endless seaside vistas is an additional delight โ and although the area may draw much of its cultural influence from the Norman north, it looks to the south for its weather. Basking in that welcome sunshine sits a string of charming, understated towns and whitewashed fishing villages โ their narrow streets and quayside restaurants offering a coastal break arguably more charming and less packed than their Mediterranean counterparts.
Inland, lies Le Bocage; a lush patchwork of rolling hills, freshwater lakes, sunflower fields and vineyards โ with some 2, hectares of unspoilt forest at its heart. History is never far away in this verdant countryside โ the Renaissance town of Fontenay Le Comte and beautiful, fortified Vouvant among the many charming and historic sites scattered haphazardly across the landscape.
South of Le Bocage, and drawing the sea deep inland, the Marais Poitevin is an intriguing, sleepy labyrinth of poplar-lined canals and ancient waterways created first by 10th-century monks and benefiting later from that unparalleled Dutch engineering.
Here, punting is the activity du jour โ an hour or two of lazy exploration every bit as idyllic as the casual adventure-seeker could wish for. The unexpected sights, the proudly preserved traditions, the closely guarded recipes; soak up the sheer French-ness of them all. And do so knowing that โ in true Pays de la Loire style โ an inimitable glass of Muscadet or Vouvray is never far from hand.
