I love visiting a new place and immediately thinking, this is a place where the locals vacation. What a joy it is to be let in on that little secret. In France, one of these particular places of late is the Vendée region. | | | | | I love visiting a new place and immediately thinking, this is a place where the locals come on vacation. What a joy it is to be let in on that little secret. In France, one of these particular places of late is the Vendée region.
Its beauty lies in the fact that it has almost everything: beaches, rocky cliffs, islands, hills, cycling and horseback riding trails, fishing port towns, pastel-colored villages, salt marshes, grand castles – no wonder the French, and many other Europeans, love to come here.
In just five days, I ate more seafood and spent more time on a boat in the Vendée than I have all year. Here are three enchanting places I would like to revisit someday. | | | | Stop 1: Les Sables d’Olonne | | | Why go: It’s the Vendée’s most popular resort town for good reason. And beyond the seaside, you’ll discover quiet side streets lined with pastel homes, the region’s most flourishing fishing port and a resultingly spectacular food scene. It’s a year-round town, both in that the weather is mild and there’s always plenty to do.
Where to stay: Four-star Hôtel Vertime has gorgeous, bright and spacious rooms. Its rooftop pool and bar offer fabulous views of the town and port, which brims with sailing and fishing boats.
| | | Where to eat: I’ve never enjoyed so much fresh seafood in so short a time period, both in quantity and in diversity. My favorite bites included the prettiest sardine toast at Alice, le Bistrot, spider crab with a herby avocado cream at La Cotriade de la Mer and a comforting bowl of fish soup at Rosemonde Restaurant.
What to do: It’s one of those places where wandering is the star attraction. As you walk, track down the 41cm-wide (16in) rue de l’Enfer (Hell Street), one of the world’s narrowest streets, and check out the marvelous mosaics by artist Danielle Aubin-Arnaud in the l’Île Penotte neighborhood. She’s created the most intricate frescos made entirely of shells. Take a ferry over to La Chaume, a fishing village that’s the oldest neighborhood in Les Sables d’Olonne. | | | Photography credits: Ann Douglas Lott/Lonely Planet | This email was sent to you by: | Lonely Planet Publications Ltd. | 1101 Red Ventures Drive, Fort Mill, SC 29707 | | | |
