House / Villa - Ile de Ré - La Couarde sur mer

Splendid House, great welcome, lovely garden, quiet although in the middle of the city - everyone enjoyed the holiday.

Great place to stay in La couarde sur mer

we had een wonderfull time in la Couarde sur mer, grande rue,50, cosy home with a lovely garden in an authenthic village, franck en caroline, the owners,very nice people!!!! I recommend it to everyone who loves the sea, nature and ofcourse bicycling... we''ll be back vera and philip

Franck really looked after us-lovely bloke. He thinks about everything - and is always contactable before/during the stay. He'll book a taxi to/from the airport - worth accepting as the bus trip appears to take some time and eat into the holiday. The taxi person Franck books also knows where to drop off/pick up - by La Cabine de Bain restaurant. The holiday in brief from our perspective: Hire/take bikes. This is a wonderful place for cycling - flat and easy unless cycling into what can be quite strong winds. St Martin - lots to see/do, Le Boix Plage - massive market, good beach, and Loix (which we found a little boring) are all within a 30-45 minute cycle ride (quicker for a strong cyclist), and the scenery is wonderful. The cycle shop Franck recommended didn't have any electric bikes - but the hire place by Carrefour did (really nice bloke in there). However, electric bike aren't usually necessary (I was fine without) and bumps up hire price. The house has everything needed. It says no shower, but there is a really good hot shower in the bath. The house is very pretty, modernised throughout - very easy to keep clean. Carrefour - turn right out of the alleyway, immediately left down Rue de La Motte then right into Rue de La Mail. There is also a really good market in a large building opposite Carrefour (except Monday I think), and most days in the town square. Eating out - loads of places to drop into on the cycle routes most specialising in oysters and other sea food. Like all of France - there are lots of places to eat in the small towns - we enjoyed St Martin around the harbour. Taking a picnic keeps the price down of course. We only ate out a couple of times - both time at La Cabine de Bain - which was excellent and very friendly. The cost rises quickly with everything beyond a main course (£20-25), but the food was wonderful, there was an amuse bouche on both occasions - we would highly recommend this place - (do - dress warm as the temperature can drop quickly in the evening (we were there in September). Practicalities: The house is down an alleyway directly opposite the entrance to La Cabine de Bain restaurant. Sunday evening - restaurants open nearer the beach - not so much in town centre The pizza place 'A la carabistoule' - avoid .... the pizzas are terrible. Back late - there is a light switch behind the dustbin. Mosquitoes - repellents etc. at Carrefour

We loved the house and the location was unbeatable. Franck was so welcoming and helpful. We had a wonderful week and would love to return for longer next time!

This is a great property in a great location. The layout of the house is simple and well thought out, with comfortable beds and plenty of storage space upstairs. The garden is incredibly quiet considering the location in the centre of the pleasant village. We made good use of the large barbeque and outdoor furniture to enjoy the locally bought food in the warm sunshine. Although in the centre of the village, access is from the traffic-free main street down a short 'impasse' which made it feel very safe for our young children whenever we left the property. The village shops are pretty much on your doorstep, together with the church and small carousel that seems to be a fixture in every village on the island. A few minutes walk beyond the church is the playground for the village, which you could easily miss but is a peaceful and relaxing space to take the kids in the evening. The walk to the beach is about 10mins with only one fairly busy road to cross, there are several zebra crossings and the traffic in early June was quite sedate and sparse anyway. There are several cycle hire shops in the village. We used the closest to the property, just to the right as you leave the impasse. They were very patient with us on our first visit and the hire cost was very reasonable - even better value if you hire bikes for several days consecutively. The owner of the property was extremely friendly and helpful, right from our first contact with him by email to his meeting us on arrival and then on the morning we left. He willingly booked our taxi back to the airport for us on the day we left and was genuinely happy to assist with anything we required. We would definitely like to return to this property in the future and it contributed to what was a perfect holiday for the four of us.

Fantastic location in lovely little village. Garden was perfect for 2 small children and easy walking disctanec to the local boulangerie. Lots of room in the house for a family of 4. The owner were very helpful in booking and also during our stay. Highly recommended.

As always, the house was immaculate. Although in the middle of La Couarde, there is no noise. Except the chuch bell chimming which is pleasant. La Couarde is so special. We love the markets and the local cafe's etc are amazing. The local supermarket is 5 minutes walk away full of everything one needs.

Deaking with Franck was a pleasure. The cottage was ideal for our toddler with a small garden and a walk from the beach.The cottage and Couarde are lovely and cycling between villages is a great way to holiday although you could happily spend days just in Couarde.

We had a fantastic week! The house was gorgeous, spotlesssly clean, beautiful garden withh a great BBQ which we put to good use. It was just off the main street minutes from a great boulangerie and eating places. The beach was close and the cycling paths brillant. All in all a fabulous holiday and a brilliant house