It wasn't really planned, but in the end, isn't that a bit of a parental adventure? Unforeseen events, solutions to be found quickly? In our case of the day, everything was fundamentally positive. The urgency of finding a fallback solution to spend a week in the green, that's okay, there's worse!
In the meantime we laugh, but with my schedule a little overloaded and the weather racing with the light, I found myself very deprived at the end of March when I realized that leaving the children with my parents for the 2 weeks of vacation Easter would not be possible, nor with us in the works. Especially since the teenager was coming back from her 2 weeks in San Francisco and she was going to have to make her work…
I had the Madame Vacances reflex. We had already gone with them to the mountains and frankly, I have not heard since, especially from certain readers, that their offers are really attractive. The quality/price ratio is perfect:quality but not too "luxurious" to remain accessible. Which suits me PERFECTLY. What I particularly appreciate, in addition to the fact that they are present everywhere in France, in several formats:rental, hotel, residences, houses, apartments... they offer promotions very regularly, even for the "red" periods of the holidays school .
My imperative:4 hours maximum drive because I will be alone to drive on the outward journey. Easy access by train as well, so that the man can join us for the 2nd part of the week. Finally, I wanted to see the sea, we chose... the Atlantic Ocean!
Departure on Sunday morning quietly from Paris with the children, a wonderful lunch break on a motorway service area with the disgusting coffee that is fine... yeah because on Sundays, know it:in Le Mans, there is nothing open , well yes, but you have to book your table 4 weeks in advance…
We arrived in Vendée, in Saint Jean de Monts, at the Madame Vacances Le Domaine de Vertmarines residence at around 4 p.m. A little early but our villa, sorry, was ready. I really appreciated, as you can imagine, the quick, efficient and benevolent welcome. A house with a swimming pool (well, it was 12° but the idea is there), very large, well equipped, clean, the children even had their own room, which bothered the little one who already saw himself squatting in the bed from her sister...for the record, she ended up cracking up two nights and I found my "babies" curled up in their big holiday bed.
(You can discover the interior of the villa in my featured Instagram stories)
Organized (yes ma'am), I had brought groceries to start the week but a little trip to the convenience store OPEN ON SUNDAY was essential for the expenses. We were able to take a walk on the large beach of St Jean de Monts and what good it feels! Mediocre weather but there you go, the view of the ocean, the wind, the perfume… I had missed it so much.
A very nice idea this week elsewhere. Admittedly, I had to work a lot, I made the teenager work, I left the P'tit in front of his screen... but we were somewhere else, quiet, we were taking a long walk break, I took my deckchair, my fleece and I put myself in the sun as soon as he showed up. As a result, I came back with a little tan on my face... enough to give me a boost while waiting for the real big holidays!
What to do around Saint Jean de Monts as a family?
Lots of things. Of course, out of season, let's be clear:it's dead. But at least the bike paths are free and there's no queuing at the market. It's open every morning.
Our favorites, in addition to the beaches of the entire surrounding coast (Notre-Dame-de-Mont, St Hilaire de Riez, St Gilles Croix de Vie…)
Challans:we made a brilliant escape game there , then a nice walk/picnic in the Sablière park and finally some karting laps (the pleasure of having BIG children)
The Rairé Windmill :an incredible visit that I highly recommend. This mill is still in operation. It dates from the 16th century and the miller – who doesn't sleep – explains how it all works. It's exciting. On the way down, you must of course sit down and take a homemade flour pancake! I loved it.
Note the possibility of visiting the region, in groups or not, guided or not, through the small waterways in the middle of the fields. We didn’t – lack of time/organization required – but came across vacationers at the mill, who came by canoe! I looked and here is the site:La Route du Sel
For indoor teen activities, bowling of St Hilaire de Riez, facing the beach of Sion is also at the top.
As always, do not hesitate to add your good plans and good addresses in the region!
