Narrowed our holiday search to the area around La Rochelle. Does anyone have any views about the differences in holidaying on either of the above islands at the end of August ? Is one busier than the other, does one have more to do than the other? Is one prettier ? Do they both suffer from Mossies? I had heard you can queue to get on and off Ile d'oleron in august is that also the case for Ile de Re
Cheers for any advice
Katie
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We went last year and must say we were disappointed with both. There is a charge to go over the bridge which we thought was expensive. The sites were not up to much either.
Well, that just goes to show that for every area/region there are different viewpoints! We like both islands, having been to both about 2 or 3 times.
First of all to make the charge issue clear: there is a charge to go over the bridge to Ile de Re, but not to go to Ile d'Oleron.
The reason we like the islands is that we have a motorhome which we never use once on site, as we like walking and cycling. On both islands cycling is fantastic on designated cycle paths, and really enjoyable.
Also, Keith's comment about sites is a bit negative (QUOTE: The sites were not up to much either). How many sites did you stay on? I'd say that in common with anywhere in France, or indeed other countries, some sites are lovely and some sites are not what you'd expect. No different on either of these islands.
We've never been to either island in August, only June and September. Never queued at any time, getting on or off. Therefore cannot comment on how busy it is in August. Yes, there are mossies around, but not significantly more so than other areas near rivers etc.
If you have bikes with you and are staying in La Rochelle, you can always just cycle over the bridge to Ile de Re, and have a look that way; that costs nothing! We did that one year when staying in La Rochelle and it was great fun. There is a cycle path totally separate from the road so you are 100% safe from traffic.
We stayed on Ile D'Oleron last year. The island is lovely but the few beaches get packed very early in the day. The only thing that would put me off going again is the mossies. No matter what replent I used, I still got bitten and some bites swelled massively.
------------- Joanne
May - Peak District
June - MG Live Silverstone
August/Sept - Salou
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Hi, we went to Ile de Re in 2010 (first time to France) and loved it. I too thought that the cost to cross the bridge was a tad too expensive. Wasn't that impressed with our pitch (a bit dated) but the site was nice. The beach was empty ALL the time. Roads are all flat and loads of cycle paths.
St Martin is a MUST during the day and evening.
Every day we visited the local village square as they had a market every morning. Stunning location would definitely go back but maybe to a different site (unless they update the showers and improve the pitches.
We loved Oleron - the climate, the choice of beaches, the cycling and the fact is was very French...guess it depends what you want & like in a holiday. Yes, there was a queue for the Oleron bridge but was 11am on the first Saturday in August & was nothing compared to the queues we faced on the M25 to & from Portsmouth!
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Been to both & Ile de Re gets my vote every time. La Grainetiere near La Flotte was my favourite of the sites we've stayed on, though Les Tour des Prises near La Couarde also looked good.
St Martin is amazing,but very pretty are La Flotte and Ars, also, the cycle track to Loix past the old Water Mill is a must.
There was a fancy restaurant in Ars, (too pricey for us with the kids), called the Re d' Ars, we presumed it was a curry house.......
Been to both and really like them,been blessed with lovely weather each visit..Visited Oleron more times mainly because im tight and prefer a free bridge to an overpriced toll.
Weve stayed at the camping municipal outside La continere,on Oleron ,direct beach access,low tide rock pools ok for swimming high tide.Never had mossie problems there but you are literally by the beach so there is often a breeze.
The grand Plage near the bridge is a lovely beach on Oleron.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Ile de Re or ile d`Oleron
