 Poster: A snowHead
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Can anyone recommend somewhere to go with the family next year?
We've been going to Watergate Bay for the past 3 years and fancy a change next year.
Looking around the Vendee looks good, found a great gite there, but they want £2500 a week for a large converted barn that sleeps 8!!!
So we are looking for somewhere for 2 families, either in one big chalet or 2 apartments, probably we would end up driving from Leeds/Reading so we can bring bikes and all our kit!
Must haves:
Pool to laze around while kids play
Beach with surfing (inc kit hire) and/or kitesurfing/windsurfing within walking distance
Decent bars/restaurants where we can eat out with the kids
Nice to haves
Rockpools for kids
Some form of aerobics/pilates/yoga classes in the area
'Other' things to do, markets, shopping, fun parks etc.
and lastly sensible pricing 
Cheers,
Greg
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Anywhere between the Gironde(Tremblade, France) and Bilbao(Northern Spain) awesome road trip and great for the cycling, i think you can cycle from Tremblade to San Sebastian, everyone should do it for the FISH! 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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St Davids in Pembrokeshire S Wales.
The bitrthplace of Coasteering, you can kayak the bitches at Ramsey Island
Atlantic swell for surfing, windsurfing and kite surfing.
Oakwood theme park is nearby - Haverfordwest.
Travel is cheap, Accomodation??
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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yeh done Pembrokeshire many times, love it around there.
I probably forgot one impotant point, missus is sick of UK weather and wants somewhere warmer
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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kitenski, Read above sonny, i did the area for 7 months, i'll retire there one day.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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kitenski, Hope you like seafood, especially Oysters.
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Got anywhere specific to recommend along that stretch of coastline accomodation wise Steve??
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kitenski, It's so well set up for camping, i'd suggest that. Either with a camper or predesposed tents, there are so many and they are awesome, the French know how to do this so well. The year i did it was 2003, that year where everyone died cos of the heat. May sound gross but i didn't take off my shorts the hole 7 months, you're in and out of the sea, showering on the beach etc. I would strongly recommend a Camping Car, you'll see so much more and be able to use some of the beautiful little stop overs ans smaller sites, ok, you'll argue with the missus over driving and directions, but if it ain't that it'll be something else. We drove due West, Chamonix to Tremblard, stopping around Volvic and the like. Once we hit the coast, we slowly cruised south, Royan, Arcichon? Ypu must Ski the Dune at Pila, down to Hossagor and on through San Sebastian to Bilbao. It was simply the best experience of my life, we came home by Sauterness and did the Harvest, bliss. I can't push you too hard to do this, if you get the weather life don't get much better, in fact, i'm off home to pack, you need a driver? I speeking the lingo non! 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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kitenski, The cote Basque is fantastic, the resorts in that area are somewhat different from each other. If you are up towards Hossegor it is really flat inland. The beaches are good but the surf can be big for the kids. Biarritz is the big resort in the area it too can have pretty big surf. Down at Hendaye the beachi s fantastic for kids though can become a bit small at high tide and thesurf is usually more manageable for kids.
Inland you have the pyrenees, road biking is very popular in the area but for mountain biking it is probably a bit more of a hike. It's a long drive down there we used todo it from Scotland but got fed up with being knackered on return and have flown recently. I can't recommend a particular place as we stay inland and drive to the beach or the hills as the mood takes us but there is quite a bit of driving, Its maybe worth contacting the tourist offices.
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brian
brian
Guest
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kitenski, I spent a couple of days out on the coast near Bordeaux as part of a trip to the World Cup in 1998, round about Cap Ferret. It was lovely, the coastline is beautiful uninterrupted atalantic surf washed beach for miles and miles.
Also, don't miss heading in to vineyard country, eg. St Emilion is a beautiful little town and you can pick up Grand Crus for buttons 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Another vote of the Cap Ferret - beautiful place.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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We spent a few days on the beach this summer near Royan before heading acorss to LDA for a snow fix
It's a great area and only an hour or so from Cognac for some sampling!
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I have this place booked out for a week in September, its just south of Bordeaux
http://www.chateaulagorce.co.uk/
The area is superb and the beaches and wine tours are amazing.
You can go inland to the dordogne or hit the coast fairly easily
France it an amazing country that I am only just starting to discover properly
bordeaux is not a bad night out either
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You know it makes sense.
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Ditto all of the above.
We too were looking for almost your citeria after a couple of years at Bude.
Surf was No.1 priority for us and the kids.
If you have a great beach why do you need a pool?
We have been a few times now to the villages of Messanges and Moliets. Both are just north of Hossegor.
beach is fantastic. Fringed by protected belt of pine forests. Beach is fairly shallow so not likely to suddenly be out of your depth for kids. Surf can be big, can be small. Ditto for Watergate Bay though. Key thing is that one continuous beach for a hundred kms+, no rocks at all until Biaritz. That means it is much safer if you get dumped by a wave. Lifeguards are very alert.
We always find place though the local tourist office webpages.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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>> If you have a great beach why do you need a pool?
Family we go with aren't great all day beach people......
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Poster: A snowHead
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rungsp, Moliets looks good, did you drive there? Seems to be a 10 hour drive from Calais or Zeebrugge!!
Cheers,
greg
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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kitenski, If you get a ferry to Normandy/Brittany it's quicker on the other side and you don't have to go round Paris.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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kitenski, If wind and kite surfing are a priority then there is only one place in Europe...Tarifa on the southern most tip of Spain
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Dypcdiver, Or Fuerteventura
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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magic_hat, Yes, but he was talking about driving. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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It's a strange request, but it's not just a surf/wind holiday as we have to cater for the kids and wifes and not just the big boys 
Hence Tarifa prob a bit too hardcore, can't see kids/wife sitting on the beach getting sandblasted whilst we enjoy ourselves!!
Atlantic coast is looking favourite, a week in a villa around Moliets, then a week in a chalet/mobile home on a campsite in the Vendee is the current thinking!
Cheers,
Greg
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kitenski, we have always flown to either Biaritz or Bordeaux and got a hire car. Friends have driven and found it OK.
If you do go I'd suggest Messanges as a lovely beach, or else the southern (quite small) entrance to the beach at Molliets as the main access is very busy due to huge campsite and associated hustle/bustle.
The french are a little odd: they seem to walk onto the beach and then sit down right there....all of them.
Walk 100 yards and you are almost on your own, walk 150 yards and you are on your own.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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kitenski,
Did you go? am researching a smilar family trip at the moment...
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martski, Jersey ticks pretty much all of the boxes above, plus it's English speaking and you don't get scr3wed on th euro!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Lacanua on the above mentioned section of French coast is awesome.
kermit,
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you can kayak the bitches at Ramsey Island
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Not unless you're a good and experienced paddler - strong tides and dangerous whirlpools, beware.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Riva del Garda (North of lake Garda) fits the bill.
Stayed here http://www.lacolombera.it/ a few years ago, its 10 mins walk from the lake and town and has it's own vineyard and restaurant.
Great windsurfing, cycling, swimming etc.
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Maybe a little chilly, but how about the west coast of the Isle of Lewis? The surf and beaches are superb
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You know it makes sense.
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kitenski,
Did you go? am researching a smilar family trip at the moment... |
Wow, blast from the past!!
We did one week on the Vendee, with zero surfing, but running/biking/canoeing/table tennis/crazy golf kept us all happy, then we drove down and shared a villa with another family at Moliets
Surf was prety vicious for beginners, but we had a good time!
The year after we went to Cornwall where it rained every day, so this year I have given in and am trying an all exclusive in Turkey with kids water slides etc etc...
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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La Manga would tick all of your boxes. Either fly to Murcia with Easyjet (you can take bikes on the plane) and rent a car... or drive down. I would fly and rent as its a 14 hour drive from Calais. Flights are very cheap.
The water in the Mar Menor is very shallow and warm. Its also gin clear. Its chest deep 100m+ from the shore. The mar gets a local catabatic wind that often hits force 6-7 in the afternoon. Mornings until about 1pm are a gentle F1-2 so ideal for learning to windsurf, cycling or lazying around. Even when the wind is big, the water stays very flat with only occasional bits of chop for jumping, further out.
There are loads of places along the beaches to rent gear from and its mostly good quality stuff. The best gear and deals were normally to be found at the Cavanna Hotel, which is surrounded by lots of apartments, bars and general shops. There's some shelter there too for non watersports people. The beach is sandy and well kept.
Second choice would be Kefalonia on Kos. Cheap hire of good kit, specialist kite surf beach 20 minutes drive away, good restaurants and bars, relaxed or lively whichever you want on the day. You can't really drive there but you can rent bikes.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I would suggest Kefalonia, having gone there last year and will go again this year. Also Lefkas was big on windsurfing and water sports.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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kitenski, if you're wanting to surf in an unfamiliar area, you need a copy of the Stormrider guide to Europe (there's a separate volume for the UK and other Atlantic islands) to tell you where to find the best breaks and the ideal tide and wind conditions for each beach. But I'm sure you already knew that.
We did Lacanau on the Atlantic coast in August 2008. The waves lived up to their reputation (3-4m for much of the holiday), but at certain times of the tide the shorebreaks were so powerful it was dangerous trying to get in the water. You seriously need to be careful there - we saw some body boarders being airlifted back to the share after being caught in a rip, and my son broke his arm when a huge wave snagged his board and flung it at him. The beach-side emergency aid centre had several other injured people when he was there, including a teenager with a spinal injury who was airlifted to Bordeaux for treatment after, I imagine, having been caught in one of the shorebreaks I mentioned.
If your kids are young, you might want to try somewhere tamer for surfing. But if they're teenage adrenaline junkies, it might just be perfect.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Ah... just realised the original post was three years ago!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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kitenski, Don't do any of those sports but we spent the last two summer holidays at La Palmyre ( around 70km from Bordeaux). On Atlantic with good surf at one part (Cote Savage) and nice bay where loads of folk were kite surfing etc. We stayed at Siblu caravan site through Eurocamp - Bonne Anse Plage. Great site for families and beach on back door of site - 5 min cycle to the Cote Savage stretch of beach and 5 min cycle into town and 'bay'. Site has great pool complex. Also the town has loads going on and there is decent looking golf courses too. Pretty good value for France.
Or if you don't mind the cold you could try St Andrews, although bear in mind that The Open is there this year in middle July
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I suggest you "Garda Lake" in the North of Italy. Do you know this area?
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haha.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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boabski, me too 3 years later, it's still sucking in the spamers though. I was out in Cape Verde (Sal) at the end of the year and it was world class for kite/wind surfing and pretty good for surfing too. Would be lees so during the summer though.
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FAQ
the Brit then got up off her chair muttering something about lost wars, ripped the brolly away from the German who then started to run away chased by the Brit who was a lot quicker and was able to kick her butt several times. The Brit then erected the brolly defiantly and lounged under it for the rest of the day. Both "Ladies" were quite 
