Villa,
Cottage & Apartment Holidays in South West France
Côte Landaise Region Guide
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Active,
beach-based holidays for outdoor-lovers
The Côte Landaise stretches from the Dune de
Pyla to the Adour estuary, a natural playground of ocean beach,
forest trails, shimmering lakes, interspersed with family-friendly
resorts (eg Biscarosse, Mimizan and
Moliets) and all-year-round towns such as Capbreton,
Soustons and Europe's undisputed surf capital,
Hossegor. Every watersport imaginable,
cycle and walking trails, golf,
horse-riding, are all widely available. Vineyards
are an easy day-trip away. Landais and
Gascon cultures mingled, towards the north with
Bordelais cuisine and to the south, with Basque
and Spanish influences, make for varied
local menus. The natural environment, range of activities and, of
course, exceptional beaches, make the Côte Landaise a fantastic
holiday destination.
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Click on Cote
Landaise part of map for enlargement and more detail
Check our Travel page for flight/ferry
options to the Côte Landaise |
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WHAT'S
THE COTE LANDAISE REGION LIKE? |
The
Côte Landaise is dominated by Aquitaine's distinctive,
instantly-relaxing landscape of ocean, forest and dunes. Half-timbered
maisons landaises populate the countryside. The region is
best-known for its distinctive, charming sea-side towns such
as Hossegor and Capbreton -
and lively, family-friendly holiday resorts such as Biscarrosse
and Moliets, also the locations
for two of our Mer & Golf Villa
collections. Less well-known is that to the south of the region,
and just 10-20 kms inland, the scenery changes and Gascon-looking
rolling countryside and characterful villages emerge, the
ideal location for a beach-and-country holiday. So,
if you
are looking to be right by the sea, or for a country retreat
with easy access to the beaches, the Côte
Landaise is an ideal destination. |
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Lots of familes and groups of friends going on holiday together
tell us they are struyggling to satisfy quite different needs.
With its beaches, activities & sports, shopping, good
wine and food, day trips, history & culture, we often
recommend the Cote Landaise, everyone's happy and no-one has
to compromise!
Ocean beaches - the Cote Landaise is part
of the Cote d'Argent (the silver coast) so there's over 100kms
of ocean beach to choose from- sand and sea stretching as
far as the eye can see. All the main towns have supervised
bathing areas but if they're too busy, without venturing too
far along you can usually find a quieter patch (though sometimes
unsupervised - ocean currents can be strong so only good swimmers
should venture out of the shallows).
Lake beaches - within cycling distance of
most of the main sea-side towns Aquitaine's lakes ('étangs')
offer a lovely alternative to the ocean, with beaches perfect
for toddlers and with the added comfort of shady picnic areas
close by. Try the etangs de: Cazaux & Sanguinet
or Parentis & Biscarrosse (both
near Biscarrosse), Aureilhan, Soustons
and Léon. All are delightfully
tranquil alternatives for beach-days and picnics, and offer
sailing and windsurfing centres. At Léon you can even
canoe from the lake along the serene Courant d’Huchet
to the ocean’s edge at Huchet!
Cycling - bikes are a great way to get around
Aquitaine and casual and more dedicated cyclists are all well-catered
for. There is an extensive network of trails linking lakes
and ocean towns, for example running from Biscarrosse lake
to ocean, Aureilhan to Mimizan-Plage, in and all around Moliets,
and linking Leon-Moliets-Seignosse-Hossegor.
Golf - The Cote Landaise is an outstanding destination
for golfers, and includes the highly-rated Golf de Moliets
and Golf de Seignosse.
Biscarrosse,
Hossegor
also offer courses. Try combining playing the southern courses
(Seignosse, Moliets, Hossegor) with ones around the Cote Basque
- the Biarritz
Golf Pass offers discounts on many of these.
Walking - paths wind through the forest,
around lakeshores and over dunes all along the coast. Serious
walkers can try the GR8 national trail, connecting
the Etang de Sanguinet near Biscarrosse and all subsequent
lakes to the south, over 120km in all!
Surfing - the Côte Landaise is home
to Europe's capital of surfing, Hossegor.
It is the best-known and most fashionable surf-town and has
the boutiques to prove it! It's by no means surfers' only
destination though: Biscarrosse, Mimizan-Plage,
Moliets, Vieux-Boucau and
Capbreton all also offer good surfing, and
all have hire shops and surf schools. Sailing and
wind-surfing are also popular, especially
on the lakes.
Plenty of opportunities for canoeing and kayaking. You can take trips from Labenne (Bleu Pins campsite) or Lac de Leon along the serene Courant d'Huchet.
Activity parks - to let off a bit more steam
there are adventure playgrounds/adrenalin parks at
Moliets and Biscarrosse, and an impressive water park (Atlantic
Park) at Seignosse (near Hossegor).
Horse-riding - with all that forest and space,
it's not surprising horse-riding is popular, with several
'centres équestres' (including Biscarrosse
and Messanges, near Moliets) offering courses
and treks for beginners and more experienced riders.
Markets - the staple of French daily life.
» Capbreton - Tue, Thu & Sun all year; every day
in Jul & Aug
» Dax - Sat & Sun all year
» Leon - Tue all year; every day mid Jun - end Sep
» Magescq - Thu all year
» Messanges - Wed & Sat in Jul & Aug
» Moliets - Tue, Thu, Sat in Jul & Aug
» Seignosse Bourg - Wed all year
» Seignosse le Penon - Thu & Sun in Jun & Sep;
plus Tue in Jul & Aug
» Saint Girons - Sun in Jul & Aug
» Saint Paul les Dax - Thu all year
» Soustons - Mon all year
» Vieux Boucau - Tue & Sat all year; every day except
Sun in Jul & Aug
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| PHOTO
GALLERY
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| Hossegor
beach |
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Exploring
the Courant d'Huchet by canoe
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Lac de Léon
Capbreton surfers
Seignosse golf course (approaching the 10th)
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COTE
LANDAISE
OUR HIGHLIGHTS |
| We've
picked out five must-dos on the Cote Landaise: |
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A canoe trip along the Courant d'Huchet - peaceful, and shady
on those hot days |
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Sitting
on Hossegor beach admiring the surfers when the waves are
up - impressive! |
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An
evening bowl of fresh mussels at Moliets' Cave aux Moules,
washed down with a carafe of rose, and beach-stroll afterwards... |
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Cycle
ride from Biscarrosse Lac to town through the forest, lovely
route, but quite hilly - you'll earn a beer at the end of
it |
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Drive
around sleepy Landes villages admiring their many stunning
medieval churches |
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Going
from north to south, here's a selection of Côte Landaise
places and sights to give a lasting flavour of this surprisingly
distinctive area:
• Bassin d'Arcachon. This
popular and stylish area just north of Biscarrosse provides
plenty of options for visitors. Ferries run from Arcachon
to a host of destinations including Cap Ferret,
a smart resort on the other side of the Bassin d’Arcachon
and to the beautiful Banc d’Arguin,
a sand-bank nature reserve. The Banc d’Arguin sits
at the foot of the famous Dune du Pyla which
at over 100 metres is the largest sand dune in Europe. A
journey to the summit (try it without the staircase provided!)
is a must; sunrise and sunset are the best times.
• Experience Landais culture: to
sample a pastime particular to the south west, visit Vieux-Boucau
to watch course landaise (a less gory version of
bull-fighting) and the Basque-invented pelota, the fastest
ball-game in the world. If you’d like to learn more
about the Landaise culture and traditions, try the eco-museum
at Sabres in the Landes National Park,
about a 20-30 minute drive from Mimizan.
• Visit a spa. In France, the south west
is known for its rejuvenating waters, both salt and fresh
varieties. Dax is the official spa capital of France
and is a 30 minute drive from the southern Landes
coast.
• Hossegor has a lot to offer: boutique
shopping, great bars and restaurants, world-famous surfing
beaches, two lovely golf courses ranked in the Top 50 in
France and a beautiful lagoon for safe bathing. It’s
little wonder, therefore, that the town is popular in summer,
especially with well-to-do French families and their surfing
offspring.
Capbreton - less well-known than Hossegor,
but preferred to its neighbour by many locals for its sheltered
beach and seafront, and the authentic village-by-the-sea
atmosphere of the centre. The sea-front is a great
place for a stroll before or after dinner. The jetty, known
locally as l'estacade offers excellent coastal
views. There's normally a few locals here trying to catch
a fish for supper.
• Visit the Chalosse Country. To
the south of Dax and Mont-de-Marsan you start to enter rural
Gascony, which means several things: foie gras, floc de
Gascogne (a sherry-like aperitif) and a pleasantly slow
pace of life. The food is marvellous (salade landaise
is a must-try), the towns are half asleep except for
market days, and the countryside is highly relaxing. Montfort-en-Chalosse,
Mugron and St. Sever are
good stopping points
• City culture.
Bordeaux is just over an hour from Biscarrosse
and is a good option for a day-trip, whether it’s
boutique shopping, sight-seeing or museums. In the other
direction, Bayonne, Biarritz and
even San Sebastien and Bilbao
in Spain are in manageable day-tripping distance from Moliets
and locations further south.
As well as the attractions listed here, the Côte Landaise
borders the Pays des Vins to the north
and Landes National Park eastwards; to
the south the Côte Basque and even
parts of the Pyrenees are reachable - please
browse away for more discoveries...
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The
Côte Landaise is situated at a wonderful gastronomic
intersection - lively Spanish and Basque influences to the
south, the sauces and wines of Bordeaux and the Bay of Arcachon
to the north, the rich delights of Gascony inland. This means
French classics - magret, boeuf de Bazas, foie gras - mingle
with paellas, mussels, oysters, tapas, freshly-caught fish,
and a huge selection of wines. All from within a 150 mile
radius - this isn't somewhere you'll go hungry or thirsty!
As well as its neighbours produce, here's a selection of Landais
specialities you might find:
• Salade landaise, a wonderful mixture
of fresh cold salad and warm salty meat - various, hard-to-identify
(best not ask), fried cuts of fowl. The Landes is renowned
in France for its poultry, especially, capons, ducks and geese,
and parts of some or all of these are to be found in the landaise
salad. Makes a perfect lunch with a glass of rose.
• Tourtière: a landais-style
apple strudel whose pastry recipe substitutes butter with
(can you guess?) goose fat!
• Confits and patés. This isn't
the place to explain the differences between the two, just
to say that the Landes duck and geese populations are raised
in a laudable purpose, maintaining the local tradition of
making fine accompaniments to toast and a glass of chilled
white wine.
• One item you won't find on the menu, ortolan:
French cuisine at its most extreme, and a Landais speciality.
Apparently Francois Mitterand's favourite, and one of the
last dishes he ate. It involves eating a small bird whole
- bones, feathers and all - after drowning it in cognac and
baking. Illegal these days, not surprisingly...
Restaurant recommendations - as provided by owners and clients alike. There are many more provided in our resort guides.
Auberge de Biaudos - Biaudos - between Bayonne and Peyrehorade north of the river
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| updated
24.06.09 ja |
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