Moliets - out and about
Moliets
offers a variety of activities and attractions for the holiday
visitor.
Beach
There are two restricted swimming areas supervised by professional
life savers (June to Sept), leaving the rest of the beach
for the surfers and body-boarders.
Surfers can have fun paddling their boards down the Huchet
River, out to the fantastic breaks. The less confident can
take lessons - there is a choice of two surf schools, Moliets Surf School
and Maa Surf Shop and School.
Lessons include wetsuit and board hire, and advice will be
given for the most appropriate board.
Tip
- avoid the crowds at Plage Centrale and take the footpath
over the dunes to Plage Chênes Lièges.
It's about 400 metres south of Plage Centrale but less crowded
at peak times.
There is a permanently reserved area of beach for kite
flying, the only one in Aquitaine. There are four
free beach-volleyball courts run by the Moliets Tourist Information Office,
with weekly organised tournaments in summer.
The stretch of beach at Moliets is enormous, so despite all
the surfers and kite-flyers, etc, there is plenty of space
for the family and for those who just want to relax and sunbathe.
Activities
Outside
of the main summer season, many people come to Moliets for
the golf alone. The seaside course Golf de Moliets
is
ranked 9th best in France (according to the internet golf
guide Top 100 Golf Courses),
and considered to be one of the 25 most beautiful courses
in Continental Europe. Particularly memorable are the four
holes by the sea on the shifting dunes, which change continuously
with the weather. There is an 18-hole (par 72), or a 9-hole
course (par 31) to choose between. For more information about
the local golf courses and golf pass, visit our Golf
in Aquitaine page.
L'Etang de la Prade and Etang de Moliets are excellent fishing
lakes. A fishing license is required, and can be bought from
the Bureau de Tabac des Lacs in Moliets Village.
Fish include pike, perch, black-bass, roach, carp, tench and
eel. Sea fishing is completely free.
Moliets has 8kms of cycling trails, taking
you through the forest, along lakes, and to neighbouring villages.
We recommend the map of footpaths and cycling tracks available
from the tourist information office. You can also use the
Moliets tourist office website to find bike
hire companies in Moliets.
Horse riding is available at nearby Messanges
(Domaine de la Prade), and tennis is available
at the golf clubhouse.
Sailing, windsurfing, kayaks and canoes
are all available at nearby Lac de Léon and Étang
de Soustons too.
Moliets has a court for Pelote Basque (Tuesdays,
Place de l’Hôtel de Ville au Village). Similar
to squash, the most dramatic variation of the game is played
on giant courts - opponents fire a hard ball at a high wall
using a huge hooked glove, causing the ball to travel at incredible
speeds. Other variations of the game include bare hand, which
is played throughout the Basque country.
Children’s
Tourist Attractions
There’s
plenty available in Moliets for energetic youngsters. As well
as the sports outlined above, the Avenue de l’Ocean
offers basketball courts, table tennis, and
a games room; on the beach there’s a trampoline, a skate-park,
and volley-ball.
Anyone over the age of six can find adventure at Moliets Adrenaline Parc.
Treetop balconies and slides (for those taller than 1m 40cm
- approx 4 ½ ft), Quad bikes (from 6yrs), paint-balling
(from 14 yrs), and mini-motorbikes.
There's
also a small children's farm in Moliets.
Shopping
Léon
is the nearest village market (5kms) - Tue
all year plus every day in the summer, mid Jun - end Sep.
Léon
is
a pleasant village with a good boulangerie and a couple of
restaurants too. Moliets
also has a summer market - Tue, Thu, Sat in Jul & Aug.
If shopping for more luxury items is your thing,
then head south to La Côte Basque
and peruse the boutiques of Biarritz
or St Jean
de Luz.
Eating
Out
There's
plenty of tourist-y type eateries at the beach, many of which
will leave you uninspired. The pick of the bunch (according
to client feedback and our own experience) is Hotel de l'Ocean.
The village of Léon offers a couple of restaurants
which offer good value set menus, plus there's a couple of
gems further inland too (see below).
La
Grange aux Saveurs, opposite Adrenaline Parc
on the road towards Messanges -
regional food straight from the producers –
particularly foie gras (a regional speciality), Armagnac
and wines. As with most French markets, tasting is
encouraged. |
Ferme-Auberge
Lesca, 428 chemin du Stucs, 40260 Castets
(inland from Moliets, 20km beyond Léon to Castets)
- a former barn serving amazing regional specialities
of the Landes region. The small terrace offers a charming
view of the landscape, and the building makes for
a great country-style atmosphere. Booking essential! |
Hotel
de l'Océan, ave de l'Océan,
Moliets-Plage (on the right as you walk towards the
beach) - contemporary-style restaurant. There's a
big terrace to sit out too. |
| Le Bellini / Rumours, ave de l'Océan,
Moliets-Plage (on the left as you walk towards the
beach) - contemporary-style bar and restaurant. Outdoor terrace too. |
Relais
de la Poste, 24, avenue de Maremne, Magescq
- for a sumptous gastronomique experience, this is
well worth the 20kms drive. One of the best in the
region and part of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux
group. |
The
above list has been compiled with the help of the Lonely
Planet Guide (South West France), The Green Guide
(Atlantic Coast) and the Cadogan Guides –
always an excellent and informative read. “Gascony
and the Pyrenees” is the one to buy to cover la
Côte Landaise.
Nightlife
In the summer season, there are discos and nightclubs on ave
de l'Océan and rue de la Bastide.
Arts
and Culture
To
be quite honest, this region of France is not for culture-buffs
but for people who want an easy-going seaside family holiday
with plenty of outdoor activities.
That
said, if you fancy a day's break, then a visit to Bordeaux,
Biarritz, or St Jean de Luz
is recommended. These two coastal jewels are further south
on La Côte Basque
- there's also some very pretty villages to visit inland.
Or cross the border into Spain for the Guggenheim
at Bilbao or spend a day in beautiful San
Sebastian.
To
experience Landais culture, why not 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, less than 1 hour's drive from Mimizan.
Nature
The Courant d'Huchet
experience is a great way to experience the fragile natural
environment - see the excursions below..
To
the south of Lac de Léon, land has
been set aside as a nature reserve, and is
a great spot for observing birds.
Near Vieux-Boucau, Tropica Parc is an open-air
tropical garden with a distinctly Asian flavour. Birdsong
is everywhere, as is the scent and sight of Asian plants and
spices, even Indonesian bicycles and Balinese houses. There
are also animal enclosures with animals including dwarf zebus
and donkeys.
Excursions
Sample the Amazon in south west France!
This is a 'must do'! A very leisurely way to spend the afternoon
is taking a descent down the semi-tropical Huchet River from
Léon towards the ocean. Relax as Landais gondoliers
gently punt you on your way in flat bottomed boats. Look out
for yellow water lilies, pink hibiscus, cypress pine, and
several species of South American origin. 2, 3 and 4 hr trips
are available. If travelling in August, you will need to book
your
Courant d'Huchet Boat Trip
in advance for this treat.
Explore the lakes
The
freshwater lakes that punctuate the forest are a great alternative
to the ocean and provide safer bathing for children. Rather
like the Lake District in England, each lake, or étang,
has its own atmosphere. Travel south for more beautiful quiet
lakes and nature reserves near Soustons
(see below). The delightful Étang de Soustons (Soustons
Lake), is surrounded by reeds and thick pine woods, where
you can enjoy a light walk and picnic by the water’s
edge. South of Soustons, look out for the charming Étang
Blanc (‘White Lake’ – due to its fine sandy
bottom), bordered by fishermen’s huts. The narrow road
takes you through wonderful countryside and along the tempting
shoreline. The smaller Étang Noir (‘Black Lake’
– named after its black mud) is classified as a Nature
reserve. Elevated walkways give you a closer look at the many
varieties of fish and migratory birds.
Châteaux and wine tours
A good way to take a break from the activities on offer at
Moliets is to head north/east to the vineyards.
For wine-lovers, the Médoc region
is home to several world-class vineyards including celebrated
appellations such as St-Julien, Pauillac,
Haut-Médoc, Margaux and
Médoc itself. The warm climate and gravelly soil combine
to produce some of the world’s most sought-after red
wines. Naturally there are plenty of wine-tasting opportunities.
To visit the best-known châteaux such as Lafite
Rothschild and Margaux, you are
advised to make a booking in advance.
Arcachon
This popular and stylish French favourite
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 Pilat 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.
Back
into Arcachon, stroll along the seafront or through the delightful
Ville d’Hiver (Winter Town) and explore
its fabulous collection of eclectic villas. There is also
a lovely park to cool off in the shade and watch the locals
play petanques. The Bassin d’Arcachon is packed full
of oyster farms and you will have no difficulty finding a
supply of these slimy crustaceans to dine on in one of the
town’s many seafood restaurants.
La
Côte Basque
An hour’s drive south are the
sophisticated resorts of Biarritz
and St Jean de Luz,
the south Atlantic’s riposte to the Côte d’Azur.
Both provide excellent beaches, cuisine and up-market shopping
as well as a good introduction to the Spanish-influenced Pays
Basque. If you have time, drop into the regional capital,
Bayonne. Famed for its ham and its chocolates,
Bayonne was under English rule for 300 years. It is much under-rated
and worth a trip to see its cathedral and walk its ancient
streets. Trek a little further inland and the Basque
Country itself is a delightful land of rolling green
hills and picture-perfect villages of the Pays Basque are
a must. Ainhoa, Sare, Espelette
and Ascain all perfectly demonstrate Basque
village life.
Mountain pursuits
A little further south and you can hike in the mountain air
of the Pyrénées.
It's
your holiday - be pampered
In France, the south west is known for
its rejuvenating waters, both salt and fresh varieties. The
result is a wide selection of spa and thalassotherapy
centres. Nearby Dax is the official spa capital
of France and is a 25 minute drive from the villas. The Côte
Basque – Hendaye, St Jean de Luz and Biarritz - is home
to numerous thalassotherapy centres. There's a couple closer
by including at Capbreton.
Visit another country!
OK, maybe that isn't the best piece of advertising by a company
specialising in south west France! But, Spain
is only 90kms away. We thoroughly recommend a visit to delightful
San Sebastian, the Spanish Basque country’s
equivalent of Biarritz. The more adventurous could drive another
hour or so further along the northern coast to Bilbao
to see the Guggenheim.
For
further tourist information about the local areas beyond Moliets,
please browse our region guides:
»
La Côte Basque
»
Gascony
»
Pyrénées
»
Pays
des Vins
Travel
tips
Lastly, here’s a few words of travel advice when you’re
holidaying in Moliets…the crowds swell in late July
and August and parking can be difficult at the Plage Centrale.
Our advice is to hire bikes. Also, if you walk/cycle through the forest directly to Plage Chênes Lièges, you'll avoid the beach crowds in August.
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