Lacanau Ocean holiday villa: Lacanau Ocean

Our group of seven (parents, children 8 and 5, twins of 10 months and nanny) loved every minute of our 10-day stint in Lacanau this May half-term break. At Villa Magali, Elodie and James, along with neighbour Fabienne, helped with the practical aspects of our stay: cots were supplied and stair-gates installed; children’s games and babies’ toys were made available. The bedrooms and living area are comfortable and nicely decorated. The verandah at the front garden is a pleasant place to relax while the back garden is spacious and safe for young children. Although the weather can be a bit of a gamble at this time of year the sun shone for most of our stay and we made good use of the barbecue one balmy evening.

Villa Magali was a superb base from which to enjoy the remarkably wide range of outdoor family pursuits that Lacanau has to offer. Our visit was in the resort’s midseason which meant no queues, mild summer temperatures and plenty of space on the huge beach, which is just a 5 minute walk from the Villa. Lacanau is a hallowed spot for expert surfers, but as complete novices we and our older children were able to enjoy the waves both surfing (on our bellies!) and body-boarding. When the wind is up, the beach is great for kite flying – and we watched the kite-surfers admiringly.

The Ascension Day holiday in France brought hordes of long weekenders from Bordeaux, which lent a carnival air to the beachfront – and the beach itself. Breakdancers performed on the seafront while helicopters made roundtrips to the beach and jet-skiers strutted their stuff on the waves. But when Monday came the beach was back to itself – the preserve of hardcore surfers and a few families relaxing on the sand and strolling along the shore.

The cycle hire shops are happy to fit child seats and child carriages for babies, and have bikes of all sizes for older children. We cycled daily during the holiday – the town itself is very cycle friendly with clearly-marked cycle lanes. Beyond the town there are abundant cycle routes in all directions, both up and down the coast and inland toward Lacanau lake. The lake is a gentle contrast to the ocean, sandy in parts but calm and sheltered. On the day we cycled there, it was almost deserted, though on weekends in comes alive as the Bordelais barbecue and play ball games on the beaches while others waterski, wakeboard, windsurf and sail dinghies on the lake.

Truly a wonderful holiday and we weren’t at all ready to leave.