Ile de Ré - Holiday Services

I le
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Ré
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Useful information
Sports on Ré
p2
p4
Favourite restaurants
Ideas for a rainy day
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p10
© Yann Werdefroy
Welcome to ILE de RE !
Y
our holidays have just started and you will soon come across numerous guides,
magazines, maps, local papers, etc.
To be honest, most of these are rather good, look nice and provide you with all the
information you need and often beautiful pictures.
I had a different guide in mind. HOLIDAY SERVICES is not a publishing company and I
wanted to give my clients a more personal tool, a guide with « insider » information.
A
s we live on the island all year round, we have our own network and each and every
company that advertises in this little booklet is part of it. We know every single
shop, restaurant, name and company which you will find here; and most wanted to be
part of it.
This guide is thus rather subjective, a little biased and certainly non-exhaustive; but still
very honest and, I hope, useful ; a sort of « unauthorized » guide to Ile de Ré !
I must confess, however, that we don’t know every restaurant, shop, museum, beach or
craftsman. Your own recommendations would be very helpful for us !
T
his is our own network, no better than anyone else’s but it is ours and I wanted to
share it with you. Enjoy your holiday !
Christopher VADOT
Manager HOLIDAY SERVICES
HOLIDAY SERVICES Services for Holiday homes
Since 2003 - www.holiday-services.net
201 rue des Breuils - 17940 Rivedoux
Tel. 05 46 09 36 29 - info@holiday-services.net
Sarl au capital de 8000 euros - Siret 449 983 402 00016
N° TVA intracommunautaire FR54449983402
Agrément préfectoral : SAP/449983402
Crédits photo : © Yann Werdefroy photographer on Ile de Ré
(www.yannwerdefroy.fr)
Design and layout : Véronique Chancereul-Palvadeau
05 46 00 84 17 - contact@veroniquechancereul.com
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USEFUL INFORMATION
There are 10 villages on the island. You will find all you need in each of them.
Heath & safety
The local phone book Le Fil
de Ré, which you should find
in the house or in most shops
in your village is useful all year
round. The pages at the back
of the book are dedicated
to « Heath & Emergencies »
and all G.Ps, dentists, etc. are
listed.
The local weekly newspaper
Le Phare de Ré (published
every Wednesday) also
lists the doctors, dentists or
chemists on duty that week.
An emergency service is also
open (in July and August
only) at the hospital in St
Martin (Tel. 05 46 09 20 01
- 05 46 09 79 60) - You can
also dial 15 (emergencies 24/7) or 18 (fire brigade).
The gendarmerie (in rural
areas - the police in big towns
and cities) is located Route de
la plage, St Martin (Tel.: 05 46
09 21 17 or 17).
Public services
Each village (but not the
hamlets such as la Noue,
which is in fact a part of Ste
Marie or Le Gillieux, a part
of St Clément) has its own
Mairie, its own Post Office
and its own Tourist Office.
The Tax Office is located in
St Martin.
Food
There are 3 supermarkets on
the island : 2 Intermarché
(La Flotte and St Martin) and
one E.Leclerc (St Martin).
They are open from 9.00
am to 7.30 pm, (often even
later in July and August),
Monday morning to Saturday
+ Sunday morning during
holiday periods. The local
weekly Le Phare de Ré, in
its first 2 pages, will tell you
more each week.
Each village also has a
smaller minimarket (whether
Carrefour Contact, U express,
Spar, etc.) in each village,
with, basically, the same
opening and closing hours as
they aspire to be convenient.
Last but not least, you will
not miss the traditional
markets. Each village has its
own, whether very big (Ars
and le Bois-plage), or small
(Rivedoux, St Clément) ;
some are more charming than
others (Les Portes right in the
heart of the village, La Flotte
and its medieval square and
surroundings) but they all are
lively places with a vibrant
atmosphere and plenty to see
and goods to buy.
Beaches and places
of interest
On the east coast of the island,
the beaches are small and
pretty rare in fact : la Cible in
St Martin or L’Arnérault in La
Flotte, opposite the hotel Le
Richelieu, and Sablanceaux,
in Rivedoux, where kiters
3
meet.
On the south side, opposite
the commercial port of La
Rochelle, is Rivedoux with
its long, wild, sandy beach, a
haven for families but also a
paradise for kite surfers, and
sailors in general when it gets
windy. A drink at the Ré Glisse
(the JetSki spot) at sunset (with
the sun in your back) in the
summer, after a day at sea, is
something not to be missed.
Right up north, you will, no
doubt enjoy the Conche des
Baleines, between St Clément
and Les Portes. A few years
back, it was listed, by a British
Sunday paper, among the 200
best beaches… in the world !
The sand, the view, the waves;
even my sister-in-law, who is
Australian, was speechless !
A great place for families and
surfers.
But it is on the west coast that
you will find the famous long
(and wide, at low tide) strips
of sand from les Grenettes
(great surfing) outside Ste
Marie, right up to St Clément.
Those beaches are called Le
Petit Sergent, les Petites Folies
(naturism tolerated), Gros
Jonc, etc.
Ile de Ré is also well known for
its 100 kms of cycle tracks (see
SPORTS pages). Here are a few
places of interest which can
provide a goal for a daytime
trip on a bike : the Phare
des Baleines in St Clément
(60 m high and 257 steps
to the top where the view is
fabulous under a blue sky), the
fortifications in St Martin (one
of Unesco‘s world heritage
sites), the salt marshes outside
Loix (visit the Ecomusée des
marais salants, in the right
bend before the village), the
musée Ernest Cognacq, off the
port in St Martin or the Maison
du Platin, in la Flotte, two
small museums to learn more
about Ré, its past, illustrious
characters and traditions.
Bins
Ile de Ré has always adopted a
« green » attitude. There are no
tall buildings, no traffic lights,
no large advertising boards and
many types of bins. Thank you
for sharing this way of life with
us.
Each village has its own
organization as far as collecting
bins is concerned : every other
day or every day (as in the
centre of St Martin during the
summer). Details can be found
at the Mairie, in the house
book, in the Phare de Ré or in
the phone book Le Fil de Ré.
Just remember that : bins with
a yellow top are for recycling
(can, tins, plastic bottles…),
bins with a green lid are for
perishables (to be placed in
plastic bags) ; in different
places in each village, you will
also find bins for glass and for
magazines.
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The SPORTY island
Coming to Ile de Ré and doing… nothing must be possible, but who really wants to miss out
on the numerous sports and activities available ?
A
bove all, the island is well known among
cycling and sailing fanatics. If you have
your own bicycle, then you can hit the
tracks immediately and cruise from north to
south, through forests, villages
and
salt marshes ; you can
also
hire
bikes
in
each village, where there
are usually more than 3 bike
shops. An adult bike for a week
will cost around 35 euros for
instance. Several companies
such as Cycland, Cyclosurf, Tout à
vélo, etc. have shops in more than
one village, which can be useful if
you run into difficulty. The island is
more or less flat but the wind makes
it steep at times ! A few distances :
St Martin-La Couarde via Le Bois = 10
kms; Rivedoux-Les Portes = 32 kms, Le
Bois-plage-St Clément = 16 kms. It may be
useful to remind cyclists that road signs are
not for large vehicles only… It would be silly
to ruin a holiday because of an accident with
a car in a one way street for instance.
On the water, everything is available and
possible. The in-sport of the moment is
stand up paddle (drawn from an ancestral
Polynesian use of a large board, on which
one stands holding a paddle using the size of
the board to float and beat the waves) which
is available in Rivedoux (ilederekitesurf), La
Couarde (SUP Evasion), Ste Marie, Le Bois, La
Flotte (Papaipaddle) ; there is also kite surfing
(you stand on a surfboard and are pulled by
a strong and colourful
kite), in
Rivedoux,
la Couarde or Les
Portes. But you may also wish to hire a large
boat for a day or a week ? Then get in touch
with Alain Girard Sailing (La Flotte) www.
iledereyachting.com 06 12 41 99 92.
You want something quieter ? Then why not
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try fishing on foot, in the
marshes or at low tide in
Rivedoux (by the light
house), la Couarde or
Ars; or sea diving (www.
nautilus-plongee.com) in St
Martin, or even frisbee on
the beach (http://reflyingoysters.fr).
The more conventional sports, such as tennis
can be played in each of the 10 villages
(a couple of clubs share several courts
though), or golf in Les Portes (www.
golftroussechemise.com) but also in
La Flotte, at its practice ground (see
Association du Golf des Perthuis
on Facebook) before the 18-hole
course is built. Horse riding is also
very popular and there are several
clubs in Ste Marie, La Flotte, Le
Bois, St Clément, Les Portes. Team
games, such as football, basketball (the team
in St Clément is a very good one at national
level) or rugby are very popular but the clubs
are usually closed during holiday periods.
Ile de Ré even has its own cricket club (www.
iledere-cricket club.com), or clubs dedicated
to aeromodel flying (in Rivedoux and Loix),
roller and skateboarding (tibodogsriders@
yahoo.fr), archery (archersdere@free.fr),
martial arts, or badminton (http://
rebadmintonclub.free.fr).
The very good guide La Vie en Ré, le guide de
la vie permanente des Rétais, published by the
free paper Ré à la Hune will provide you with
all the required information on each sport. You
can also have a look at the phone book Le Fil
de Ré, and of course, visit the local Tourist
Office for more information.
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Favourite RESTAURANTS
Can you imagine coming to France for a holiday, without
having a go at the local culinary traditions ? This part of the
guide is a tricky one because liking or disliking a restaurant
relies on very personal feelings. There are more than 100
restaurants and eateries during the season on the island,
it is impossible to know them all. Here are mine, tried and
approved :
For a colourful and tasty lunch
Côté Jardin (St Martin) for its first class simple food and back
garden ; La Chaloupe (Rivedoux), for the view of the bridge,
the fish « à la plancha » and seafood ; Les Tilleuls (Ste Marie)
for all sorts of pancakes in an « Antique shop » atmo. ; Frutti
Palace (La Flotte) for its culinary and colourful preparations,
smoothies, sushis and fruit juices, near the lovely market ;
A l’Ouest (St Clément), worth a visit for the « andouillette
» sausage but not only ! ; La Terrasse (La Couarde) for the
log fire and the meat ; le M (Rivedoux) for the view and its
traditional French cuisine with a touch of class.
For an easy and simple bite, in remote places, off the usual touristic tracks : The
Régalet (Rivedoux) for the large terrace and generous menus; le Gourmand’ine (La Flotte) for
its French cuisine with a lady’s touch (the chef is a French lady and the manager is a Russian
girl) ; un Air de famille (opposite the Post Office in St Martin) for its salads and tarts... And
La Fiancée du Pirate (on the port of La Flotte) for pancakes and the kids’ corner. Le Tout du
Cru (St Martin), recently opened, for its seafood and easy bites.
For a gastronomic experience
Chai Nous Comme Chai Vous (la Flotte). Owned and managed
by Florence et Laurent Favier, this small room can welcome no
more than 25 people. This is about the only place on the island
where you will find no steak and chips, pizzas or seafood platters
but only imaginative dishes such as duck hamburger (the Duck
Mac) or sea bass in seaweed. The place is very fashionable so
book in advance. Tel 05 46 09 49 85.
In Ars, you want to go to Ô de Mer, in the little street opposite the Church. It is in the same
class as Chai Nous… (small room, non-touristic food, excellent wine -some from Australia as
this Belgian couple met Down Under).
For a more simple, yet excellent, dinner with friends
My « usuals » are Côté Jardin (St Martin) for the gentle atmosphere, fresh food and quiet garden
in the back yard ; Le Serghi (port of St Martin) for its beautiful bistro-type room, inventive
food and view ; Chai Pépette (Ste Marie) for the quality of its « rogue » dishes (tripe, etc.) and
meat in general in a bistro atmosphere ; La Maison (St Martin, towards La Couarde) for the
idea of sharing dishes with friends at the same table and the cosy terrace ; Le Taxi-Brousse (la
Couarde - in the summer only) for its low key, still trendy, outdoor atmopshere and surroundings
(pool, trees, nearby beach) and the fresh fish ; the (new) restaurant La Pergola (la Couarde) for
basically the same reasons as the Taxi-Brousse.
For a lively evening, Le Cervane (St Martin), for its tapas, the trendy atmosphere, the
occasional parties but also the sound of shroud lines in the yachts nearby ; la Chaloupe (Rivedoux)
for the view, even after Sunset, the fish « à la plancha » and its rock n roll pub atmosphere with live
bands ; les 2 canons (La Flotte), a new piano / lounge bar for jazz addicts ; the Cubana café (St
Martin) for a Mojito outside and live bands Inside ; A l’Ouest (St Clément) for the conventional
yet tasty grub and the live bands in the evening ; la Pergola (La Couarde), another dance club
(younger generations though) where you can get rid of the calories eaten earlier on at the, yet again,
nextdoor restaurant.
Of course, this list needs to be completed. Places such as le Bistrot de Béné (Ars), Le Chasse-Marée (Les
Portes), la cabine de Bain (Le Bois), l’Ecailler (La Flotte) get good reviews and are strongly recommended but I
don‘t know them… yet. In the meantime, your impressions are more than welcome !
7
8
Did you know that...
that the bridge is
It is often said and heard
r-increasing number
sole responsible for the eve
as in 1962, there
of tourists. This is not true
on the island but,
were only 8 camping sites
h of that period, the
due to the economic growt
year later !
number jumped to 32... one
All domestic water
used, all year round, by
residents and tourists
comes from the continent, through the bridge,
inside… one 600 mmwide pipe !
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The vine which is grown the most on the
island is named «white ugni» and is of
Italian origin. It comes to maturity later than
others and is used in the blending process of
cognac, pineau and even armagnacs, whether
produced locally or in their respective regions
of production. The «white ugni» variety
covers 700 acres out of the 1500 that exist on
the island. The merlot variety, used for wine,
comes in second place with 270 acres then
other varieties that cover between 15 and 160
acres.
Between 1898 and
1947, a small train
used to go round
the island, for the
benefit of everyone,
but as there were
numerous paths,
roads, streets,
lanes, etc. there
were no less than…
277 level crossings !
Historically, our local oyster is «flat».The
“cupped”
variety was introduced by accident : in 1868
, around
Arcachon, as the production of flat oyste
rs was
seriously affected by a disease, it was decid
ed to find
oysters elsewhere. That year, on a return
voyage from
Portugal, the Morlaisien, a fishing vessel,
was cought
in a terrible storm and sank with its load
of oysters in
the mouth of the Gironde. The “cupped”
oyster, more
resistant, eventually beat the disease and
developped
itself in its new waters of the Gironde, of
the south of
the Charente and in the entire area.
The famous local potato
« grenaille » is renowned
the world over and can be
found at such high class
places as the Connaught
restaurant in London, or
The Meadow, a first rate
grocer’s in Manhattan and
Portland and the « fleur
de sel » salt always receives great attention during
Alain Ducasse’s « Fou de
France » marketing operation in Japan.
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In 1962, a pu
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from a circu
3 months
was found…
later !
9
The very first known
inhabitant of Ile de Ré,
in Neolithic ages, was
called Szwystkjgy. He was
Hungarian, got lost after
a boat trip and carved
his name on a tree in Les
Portes.
No, this is not true, first
because he couldn’t have
written his name and
secondly one really wonders
what he was doing on a boat
because Hungary, let alone
the fact that the country did
not even exist at the time,
has no shores and no sea !
Each month, the
LPO (Ligue pour
la Protection
des Oiseaux - bi
rd protection leag
ue
) counts
the water birds
(swans, ducks,
barnacle
geese, cormoran
ts, sandpipers, et
c.) that are
present on the is
land. This operat
ion takes
two days, alway
s at highest tides
.
The LPO
has counted no
less than 50 000
birds in the
winter.
www.bibibourcefranc.fr
Ile de Ré par Bruno Barbier, Editions Ouest France, 2002
L’Ile de Ré, David Canard - Geste Editions 2010 (a small book yet fascinating and easy to read)
Le petit train de l’île de Ré, de Jean-Pierre Rault - Editions C.M.D (1995).
Le Phare de Ré (9 Sept. 2009) & Ré à la Hune (2 feb. 2011)
10
If the WEATHER turns nasty
As Ile de Ré is surrounded by the Atlantic ocean and not the Mediterranean, it is subject to
more climate variations. What do you do then, if it gets cloudy or starts raining ?
On the island
Open since July 2009, the
intercommunal Aquaré pool
is the ideal place for all the
family in case of bad weather.
Which, as a consequence,
means the place is pretty full
when all families have the
same idea…
Aquaré
Chemin du Vieux Marais
(near the school and the
football ground)
St-Martin
Open 7/ 7
Tel. 05 46 66 10 95
The best alternative then
becomes the cinema. La
Maline is also open 7 days a
week and shows most of the
popular films of the moment.
There is only one theatre
though. The local weekly Le
Phare de Ré will provide all
details on films and showing
times, also available in small
flyers which you will find
at Tourist offices and many
shops.
La Maline
Le Mail, La Couarde
Tel. : 05 46 29 93 53
www.lamaline.net
Open 7/ 7
To hire books, comics
and DVDs, the municipal
libraries, in each village, are a
good start but the best place
is probably the Mediathèque
which has a great choice
and offers « holiday makers »
special subscriptions.
Mediathèque
2 rue de la République
Ste Marie
Tel. : 05 46 43 91 80
There is also a Vidéo Club,
with a DVD automat available
24/7.
Venelle de la Cristallerie
(before E.Leclerc)
St Martin
Tel : 05 46 09 29 20
Off the island
The small city of La Rochelle
is worth a visit, whether
it rains or not in fact. The
historical centre, around the
old harbour, but also the Ville
en Bois (the Wooden City), a
few yards away from the port,
will keep you busy for half a
day at least. Without even
mentioning the museums
(and there are a few such as
the Musée Maritime, Musée
11
des Beaux Arts, Natural history
museum…), you will enjoy a
walk in the city, surrounded
by old private houses, arcades,
monuments, squares and
streets full of history. You will
find numerous shops, cafés
and restaurants and if it not
raining anymore, you might
even be lucky enough to sit
down at one of the terrace
cafés and have a drink.
To access La Rochelle is easy : by
bus (see below) ; by car : follow the
signs « centre ville » when you leave
the island onto the ring road. It takes
15 minutes once you have crossed
the bridge. Main car park is Place de
Verdun. The Tourist Office is between
the port and the Ville en Bois.
Another possibility, maybe
not as classy though, is the
… big shopping area Centre
commercial de Beaulieu, in
Puilboreau (10 minutes away, to
your left, once you are on the ring
road after the bridge). All the big
French names in shopping
can be found there : LeroyMerlin (DIY), Fly (Ikea-type
furniture), Decathlon (sports
and activities), Hyper U (food),
Cultura (books, music, arts &
crafts), etc.
If the weather really gets
miserable, you may wish
to pay the following sites a
visit : first the Aquarium (as
good as any in the world)
and then the small, quaint
and fascinating Musées des
Automates et des Modèles
Réduits (past and present
models, automatons and dolls
-a feast for the eyes- Rue La
Désirée - La Ville en Bois - La Rochelle.
Tel.: 05 46 41 68 08) and carry
on with the local Multiplex
cinema CGR (no less than 12
screens - Avenue Henri Becquerel
à La Rochelle www.cgrcinemas.fr/
larochelle).
There also several
cheap and cheerful places
to eat in the same square
(La Boucherie, McDonald’s,
Brussel’s Café…). All these
attractions are basically in the
same area and there is plenty
of parking space. A popular
spot though, so plan on being
there all day.
Access : from the ring road, follow
the signs « Gare » (train station) and
then « Aquarium ».
Further out of La Rochelle, the
beautiful town of Rochefort,
30 minutes away by car,
(follow the signs as soon as
you reach the ring road) is
also worth a visit with (nottoo-young) children : the
famous Corderie royale (a
sort of mini-museum/library/
bookshop about boats, past
and present, where the ropes
for the royal ships, were
made). Nearby is the site of
the reconstruction of the
XVIII century ship Hermione.
There are plenty of shops and
restaurants in the same area
and the town itself is nice to
visit.
Infos : Corderie Royale - Centre
International de la Mer, Rue Audebert
BP 50 108 - 17303 ROCHEFORT Cedex
Tél : 05 46 87 01 90 - www.corderieroyale.com
La Rochelle by bus
Bus service n°3 (Compagnie
Les Mouettes) will pick you
up from several different
places on the island to La
Rochelle (Place de Verdun or
the station for instance).
Tel. : 0811 36 17 17
www.lesmouettes-transports.com
If it is not raining and if you
feel like cycling all along the
150 kms of cycle tracks, the
best bet is to get on a bus in
the morning and hire a bike
at the train station (« Gare »)
or Place de Verdun or on the
Vieux Port (old harbour).
Tel. : 0810 17 18 17
www.agglo-larochelle.fr/services
12
2003 - 2013
10 years on,
and still going
strong !
There was no “concierge service” on Ile de Ré ten years ago; even the meaning of the term
seems a far cry from the way it is understood today. Whilst established as a recognized
profession in New-York and London, this was certainly not the case in France, let alone on
Ile de Ré.
HOLIDAY SERVICES was set up, in 2003, because, apart from
the odd neighbour or retired friend, holiday-home owners on
ice
Ile de Ré had no-one to rely on to manage their property.
Concierge serv
mes
for Holiday ho
ry cleaning
House and laund
Gardening
pairs
Small jobs and re
Maintenance
Surveillance
Annual contracts
ices
Personalised serv
HOLIDAY SERVICES arrived with a professional approach,
employing staff, using a bilingual website, providing a
service in both English and French, offering insurancecovered contractual arrangements, etc.
The profession itself was given a boost when the “Borloo
plan” (named after the minister in charge) was introduced
in 2005. This led to the emergence of thousands of startups all over the country, though many of these were no
longer on the scene after a couple of years.
HOLIDAY SERVICES now employs 5 people on open-ended contracts and increases its staff
significantly over the summertime. Services are provided in all 10 of the island’s villages,
and in La Rochelle.
We would like to thank all our clients, English, French, European and those from even
further afar, some of whom have actually placed their trust in us since the begining.
Charente Maritime
13