Annecy or Ile de Re 1 week in September

gaillimh

Hi.
Myself, wife and then 8 month old daughter are looking to get away for a weeks break in early september.
For those of you that have been to both - would you recommend one of Annecy or ile de Re over the other?

Obviously travelling with a small child will be a factor.
We will hire a car at the airport and mainly looking to chill out for the week - nothing too strenuous.
Both places seem like they would be suitable.
Any opinions or contributions gratefully appreciated.

Thanks

mfceiling

gaillimh wrote: »

Hi.
Myself, wife and then 8 month old daughter are looking to get away for a weeks break in early september.
For those of you that have been to both - would you recommend one of Annecy or ile de Re over the other?

Obviously travelling with a small child will be a factor.
We will hire a car at the airport and mainly looking to chill out for the week - nothing too strenuous.
Both places seem like they would be suitable.
Any opinions or contributions gratefully appreciated.

Thanks

Been to annecy and it's beautiful. Nearby is chamonix and you can get the train half way up month blanc. We did a day trip in to St Moritz...frightfully expensive but had to be done!!

pjproby

Both beautiful places. I think with a child the beaches in ile de re would be a plus. You can hire bikes. September weather can be unpredictable.

Unshelved

We have holidayed in Ile de Re for the last two Septembers, and we're returning this June. We loved it and the temperature is perfect for toddlers - it never gets too hot but the weather has been lovely. We stayed in a campsite at Le Bois de Plage.

It depends on what kind of holiday you're looking for. Le Bois is very quiet with a limited amount of restaurants, all serving similar menus - moules, pizzas, crepes. The restaurants only open between 12.00 and 14.00 and 19.00 and 21.00 - very regimented (very French!). There are a couple of beach bars that open a bit later but that's about it. If you're on holiday with a small child then that's probably fine with you but it mightn't be for everyone. Other towns on the island are bigger and would have more to offer.

On the other hand, the beach is idyllic and unspoiled (no parasols or beach beds for hire - bring your own), the place is gorgeous, you can buy anything from the daily village market and the food market sells every kind of French gourmet dish you can imagine. You can travel virtually everywhere by bike and the bike trails are well signposted and safe. The island is beautiful, and if the weather does turn bad you can hop on a bus to La Rochelle where there's plenty to see.

We'll probably spread our wings a bit further as our little one gets older, but if you're travelling with small kids it's a great spot - especially with the short flights and short transfer time from the airport.

silentfreakout

Ile De Re is very bike orientated , the island is full of cycling lanes through fields and segregated from most roads. We stayed in Résidence Univers which are simple apartments not luxurious, but very reasonable, there is a really nice well cared for gardens and pool. The guy and his wife are really lovely people. He will collect you from the airport he doesnt charge for this. We were in our apartment 25mins after landing. Renting a car and bringing it to Ile de re might be a bit of a pain, you pay a hefty bridge toll of around €10-15 return, so if you planned to travel off the island a few times that could add up. You could ditch the idea of hiring the car and hire a bikes they have every conceivable combination of trike, ebike, trailer, tandem, baby carrier you could ever imagine there. Its possible to pack up your bikes and baby and take off for the day stopping at beaches and chilling over lunch. If this doesn't appeal I would choose your other option.

gaillimh

Unshelved wrote: »

We have holidayed in Ile de Re for the last two Septembers, and we're returning this June. We loved it and the temperature is perfect for toddlers - it never gets too hot but the weather has been lovely. We stayed in a campsite at Le Bois de Plage.

It depends on what kind of holiday you're looking for. Le Bois is very quiet with a limited amount of restaurants, all serving similar menus - moules, pizzas, crepes. The restaurants only open between 12.00 and 14.00 and 19.00 and 21.00 - very regimented (very French!). There are a couple of beach bars that open a bit later but that's about it. If you're on holiday with a small child then that's probably fine with you but it mightn't be for everyone. Other towns on the island are bigger and would have more to offer.

On the other hand, the beach is idyllic and unspoiled (no parasols or beach beds for hire - bring your own), the place is gorgeous, you can buy anything from the daily village market and the food market sells every kind of French gourmet dish you can imagine. You can travel virtually everywhere by bike and the bike trails are well signposted and safe. The island is beautiful, and if the weather does turn bad you can hop on a bus to La Rochelle where there's plenty to see.

We'll probably spread our wings a bit further as our little one gets older, but if you're travelling with small kids it's a great spot - especially with the short flights and short transfer time from the airport.

Thanks very much for your reply.
Have actually booked a hotel in Le Bois Plage en Re (hotel l'Ocean) which I cancel if needs be.
One thing I noticed having been looking around online at restaurants - it seems to be difficult to find places for lunch even that aren't very expensive.
You mentioned the food markets in your post - the food decent and reasonably priced in those?
With a small child I can see that being the way we would go certainly on a couple of days rather than restaurants every day.
Thanks again.

76544567

July and August are manic in both locations, but if you can go June, Sep you really cant go wrong with either. Both are just stunning locations.

Unshelved

One thing I noticed having been looking around online at restaurants - it seems to be difficult to find places for lunch even that aren't very expensive.
You mentioned the food markets in your post - the food decent and reasonably priced in those?

We didn't find the restaurants all that expensive - but we tended to self-cater for lunches and go out in the evenings. In the village we ate at Le Moulin a Cafe and by the sea at Avenue de la Plage at D'Ici et D'Alleurs and Eau P'tit Bois. All pretty simple casual places so our Little Guy could run around a bit if he wanted . The Restaurant at L'Ocean is meant to be lovely but we didn't try it. There's a burger place too called Kustom's Diner which is meant to be good too. Even in September you will probably need to book restaurants for the evening - simply because they only seem to open for a couple of hours so demand is high.

The covered food market is open every morning and is just superb. You can buy any kind of food you want - including really good pre-prepared stuff - roast chickens, lasagnas - that you can heat up yourself at home. There is also a pretty good supermarket nearby which is open daily.

Do take the time to hire bikes and explore the island - it really is a lot of fun. There is very little to do in the evenings - but it's a different kind of a holiday with a little one in tow so it didn't matter to us!

I hope you enjoy it!

gaillimh

Unshelved wrote: »

We didn't find the restaurants all that expensive - but we tended to self-cater for lunches and go out in the evenings. In the village we ate at Le Moulin a Cafe and by the sea at Avenue de la Plage at D'Ici et D'Alleurs and Eau P'tit Bois. All pretty simple casual places so our Little Guy could run around a bit if he wanted . The Restaurant at L'Ocean is meant to be lovely but we didn't try it. There's a burger place too called Kustom's Diner which is meant to be good too. Even in September you will probably need to book restaurants for the evening - simply because they only seem to open for a couple of hours so demand is high.

The covered food market is open every morning and is just superb. You can buy any kind of food you want - including really good pre-prepared stuff - roast chickens, lasagnas - that you can heat up yourself at home. There is also a pretty good supermarket nearby which is open daily.

Do take the time to hire bikes and explore the island - it really is a lot of fun. There is very little to do in the evenings - but it's a different kind of a holiday with a little one in tow so it didn't matter to us!

I hope you enjoy it!

Great stuff thanks a million.
Yeah not looking for any evening entertainment at all so that's fine with us.
Don't tend to bother with nightlife much when on holiday anyway tbh - even without the little one - so that suits us fine as just looking to chill out.

Hollister11

Ill de ra is fantastic. I was there in June and it was a quiet, relaxing, enjoyable chilled out place.

Living Off The Splash

We stayed for a week in St.Martin de Re. Fantastic place. You can get the number 3 bus from the La Rochelle bus station direct. So you could leave the car and save on the toll by taking the bus. We were able to walk along the coastal path from St. Martin to La Flotte. Long walk but nice.

If near La Rochelle on these dates the boat show is fantastic with a great fireworks display at the end.

http://www.visit-poitou-charentes.com/en/Forthcoming-events/Le-Grand-Pavois-La-Rochelle-28-September-03-October-2016

We also stayed in Annecy. I didn't fall in love with the place I have to say. The pictures you see everywhere are for a small area.

Unshelved

St Martin de Ré is fantastic - well worth a look - as is La Flotte.

Just wanted to add - the bus service seems to be cut back a lot in September compared to the high season so ask your hotel to organise a taxi to pick you up from the airport. We didn't bother doing this the first time we went and we ended up waiting ages for one when we arrived. Taxis from the airport cost about €40.