Ten reasons to love (and visit) the Charente Maritime

We love the Charente Maritime ! After nearly 30 years here, it is most definitely home to our family and we thought you should know why we love it and why you should love it too - or at least visit ! Stay in one of our family friendly holiday rental cottages located centrally within the region - ideal for visiting all the fabulous places the Charente Maritime has to offer.

Top ten reasons to love and visit the Charente Maritime

10, WEATHER

The Charente Maritime has the most sunshine hours per year after the cote d'azur but it's a lot closer ! It is recognised as having a superb micro climate with mild winters and gorgeous summers with much less rain generally than the Loire to the north and the Dordogne to the south but just enough to keep it lush and green most of the year rather than the dry south coast.

It is usually warm and sunny from Easter until the end of October but rarely gets unbearable. June is our favourite month - all the crops are fully grown, the sunflowers are in full glory and the temperatures are just perfect; hot and sunny during the day but cool enough overnight to be able to sleep comfortably.`

9, FOOD

I can't really claim that the Charente Maritime is the only part of France that has great food; as all French people will tell you, France has the best food in the world! I shan't argue, we love our food and we love French food! We particularly love the local Charente Maritime food of course. Gillardeau oysters are a particular favourite; goats cheese from Melanie Boursin in La Villedieu, Pineau from the Cartauds in Corpeteau(all just a few km from us)and the local galette with angelica dipped in honey from our neighbour , ' Miel d'elle '

Every town, however small, has a market at least once a week where the locals buy all their fresh produce - meat, fish, fruit, veg and of course cheese. The Charente Maritime is no exception. There is a market somewhere every single day. France has literally hundreds of cheeses. President Charles de Gaulle was famously quoted as saying (in French of course) ''How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?" (others claim it's actually more like 450 !) The Charente Maritime is famous for its goats cheeses and we have a number of local producers who sell from their farms or at the local Aulnay and Saint Jean d'Angely markets.

France is renowned for its patisseries, it's pastries and of course its bread. Local bread deliveries are still made to the outlying villages that can no longer support a boulangerie. There's no experience that makes you feel more like a local than popping down to our local boulangerie in Varaize (aptly called 'La Varaizienne' just a few km away) where you can also sit and have a coffee, let the children play in the little playground and if your French is up to it - catch up on the local gossip !

France is also home to the Michelin guide which awards 'stars' to top restaurants around the world. The Charente Maritime boasts 45 Michelin selected restaurants, two of which have star ratings but we know of dozens more restaurants that are absolutely superb. One of our favourites is Andrés in La Rochelle.

Our local town of Saint Jean d'Angely has a great selection of restaurants from family friendly creperies and pizzerias to superb bistros and top class dining worth a babysitter too . Whatever your taste and budget you'll find something that suits you in the Charente Maritime.

8, LA ROCHELLE

Our county town, La Rochelle is known all over the world. It's where the rich and famous pull into port in their yachts and gather to eat in Michelin starred restaurants and shop for jewellery. It's also where you and I can watch the world go by whilst enjoying a coffee in one of the many cafés or eat moules frites in one of the hundreds of seafood restaurants.

Just an hours easy drive from our family holiday cottages, this beautiful city has something for everyone. Families will enjoy the great aquarium, a play on the beach and a walk through the park.

History buffs will enjoy the maritime museum, climbing the port towers and wandering the cobbled streets of the old town with its half-timbered medieval houses and Renaissance architecture and passageways covered by 17th-century arches.

Gourmets will enjoy the hundreds of restaurants, heavily dominated by seafood around the port but foods from around the world can be found down any street. The markets are overflowing with fresh fruit, vegetables and of course fish, oysters and mussels.

Find out more about La Rochelle here

7, WINE

This area is mainly known for it's Cognac and most of the vines you see in every direction will be used for the production of Cognac. However we are just a boat ride away from the top end of the Medoc, the vineyards for Cognac soon merge into the vineyards of Bordeaux and the top names of Pauillac, Margaux and Saint Emilion . The world famous city of Bordeaux is just a 1hr30 drive from our door and there are many winery visits

Small independent wine producers can be found all over the Charente Maritime. We have a number of local wine makers within 30 minutes of our holiday cottages that we highly recommend; Chris has worked in the wine industry all his life so he knows what he's talking about too !

Whilst driving along the quiet country lanes you will often come across a sign to a local wine and Pineau producer (Pineau is the local tipple - an off shoot of the Cognac industry) Stop and taste their produce, meet the man (and/or woman ) who makes it and buy some as a souvenir of your holiday in the Charente Maritime.

Since Chris is our resident wine expert we also offer discovery evenings and family Vineyard walks and a local winemakers visit where you can learn everything and anything you want to know about wine, Pineau and Cognac.

6, COGNAC

A family holiday to the Charente Maritime would not be complete without a visit to the world famous town of Cognac - home to the celebrated brandy - All Cognac is brandy but not all brandy is Cognac - only the spirit produced in this area is allowed to given this prominent name.

Just cheating slightly Cognac is just a 30 minute drive from our family holiday cottages and centrally located within the Poitou Charente (it's actually just on the Charente side rather than Charente Maritime but I'm claiming it as it's so close !)

Cognac is home to renowned distillers such as Hennessy, Martell, Remy Martin and Otard.

All the houses offer tours to the public giving vistors an insight into the history, production and taste of their product. There may be other towns in the world called Cognac but this is the only one that can make it and it's (nearly) in the Charente Maritime !

Find out more about Cognac here

5, BEACHES

The Charente Maritime has literally hundreds of miles of coastline and sandy beaches. With the four islands, Ile de Ré, Ile d'Oleron, Ile d'Aix and Ile Madam that are also included in this department plus the famous beach resorts of Royan, Chatelaillon plage and Fouras to name just a few, you won't be short of beaches to relax on.

The mainland offers calm, shallow waters, ideal for families with younger children. For the older and more adventurous, just head over to the Atlantic side of the larger islands for body and wind surfing with big breakers.

Many beaches are protected through the Conservatoire du Littoral (the coastal protection agency) so remain unspoilt. The most popular beaches will have lifeguards on duty and the safer places to swim are marked .

Whatever your requirements for a day at the beach - be it sunbeds for hire, top restaurants, shade and toilets or natural beauty, peace and quiet you will find it on the beaches of the Charente Maritime.

Find out more about the beaches here

4, LOCATION

The Charente Maritime is located about half way down France on the left ! South of the Loire, north of the Dordogne.

We are just a 4hr30 drive from the port of St Malo; 6hrs from Caen or 8hrs from Calais - far easier to reach the sunshine and beaches than having to drive all the way to the south coast.

The region is well supplied with a number of airports - La Rochelle is our closest at just 1hrs drive, then Poitiers at 1hr20 and Bordeaux at 1hr30; but Nantes and Limoges at 2hrs drive are also possibilities. All the low cost airlines fly to these cities during the summer months.

Our local town of Saint Jean d'Angely is on junction 34 of the A10 motorway so links to all the major towns and cities easily.

Find out more about the location here

3, SIGHTSEEING

The Charente Maritime has endless places to visit and things to do. You may of already heard of La Rochelle, the Islands of Ile de Ré and Ile d'Oleron.

Maybe you've also heard of Royan and it's beaches, Rochefort and the Corderie Royal (as well as the Hermione) Poitiers too but the Charente Maritime is also home to Saintes and it's Roman ampitheatre, La Palmyre and its animal park, the citadelle de Brouage, la cite de l'huitre, grottes de regulus, and numerous chateaux, ports and museums to visit as well as parks, churches woods and forests and endless country lanes and cycle paths.

All the towns have an office of tourism where you can pick up local information on where you are staying and what there is to do close by but we also have dozens of recommendations and top tips for things to do and places to see and we provide loads of information in each of the cottages too.

Find out more about what to see and do in the Charente Maritime here and take a look at all our blog posts here too

2, FAMILIES

The Charente Maritime is the perfect location for families. The weather is just perfect - lots of sunshine but not unbearably hot. The location is perfect as it's not too far to drive and is well supported for airports too.

The French are so welcoming here in rural France. They love children and they are welcome in restaurants - even the 2 star Michelin restaurant in La Rochelle has a high chair !

There's something for all the family; beaches, animal parks and aquariums for the kids, history, culture and shopping for the adults but you can also escape to the peace and tranquility of the rural French countryside.

Relax by the pool or sit under the shade of the vine reading a book whilst the children play with new found friends here at our family holiday cottages.

Find out more about a holiday with children here

1, US !

We couldn't write a top ten list of reasons to visit the Charente Maritime without including ourselves ! Our family holiday cottages, gites and villas are ideally located within the Charente Maritime to take advantage of all the above reasons to visit.

Our properties are all owned and managed by ourselves so you know you will receive excellent, personal service - just read some of our reviews on our web sites and on trip advisor to see why families return again and again to stay with us in the Charente Maritime . We are on hand at all times so if you need a restaurant recommendation, the sink unblocking or an urgent Doctors appointment you can rest assured we are here to help.

Many families have returned again and again to stay with us; they love the Charente Maritime and we are positive that you will love it too.

Content by Wendy Blakeman