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As the time to pick a summer destination approaches, Villanovo would like to introduce you to the beautiful Ile-de-Ré, jewel of France and ideal for family holidays due to the range of activities that it offers. Located in the western side of France, near La Rochelle, this small island is high demand every year due to its incomparable charm and its beauty. For those who are completely in the dark about the Ile-de-Ré, let Villanovo guide you through some of the characteristics of the island which, combined with the beautiful beaches, delightful weather and undeniable charm of the white houses, make the island special.
>>>All of our luxury villas in the Ile-de-Ré
Situated 42 metres above the sea, this splendid bridge which connects La Rochelle to Rivedoux, the first out of the 10 villages of the island, opened its gate for the first time in 1988, after 23 months of construction and a lot of controversy surrounding it. Its length of almost 3 kilometres makes it the second longest bridge of France behind the Saint-Nazaire bridge. When trying to reach the island, the bridge is the only option if travelling by car or bus and it is open every day 24/24. However, the entrance towards the island isn’t free but the way back is. Since it was built,economic activity has massively increased with the number of visitors per year being around 600 000 to over 3 million nowadays.
>>>Getaway in Ile-de-Ré
As they cover 20 kilometres of the coast, which represents one third of the island, the dunes can be considered as an emblem of the Ile-de-Ré. Their geologic formation is simple, they are formed on the lower shores by the sediments brought by the coastal transit and the wind blowing them in the direction. These need to be protected at all costs as they are a natural protection for the island against marine submergences and decorate beaches beautifully, such as on the Petit Bec beach in Les-Portes-en-Ré, the last village of the island. However , in recent years, the dunes of the Ile-de-Ré have been endangered and threatened by droughts, tourism and the Xynthia storm of 2010 which has led the french government to invest 5 million euros in their protection so they can carry on blowing us away with their natural beauty.
>>> Our 8 most beautiful villas with swimming pool on Ile-de-Ré
Oysters are an essential product of the Ile-de-Ré and are an integral part of its maritime culture, especially since a little more than 3% of the national oyster production comes from this small island, which is equivalent to about 8000 tons of oysters per year. These little jewels of the ocean are grown between the high seas and the famous salt marshes of the island and oyster farming is punctuated by the water cycle and the tides. Oyster farming requires a know-how of excellence, which has been passed on from generation to generation in the Île-de-Ré. This tasty iodized seafood is excellent for your health because it contains minerals, vitamins and amino acids, but above all, oysters strengthen our humanitarian defences because they contain a high level of iron.
>>>Taste trip around the Ile-de-Ré
The salt marshes are among the must-sees of the Ile-de-Ré because of their beauty but above all because saliculture goes back centuries and the functioning of the marshes has not changed since the Middle Ages. They are composed of 3 basins that have been dug in the natural clay to ensure the passage of water between them: the mudflats, the meadows and the marsh fields. Sauniers, which are becoming increasingly rare (there are about a hundred sauniers on Ile de Ré compared to 1000 in the 19th century), increase or decrease water flows every day to optimize the formation of salt, which itself is totally dependent on weather conditions. There is the opportunity to witness salt harvests, which are usually between June and September, by walking or cycling through the marshes. Villanovo recommends going to those between Ars-en-Ré and Les-Portes-en-Ré where the sunset is splendid.
>>> Find out about our villas in Ars-en-Ré
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