Cap Ferret in the Aquitaine, is where cool French folk and celebrities come to holiday – it’s been called ‘the Gallic Hamptons’ but don’t let you put you off – despite the presence of VIPs, Cap Ferret still manages to retain an unspoilt air that is addictive. Understated villas and chic boutiques mix with wooden cabins painted in bright colours and stacks of oyster crates. Called ‘le bout du monde‘ or the end of the world, by the French, a stay at Cap Ferret is all about getting away from it all – enjoying the sun, sand and sea, and downing half a dozen oysters with a chilled glass of Bordeaux white.
‘The climate is not too hot and not too cold, with four distinct seasons,’ says French designer, Philippe Starck who has a holiday home at Cap Ferret. ‘The food is of a great quality, including amazing oysters and wonderful Bordeaux wines, a real and simple life, great forests, sand dunes, big waves, and the Bassin d’Arcachon itself is a kind of Venetian lagoon, which I deeply adore. There are no rocks around so it is a place where you cannot hurt yourself, a place mostly kindly and protective. Locals are happy to live there and their happiness is contagious.’
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