Campotel at Camping La Yole

Unless you're looking to lounge around site for the entirety of your stay (easily done when you have everything so close…), bring a bike along or hire one here to get out and explore the fields, woodlands and inland waterways that surround base. You might like to pedal six kilometres up the coast for a change of scene at Plage des Demoiselles beach, or you could set aside 40 minutes to cycle in the opposite direction to the town of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie. Once you've arrived here (whether by bike or by car – driving takes roughly 15 minutes) there's a lot to explore, including a sardine museum with an enormous selection of tinned fish. Elsewhere in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, you have markets, seafood restaurants, a casino and miniature golf to try out – far too much for one day, so make sure to find time to return before the end of your break. To the north, Île de Noirmoutier (20 minutes) is a good destination if you fancy seaside cycle rides. All pedalled out? Leave the helmet behind and head instead to Noirmoutier-en-l'Île (40 minutes) for visits to the aquarium or castle.