From local toddler-friendly attractions to lovely family-friendly sandy beach days, there is so much to do on a family holiday in the Vendee, France. If you can tear yourself away from these two perfect villas, you are sure to have the most amazing family holiday indeed.
Here are six toddler-friendly activities and days out in the Vendee, recommended by Donna, who is the owner of two large villas, ideal for families looking at holidaying together and knows the area well. Beau Rivage 6 bedrooms & Le Mimosa 5 bedrooms. Both villas have an extensive range of baby and toddler-friendly equipment, so if you are planning to drive or fly, all you need is your family and suitcase, the kitchen sink and other bits can stay at home!
Let’s get started on the toddler-friendly attractions…
Effectively within 45 minutes of the holiday homes there are actually 45 attractions to choose from, a huge amount of money has been invested over the past 10 years into the Vendee area – some are as close as 10 minutes away! – let’s go through six of Donna’s best picks…
Water Park – 10 mins away
In this unique setting and with the water set at 31degrees, toddlers are in the spotlight. Fun and entertaining activities for a memorable day in an aquatic area entirely dedicated to them. Watering, splashing… Climb aboard the ‘Galion des Moussaillons’ pirate ship to experience an adventure full of sliding! A separate splash area called Delire’o has slides specially adapted for the toddlers and smaller kids, so that the youngest have a great time too. And the Aqua Tower is fun area for toddlers with their feet in the water with 4 slides where children can overcome countless challenges and experience a thrilling day full of splashes.
Pirates, Dinosaurs & Cowboys! – 10 mins away
Unique intergenerational leisure park for the entire family and great for toddlers: riddles trail, an investigation with a tablet, discovery trail in the forest, self or guided tour of the chateau, trail for the little ones, inflatables, games of skill… Whatever your age, there will be the perfect trail for you! From dinosaurs to present time, go and discover History in a fun way!
Toddlers Adventure Park – 10 mins away
Live a unique and friendly experience with the Fun Zone especially designed for toddlers and younger kids! Ideal for families, share an unforgettable day with your children. Develop your balance, speed, strength and skill and explore the different activities on offer. The inflatable games will delight the little ones. They will also travel a mini-city at the wheel of a go-kart.
Giant Maze – 30 mins away
The labyrinth on foot, so the kids can run wild and have so much fun with the set out 26 games and 52 puzzles on the 2020 theme ” Adventure across the oceans! ” A labyrinth by bike with adapted activities (bridges, bumps, slaloms…) red and green tracks including an unlimited rabbit hunting dynamic enigmatic course.
Trampoline & activity centre – 45 mins away
Playbox is an indoor park with many activities called Jungle jump specially for toddlers. playground-funhouse for 4-12 children, trampoline-park. Explore the jungle but don’t get lost! jump, run, leap, giant slides, balls, a mini zip line, trampolines, an obstacle course… there is even a sledge to escape the poisonous snake… or even Karts to race!
Cycling – From the village
The ‘Loire a Velo’ is 180km of sign-posted cycle paths where you can ride through stunning Loire countryside, passing though villages, vineyards, visit Chateaux and Abbeys. Great choice of bikes for all ages (including carriers for toddlers/babies) delivered/collected free to our villas with helmets, locks and tool kit.
Many clients return to these wonderful villas year after year, as this area has something for everyone. Most frequent comment from clients – ‘we didn’t book long enough!’
Shall we now move on to the fab beaches? Again, the lovely owner Donna has taken the time to give us some information on the local beaches worth hitting up when staying with them…
There are miles of wonderful sandy beaches to explore just 10 mins away. Great fun any time of the day along the 13km of sandy beaches for sisters, brothers, cousins and friends alike
The famous Vendée coast – referred to locally as the Côte-de-Lumière (Coast of Light) stretches along 13 kms with 8 kms facing south. Many beaches have lifeguard surveillance and nearby free car parking areas
The Vendée is justifiably proud of its beaches. Most have achieved the blue flag for cleanliness and are typically gently sloping with fine golden sand. They attract visitors to holiday on their shores from all around the world and have done so for more than a century. There is nothing like blue sea, golden sand and glorious sunshine to conjure up a picture of the ideal holiday and the Vendée has an abundance of all of them. Listed below are our favourite and local beaches just 10 mins, by car, from your villa.
La Tranche sur Mer –
A beach, ideal for families with children as it is approved as a ”Kids’ Station”, which means that the resort is a safe environment for children to play in. It is great for those active families looking to get into some water sports as The ‘Circle Nautique Tranchais’ offer sailing, windsurfing and kite surfing.
Longeville sur Mer –
Seven kilometres of sandy beaches, ideal for sunbathing. It is also great for boating and surfing.
La Terrière’s –
Popular choice for families with its fine sandy beaches and ‘blue flag’ awards. It is protected from the winds by the island of Ile de Re and has lifeguards surveillance.
Le Rocher –
Sandy beach with a low tide and rock pools, great for the kiddies to explore. There is also a games area, cafes, shops and restaurants adjacent to the beach.
Les Conches –
Another sandy beach, with a surf school and a couple of eating outlets that serve burgers. chips and ice cream, plus cold drinks!
La Grière Plage –
For those who want a quieter beach. The beach is near the resort of La Tranche sur Mer, but even in the height of summer, it offers superb sand with less frenetic atmosphere. Local cafes offer the famous ‘Brioches Vendeennes’
As you can see there certainly is a lot of fun to be had when coming to the Vendee, but like we said above, that is if you can drag yourself away from the lovely villas that are on offer in the area…
Beau Rivage, 6 bedrooms, sleeping 15
Le Mimosa – 5 bedrooms, sleeping 13
The villas have great availability throughout June, a perfect time to visit Vendee with the family. The nearest airports are La Rochelle, 1 hour and 15 minutes and then Nantes which is 1 hour and 30 minutes. If you are a family that like packing up the car then the nearest port is St Malo which is 3 hours and 15 minutes and then Caen, 4 hours and 15 minutes.
