France's Hidden Coast - Billowy Dunes, Briny Oysters and Easy, Unpretentious Charms

I just returned from a week at Cap Ferret, NO that’s not Cap Ferrat on the French Riviera ( a place of pop legends, Ferraris and Prada shops) but a location on France’s southwest coast, and think of salty Cap Cod than with St-Tropez!

Cap Ferret, a peninsula on France's west coast, is an exclusive summer enclave and differs from its south-coast nemesis, Cap Ferrat, by more than just a vowel and an ocean away.. Cap Ferret is a village des pêcheurs. No yachts, Sean Combs or Ivana Trump here. Instead, you'll find fishing boats and oyster farmers driving around town on forklifts. Small wood houses made from local pine are decorated with blue and white shutters. And when it comes to the social scene, there is no velvet rope: just latch onto the children riding their bicycles down the dirt lane to the beach.
At L'Horizon beach, the waves are decent enough to encourage an enthusiastic surf community. On the bay side, at low tide, people trickle across the sand to pick up shells and inspect the traps. Late afternoons are devoted to fresh oysters with white wine. The bay of Arcachon produces 70% of oyster seedlings in France and 10% of its oysters. Along the shoreline are lots of oyster producer shacks ( Quartier Ostreicole) that offer degustation of their products, it’s a must to do this while you are here. $20.00 for a dozen oysters (3 types), 2 glasses on white wine and 6 large shrimp!

Take the launch boat (30 minutes) across the bay to the town of Arcachon and have a wonderful lunch at one of the many wonderful seafood bistro's that line the beach front.
How has this throwback to summers-gone-by remained intact? Probably because, for years, Cap Ferret had been a hideaway for wealthy families from Bordeaux and Paris. Unless you owned a house, there was no chic way in until nine years ago, when one hotel was open and now there are two, the Cote Sable ( it has its own spa) being the best.
Cap Ferret has retained a carefree sense of summer, (no role playing, no high heels, no makeup, just nice people and wonderful food) something that is hard to find and that money just can't buy.
Its very quiet here, just the place to relax, take long beach walks, read and eat at local bistros and cafes, visit friends, summer backyard BBQ’s and that’s it. A mixture of wildness and quaintness.