Villa St Marie, 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 200 m from the sea

This villa is divided into 2 independent buildings linked with a large canopy: a main house (120m2) with 3 bedrooms and a smaller one with a bedroom and a mezzanine for kids (2 beds). Each one opens onto a dedicated terrace with garden furniture, and you will enjoy the nice closed garden and the gorgeous outdoor private swimming pool (safety-fenced for children). The villa has been comfortably furnished, equipped and decorated in the respect of authentic ile de Ré style.
In the largest house, you will find: large living/dining room (with fireplace) opening onto terraces and swimming pool, game room with table football, fully equipped kitchen, cellar with additional fridge/freezer + washer and dryer, bathroom with WC, another separate WC.
In the small house: living room, washer, little kitchen, shower room with WC.
Each house has DVD and sat.TV, and benefits from free Wi-Fi internet access.
Linen rental is possible. The villa is located in the hamlet 'Les Grenettes', between 'Le Bois-Plage' and 'Sainte Marie' villages, 200m from sea side (South shore of the island) and 500m from a surfing spot.
Optional services are possible at extra cost, with our local Agent (ask us for more details) :
- Household linen rental for bed / bathroom / kitchen (sheets & pillowcases, towels),
- Provision and on-site delivery & retrieval of rental bikes,
- Equipment and accessories for babies,
- Pre-arrival shopping,
- Maid services at any time during stay (cleaning, baby-sitting, cooking, washing/ironing...)
Long term rentals are possible at special reduced rates (from 1 to 6 months, between October and March).
Possibility to rent the main house only (sleeps 6 maximum) with up to 35% rebate on above rates, except in July & August. Ask us for more details.
Arrival : usually on Saturday after 4 pm (flexible).
Departure : usually on Saturday before 10 am (flexible).
An island with many attractive assets: Ré is largely praised as a charming resort, which has succeeded in combining its image of trendy chic island with its natural and historic assets, as well as with some traditional activities which go back to ancient times (up to Antiquity) and steadily continue nowadays, like fishing, oyster farming, salt-marshes, vineyards or market gardening. Rather small in size (about 30km long and 5km wide, with a narrow isthmus of hardly 100m), it offers an outstanding variety of things to see and to do throughout the whole year, on land or sea.
The 85km² of the island, hardly rising a few meters above sea level, are criss-crossed by a well developed network of more than 100km of bicycle tracks, some of them stretching along the coast, or crossing picturesque harbours, woods, marshes with a bird sanctuary. Bike riding is therefore both the most popular transportation means for islanders and tourists, and one of the nicest activities to discover and enjoy the island.
3 Talassotherapy centers on the island.
An appealing resort all year through: With a mild climate all year through due to the ocean proximity, a nice breeze usually blowing during the hottest days, Ré stands as one of the preferred tourist destinations on the French West coast.
Summer is of course the most popular season, to enjoy the sun and bathe in the ocean. However Spring and Fall also offer pleasant and sunny conditions, with much fewer tourists on the seaside (about 100km of shore, mainly beaches) and in the inland villages (10 villages on the island, 16400 permanent islanders in 2009).
Winter provides keen sailors, fishermen, walkers, cyclists and horse riders with unique opportunities to freely enjoy the windy and invigorating fresh air from the ocean, the deserted beaches and inland trails, ... before savouring delicious fish & sea food! :-)
Even the Winter storms offer an impressive and unforgetable show, with this peculiar mix of striking colour contrasts, weird light, strong winds and the wild power of ocean high surf crashing against the shore.
What to do during your stay: All year long, many bird species can be observed on the island (wildlife reserve), and scenic sunsets over the ocean can be admired from the South shore (the beach just 200m away from the villa is a great spot to enjoy gorgeous sunsets!)
In addition to all the activities already mentioned, the island also offers many sightseeing possibilities : several museums (at least 5 in various places), the famous fortifications designed by Vauban, a military architect of king Louis XIV (see especially Saint-Martin citadel, registered as part of UNESCO World Heritage), the abbey 'des Châteliers', the wine growers cooperative (making and selling the famous aperitif 'Pineau des Charentes'), many small art galleries and craft shops, ...
Note that bikes can be rented from all villages, and it is highly recommended to do so, especially during high season, when the extensive use of a car is inadvisable anyway, due to heavy traffic on the roads causing some real congestions at some times & places.