Everyone knows that person who spends weeks sniffing around travel blogs, going deep into Tripadvisor rabbit holes, collecting Google docs from friends of friends, and creating A Beautiful Mind–style spreadsheets to come up with the best vacations and itineraries possible. In this recurring series, we find those people who’ve done all the work for you and have them walk us through a particularly wonderful, especially well-thought-out vacation they took that you can actually steal.
Having just moved from New York City to Paris last spring, I was eager to spend the summer hopping around the French seaside. High prices and rowdy crowds deterred me from the more obvious destinations in the French Riviera, so instead, I went west, swapping the Med for the Atlantic, palm trees for pine, and Riviera glitz for rustic charms that reminded me of my childhood.
I grew up in a coastal fishing town in Massachusetts, so Cap Ferret, a small village in the southernmost point of Lège-Cap-Ferret, a peninsula that splits the Arcachon Bay and the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest of France, felt instantly familiar.
French friends had described it to me as a low-key summer destination for chic French families and friends. It’s host to both swimming and surfing beaches, as well as tons of al fresco seafood restaurants and oyster-tasting shacks. I was able to convince some friends to join me in late July as we traversed the Bay of Arcachon for a week of oyster lunches, blissed-out beach days, and majestic boat trips — topping it off with an impromptu weekend in Bordeaux.
Day 1
9 a.m.: Travel from Paris to Cap Ferret
From Paris, my friend Anny and I took a train to Arcachon, which required a transfer in Bordeaux, making it a three-and-a-half-hour journey by train. From the train, we walked ten minutes over to the Thiers Pier (Place Thiers, 33120 Arcachon) on Arcachon Beach and boarded a boat shuttle to Cap Ferret. It was a scenic 30-minute ride to cross the bay with some pretty epic views of the Dune du Pilat. Pulling up to the small port of Cap Ferret, we noticed the rows of oyster beds marked with sticks and got excited to feast on oysters all week!
1 p.m.: Settle into a surfside bungalow
Once we arrived at the port, we walked 20 minutes through the quaint sandy roads flanked by rustic ranch homes to Hotel des Dunes (119 Avenue de Bordeaux), our home for the next two nights. Hotel des Dunes is the oldest hotel on the peninsula, having originally opened in 1969, and thus has become somewhat of an institution.
In 2022, French-born Karine Hecquet and her husband Jean-Philippe, who have spent summers in Cap Ferret, bought the property and reopened it last summer as a modern surf lodge inspired by the motels you’ll find along the California coast. This wasn’t random, I learned, as the hotel’s new owners spent their summers in Cap Ferret and had also visited Hawaii, surfing their way through Waimea Bay, Ho’okipa, and Waikiki, before settling for a few years in New York, where they fell in love with Montauk. Throughout those years, they also spent time traveling to California surfing the best breaks in Malibu, Monterey, and San Diego, often staying in fuss-free seaside motels that would eventually become the source of inspiration when they returned to France in 2015 and rediscovered the joys of Cap Ferret.
So when the couple bought Hotel des Dunes, they had high hopes of bringing back the laid-back surf spirit ingrained in the hotel’s history. Along with the nostalgic feel of California surf motels, the property seamlessly emulates the traditional architecture around the basin, like the cabins on stilts typical of the Bassin d’Arcachon, which are used to watch over the oyster fields. If Hotel des Dunes isn’t available, as there are only 13 rooms, there are tons of chic affordable Airbnb options for families and groups of friends. Here are three I love:
2 p.m.: Nap on the beach
After we settled in, we were eager to get to the beach. The beach directly across the street from the hotel, Plage des Dunes, is on the Atlantic side, so it’s ideal for wind sports, like surfing and kite surfing. One of the things that makes Cap Ferret so unique is its geographical positioning, where you can access the calmer waters on the bay side of the peninsula and the wilder waters on the Atlantic side. Once we climbed through heaps of white sandy dunes flanked by tall grass, we descended to a beach that looked like it went on for miles. Since the water was a bit choppy on this side and we didn’t have the energy for water sports after our trip, we spent the afternoon reading and napping on the soft, pillowy sand. The weather was perfect, not too hot even during the dog days of summer; it was warm and dry with a perfect breeze.
5 p.m.: Visit your first oyster tasting on the basin
From the beach, we walked down to the oyster village that lines the basin and had a late lunch/early dinner at one of the most famous oyster spots, La Cabane d’Hortense (Rue des Tamaris), the casual sibling to the more formal restaurant Chez Hortense, which we visited the following day. At all of these “dégustation” shacks, as they’re called, they serve oysters, shrimp, snails, and pâtés. We ordered everything on the menu and topped it all off with a glass of white wine. After the meal, we walked through the fisherman village toward the main town lined with shops and restaurants and popped into a few boutiques. Our favorite was Belle Amie (10 Bd de la Plage), which carried a well-curated assortment of designer brands, like The Row and Loewe, and smaller, more affordable French brands, like L/Uniform for great bags. Then we finally made our way back to the hotel to meet our friends who had just arrived from Capri.
Day 2
10 a.m.: Enjoy a leisurely morning at the hotel
We took our time this morning and indulged in a perfect breakfast, complete with fresh breads and cakes, the best charcuterie in the southwest, fresh fruit from Cocotte, a local legend at the Ferret farmers’ market, and granola and honey from the basin. After breakfast, we spread out across the property on the outdoor deck chairs and hammocks to catch up on some work before lunch at the iconic Restaurant Chez Hortense (26 Av. Du Sémaphore).
Noon: Have a scene-y lunch at Chez Hortense
Two of us walked to lunch, which took 30 minutes as we cut across some scenic little beaches on the bay side, while the other two biked over using the bikes provided by the hotel, taking them roughly ten minutes. It felt like anyone who’s anyone on Cap Ferret was having lunch at Chez Hortense, so be sure to reserve at least a month in advance if you can. It’s set on a shaded outdoor terrace covered in vines and greenery with views overlooking the bay. It’s a nice crowd because it’s a mix of locals, friends, and families, yet it’s not rowdy, just really warm and fun. It was already super busy when we arrived for our 12:30 reservation and we ordered a pretty substantial amount. Oysters, the fish of the day, shrimp, and mussels and fries, paired with a couple of bottles of white wine. We polished it off with a round of dessert: some strawberries and cream and homemade ice cream.
3 p.m.: Hit the beach before the rain
After lunch, we made our way around the back of the restaurant and walked left toward the quiet beaches on the bay that we had discovered on the walk over to lunch (these beaches don’t have names, but you can’t miss them). We found a spot with a direct view of the Dune du Pilat and hung out at the beach before the rain came. As luck would have it, the rain lasted as long as it took us to run and bike home, and when we arrived, the sun was out on our little deck at Hotel des Dunes. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the hammocks and taking in the final hours of sun before dinner.
8 p.m.: Enjoy a change of palate for dinner
The super-friendly staff at the hotel had booked us a reservation at Mayzou (32 Av. Nord du Phare), a ten-minute walk from the hotel. Mayzou serves international cuisine and has a menu that changes daily depending on the fishing or harvest of their local suppliers. While we were loving our oyster-filled week, it was nice to try some new flavors. We ordered almost everything on the menu that day, which included pulled lamb tacos, tuna tataki, burrata and bottarga, tomato salad and anchovies, zucchini fritters, Japanese-style oysters, hong shao eggplant, Persian rice ,and popcorn chicken with spicy mayo. Everything had so much flavor and really hit the spot.
Day 3
9 a.m.: Wake up early for a morning market run
I’m an early bird so after my early morning breakfast at the hotel, I took a stroll over to the Cap Ferret market (Av. Du Monument Saliens) as they were just setting up. The market sells crafts from woven basket bags and lamps to linen clothing by local vendors, as well as fresh fish and local wine. One of my friends biked over to meet me when they got up and we perused the market, restocking on some good linen finds before heading back to the hotel for our last day here.
11:30 a.m.: Spend a final beach day on the basin
When I got back to the hotel, my friends had just finished eating breakfast and we walked over to Plage du banc du Mimbeau (Av. de la Conche) on the bay side since it was right by our lunch reservation. It was an especially warm day, so we spent the afternoon in the water, swimming to the sandbar that forms when the tide is high.
1:30 p.m.: Take in another oyster lunch before checking out
When it was time for lunch, we walked a few steps to Chai Bertrand (48 Quartier des Pecheurs) for yet another tasting of oysters, shrimp, snails, and white wine. After lunch, we walked back to the hotel and packed up, then Karine offered to drive us to the port in the hotel jeep.
4 p.m.: Check in to a new hotel in Arcachon
We boarded the boat shuttle to Arcachon and from there called an Uber to Villa du Pyla (4 Av. du Figuier), located in Pyla-Sur-Mer, a small seaside town just outside of Arcachon that sits between Arcachon and the Dune du Pilat. Villa du Pyla is a cozy guesthouse-style hotel on the beach, featuring 18 suites, each with kitchenettes and balconies or private patios. We relaxed on the beach for a few more hours of sun, then did some work from our balconies before dinner.
8 p.m.: Bask in a sunset dinner overlooking Dune du Pilat
We had the concierge call us a cab to take us to our dinner reservation at Hotel Restaurant La Co(o)rniche (46 Av. Louis Gaume), the most famous hotel in the area, known for its insane views of Dune du Pilat, which sits just 4.5 kilometers away from the property. We grabbed drinks at the bar while waiting for our table and took tons of photos of the sunset overlooking the dunes and the bay before sitting down to dinner. We ordered a round of oysters and snails, followed by fresh fish of the day, which was a sea bass.
Day 4
10 a.m.–1 p.m.: Begin our boat day around Arcachon Bay
In the morning, a breakfast basket with a fresh baguette and other baked goods and fruit and yogurt was delivered to our door. We ate on the balcony overlooking the beach and got ready for our boat day on Arcachon Bay. We took a cab to the meeting point in the harbor at Rue de Marins and met up with the crew of Des Hommes et Des Mers. We booked a full six-hour day to really take advantage and see everything we wanted to (but you can also book three- or four-hour days). Des Hommes et Des Mers has the option of two boats, a smaller classic boat, called L’Empreinte (fits up to 12 people), built on the basin for the basin, which allows you to get as close as possible to the villages and the most inaccessible places, and a larger boat, L’Embrun (fits up to 15 people), which is a catamaran for larger groups. We started our journey on the basin checking out the famous stilt houses, “Les Cabanes Tchanquées,” an emblem of the basin located on L’ile aux Oiseaux, which were originally built for monitoring oyster parks. We then made our way closer to the Lège-Cap-Ferret peninsula and cruised along the shores of the various little fishing villages until reaching one of the most famous: L’Herbe.
2 p.m.: Visit L’Herbe for lunch, then go for a swim
We descended onto the beach of L’Herbe and walked up through the village, passing a few dégustation shacks until stopping for lunch at one called Kykouyou (Av. de L’Herbe). After lunch, we made our way through the charming, narrow backstreets of L’Herbe, exploring the village and its colorful fishing homes. We made our way back onto the boat and decided it was time to swim. We anchored at a beach that sits between Plage de la Vigne and La Plage des Américains for an hour of swimming before jumping back on and heading to the point where the bay meets the Atlantic Ocean, called “La Passe,” which is very dangerous to cross, depending on the swell and wind conditions, but we wanted to feel the strength of the current, so we jumped into the water and swam a bit against the wild and majestic backdrop of the dune. Wasn’t an easy swim, so only recommended for strong swimmers!
5 p.m.: Climb the Dune du Pilat and visit a secret sandbank
We then cruised over to the dune and actually managed to climb up partway. It was a pretty insane workout, and the views were wild. When we got back on the boat, our captain, Patrick, wanted to show us one more spot: a famous sandbank that sits in front of the Dune du Pilat that only appears for a few hours in the evening, called “Le Banc d’Arguin.” We were the first to arrive just as it was beginning to poke out from the water, and it was magical. We ran around and took in the 360-degree views of the bay just as the sun was beginning to set. Finally, because of the tides, Patrick was able to drop us right on the beach we were staying on, so we rolled onto the beach and straight into our hotel rooms.
8 p.m.: Enjoy a steak dinner
After so much seafood, we were craving classic bistro food, so we went to dinner at Café Ha(a)itza (312 Bd de l’Océan), a brasserie at Hotel Ha(a)itza (our hotel helped us make the reservation the night before). It’s the same owners as La Co(o)rniche, but feels a bit more casual. We were ready for a change of pace from seafood, so we ordered a round of steaks and fries.
Day 5
2 p.m.: Make an impromptu pit stop in Bordeaux
Two of our friends left for Ibiza that morning and my friend Anny and I got a cab to the Arcachon train station to travel back to Paris. We were on a direct train back to Paris, but when a train delay had us held up for 15 minutes in Bordeaux, we spontaneously decided to get off and finish out the weekend there! It was already the evening at this point, so we sat at the train-station café while we sorted out a place to stay.
5 p.m.: Check in to a charming hotel, then eat dinner at a southwest institution
We booked a last-minute stay at Maison La Course (69 Rue de la Course), a former family home set within a 19th-century mansion around the corner from the hip Chartrons neighborhood. It has just five rooms, so we lucked out as they had a cancellation. The intimate nature of the home gives it a guesthouse feel with a few cozy communal spaces, like the lounge with a fireplace, kitchen, and tasting room (should you wish to book a tasting). There’s also a spa that we didn’t get around to checking out.
Once we settled in, we aimlessly walked around the city, making our way to the iconic La Tupina (6 Rue Porte de la Monnaie) for dinner, known for its upscale southwestern comfort food. The crowd was a bit too touristy for our taste, but the food was solid and the service was super friendly. We ordered the macaronade de cèpes et foie gras (its signature rigatoni with crème fraîche, mushrooms, bacon, and foie gras sauce) and Chateaubriand beef filet with bone marrow — we really went for it … we were hungry! We loved the local red wine our waiter suggested, from Chateau de Parenchere.
Day 6
11 a.m.: Walk around the Chartrons neighborhood
As it was Sunday, most things were closed (whoops!), but we still enjoyed strolling around the Chartrons neighborhood (I knew some places already as I had visited Bordeaux earlier in the summer with friends and expert tour guide Yolanda Edwards, who has a house in the Medoc). We picked up sandwiches at La P’tite Boulangerie Notre Dame (62 Rue Notre Dame) for our stroll around the neighborhood before heading back to the hotel to catch up on some work.
6 p.m.: Have a final dinner in Bordeaux
In the evening, we wanted to go for a glass of wine and some salted anchovies at Motto Bar (33 Rue Piliers de Tutelle), a hi-fi music bar, but we realized it was closed on Sundays, so we’ll save that for next time! Just next door, there was a place that looked great called Soif (35 Rue du Cancera), which serves a seasonal menu of small plates, so we popped in there for dinner. We ordered the mussels, a really interesting tomato salad with crunch, and the beef dish they were serving that day. We paired the meal with some really good natural wines from the region; I loved my Merlot from Chateau Brandeau. We finished the meal with some local cheese, a brioche perdu, which is basically a fancy French toast, and, of course, some cognac! It was a perfect last meal before our two-hour train back to Paris in the morning.
Monica’s Arcachon Bay packing list
I love Attersee for elevated basics. The oversize shirt is a chic, lightweight piece for a coastal getaway. I wore it open to the beach and buttoned up at night.
I never travel without my Paravel Weekender bag, but it was especially clutch on this trip. It has smart straps that slip over the trolley of your carry-on suitcase and a zipper for seamless lugging through unpaved roads and cobbled streets. Nothing spilling out or falling over, and it fits way more than it appears.
Tombolo’s One-in-a-Billion for Billion Oyster Project shirt feels like a no-brainer here if you really want to get into the spirit of the trip — I did! It’s silly and fun, and 15 percent of proceeds from the capsule are donated to the Billion Oyster Project to help improve New York’s harbors.
I love Ciao Lucia’s Zacchi pant (in white or the more festive shell print). I like to pack clothes that can work double duty, and these do just that. They’re lightweight and easy to transition from the beach to dinner.
Of course, I don’t travel without SPF, but something less obvious that I don’t travel without is a tube of Biafine, a French pharmacy product that has proven extremely useful to treat sunburns (or sun rashes) for when you miss a spot with the SPF!
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
