LATE AVAILABILITY INDEPENDENT HOLIDAY COTTAGES IN BRITTANY
PRIVATE HOLIDAY COTTAGES IN BRITTANY
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Scroll down the page to see self catering gites, villas, apartments and holiday accommodation to rent in Brittany - France. Properties are listed in random order. Please scroll down the page to see all our holiday properties to rent in Brittany. Accommodation is listed in random order.
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Brittany, or “Bretagne” in French, is probably the most well know holiday destination in France for British families. The quintessential family beach holiday destination in a self catering cottage or gite, with warmer weather than Cornwall without the excessive heat generally experienced south of the Loire. It’s an easy overnight or daytime ferry ride over the channel from Plymouth, Poole, Portsmouth or Cork in Eire into Saint Malo or Roscoff. St Malo is a fortified city well worth exploring rather than just passing through to reach your desination. Brittany is easily identified as the large peninsula in the north west of the country consisting of 5 coastal departments, starting in the north east and moving anti clockwise; Ille-et-Vilaine, Côtes-d'Armor, Finistère, Morbihan and Loire-Atlantique, bordered by the English Channel and Bay of Biscay/Atlantic and inland Loire and the totally different countryside and accommodation in Normandy to the east.
Bring your bucket and spade to Brittany, even in the height of August you can always find a glorious uncrowded beach. Tourism is a welcome addition to the traditional farming and fishing economy and welcomed with open arms. Many farm buildings are now wonderful holiday cottages. Breton gites are very comfortable and offer many extras like swimming pools, wi fi, children’s adventure playgrounds and wood burners for cosy spring and autumn “home away from home” last minute breaks, and even bikes for exploring the quiet lanes or peddling off down to the local “plage”. Nowhere in Brittany is more than an hour from the coast.
The north coast, Côte de Granit Rose or “Pink Granite Coast” resembles unspoilt British beaches complete with rock pools. Further inland, Dinan is typical of beautifully preserved inland medieval walled towns. Mont St Michel is iconic, built as a monastic abbey and commune in the 8th Century, on an island 1 mile offshore near Avranches. Over the years it has been a prison and is now preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The south coast has a sunny micro climate and wide sandy toddler friendly beaches at Carnac (don’t miss the neolithic stone circles) and the fishing and yachting port of Douarnenez, both still traditional in appearance whilst catering well for holidaymakers. Pont Aven is a charming artists’ haven.
Food is family friendly in Brittany. We are all familiar with the sweet crêpes (pancakes) found everywhere with a myriad of fillings, in restaurants, cafés and road side stalls. The more substantial savoury Breton galettes make a full meal. White wine is produced in the south bordering the Loire but Bretons produce wonderful artisan cider, beer and even whisky illustrating the British influence.
Seafood is a regional speciality, extremely fresh and perfectly cooked. Families can be seen at lunch with huge bowls of moules marinières (mussels) cooked in wine and garlic with frites and crusty bagueette for mopping the delicious juices. Oysters or “huitres” are traditionally eaten whole and raw, and perhaps more of an acquired taste. Oyster beds can be seen at chic Cancale in the north. The town is packed with seafood restaurants. With a wonderful ambience and a guarantee of good food enjoy the relaxed welcoming Breton hospitality.