Leisure Breaks to Le Touquet
A visit to Le Touquet is an absolute must, especially as it is only a 35 minute
flight from London Southend Airport and a short drive from the airport to the
town. Whether you visit in summer or winter the town has something to offer
everyone.
In the few weeks before Christmas the main road into the town it lit by thousands of tiny white Christmas lights strung from all the trees and shrubs, the shops all participate in decorating their windows and the whole place looks magical.
The wide, sweeping, clean ,sandy beaches at Le Touquet
are excellent for building castles, kite flying and even riding your horse
and situated on the beach is a lido which means that, if you have children,
this is a great place for a summer holiday.
As well as having its lovely beaches,
this lovely town is surrounded by pinewoods in which many fine villa-style
homes can be found which is why this place is the most elegant seaside town
in the north of France and particularly popular with Parisians.
Le
Touquet is a lively, friendly French town with many hotels to cater for all
pockets. There are weekend markets where you browse amongst the clothing, toys,
shoes and, best of all, the cheeses, patés, fresh caught fish and shellfish.
The myriad shops in the town are also wonderful to wander around and the staff
,friendly and helpful, especially if you attempt the language, so go on give
it a try!
There are also two casinos in the town for those feeling lucky.
For the golfers amongst you Le Touquet is a great place to visit having two fine courses in the town: la Mer and la Forêt and several more in the surrounding area at Hardelot, Dunkerque, Saint-Omer and Arras.
Montreuil Sur Mer
Visit the Historic Castle ( with michelain restaurant) in the Historic town of Montreuil Sur Mer (25 minutes taxi ride from Le Touquet)
Stay at...
The Westminster, a grand hotel built for British high society in 1924. The walls are lined with autographed photos of generations of stars and politicians. The bar is still very British; the dining very French. Indoor swimming pool (0033 321 05 48 48, www.westminster.fr ).
A few steps from the beach is The Bristol (0033 321 05 49 95, www.hotelbristol.), a more modest Twenties hotel, with the popular Ascot piano bar for cocktails. Of the family-run B&Bs, we like Birdy Land (0033 321 05 31 46) on a leafy road, with three comfy rooms. Breakfast in the garden in fine weather. Above rates are for a double room, with breakfast.
Spend the morning...
On the golf course - the 103-year-old La Forêt meanders through pine forest, the links-like La Mer skirts the dunes and beach (www.opengolfclub.com/ltq). Or go riding from the equestrian centre through the woods. Most exhilarating is sand yachting on the broad, flat beach. In a char à voile, like a dinghy on wheels, you can reach 30mph in a gentle breeze. A two-hour introductory lesson at world record holder Bertrand Lambert's sand-yachting school costs £29 (0033 321 05 33 51, www.bleriotclub.com).
Lunch in...
Flavio - the poshest restaurant in town offers a bargain three-course, £14 lunch menu, but only in the upstairs room; stay downstairs and prices match the gilt and chandeliers (next to the Westminster Hotel, 0033 321 05 10 22).
Or, in the woods, the Dune aux Loups auberge specialises in wood-grilled fish and meat (Avenue de La Dune aux Loups, 0033 321 05 42 54).
Spend the afternoon...
Strolling along the promenade and beach - you will see why Manet and Boudin loved to paint in the pearly light. On the two-mile walk to Stella-Plage, watch kite flyers and surfcasters fishing for bass in the rollers.
Buy...
Treats. The Rue de Metz is dotted with excellent patisseries and bakers, plus half a dozen butchers and traiteurs. Buy jars of fish soup from Pérard - part fish shop, part oyster bar, part restaurant (67, Rue de Metz) and Michelin-rated chocolates at the Chocolaterie de Beussent (91, Rue de Metz).
Forget booze-cruise warehouses and check out knowledgeable wine merchants such as the Cave Touquettoise (72, Rue de Metz, 0033 321 05 63 40).
Most fun is the covered market, open on Thursdays and Saturdays (and Mondays in summer). Smell whiffy local cheeses at Gérard Delpierre's stall or take home pâtés and foie gras from Joël and Geneviève Wissart. Then shop your way down Rue Saint-Jean, the main drag: shoes at Nota Bene Piu (No 3) and Florence Kooijman (No 75), more home-made chocolates at Au Chat Bleu, an institution dating back to 1912 (47 bis), and stylish leather goods at La Mascotte (No 61).
Have dinner at...
The cheerful, family-run Café des Arts, where French tradition is given a modern twist with Asian spicing. Menus from £18 (80, Rue de Paris, 0033 321 05 21 55). Les 2 Moineaux is romantic, and the cooking imaginative: scallop and apple tart, monkfish medallions with beetroot risotto, intricate desserts. From £20 (first floor, 12, Rue Saint-Jean, 0033 321 05 09 67). Or splash out at the Cappelle family's stylish Village Suisse restaurant. From £25 (52, Avenue Saint-Jean, 0033 321 05 69 93).
Stay up late at...
Any of a dozen bars and pubs. With its red walls and modern art, Le Ricochet restaurant (49, Rue de Paris, 0033 321 06 41 36) is hip and hot. Menu from £20.
Recover by...
Taking a seawater spa treatment. Overlooking the beach, Thalassa Le Touquet (0033 321 09 85 30, www.thalassa.com) offers treatments using hot and cold seawater, hydrojet showers and hydromassage baths. Four treatments cost £64.
