THE AREA
You can just spend your time at La Sablière relaxing, unwinding, cooling off in the pool, or barbecuing and then stargazing under our really dark night skies.But there are also a wealth of interesting places in the area, all around about an hour away, for you to explore.The city of Bordeaux is an hour away - the new tram park+ride alongside the A10 is just 45 minutes away, and takes you right into the heart of the city. The historic city centre is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble of the 18th century", with many stunning buildings. As befits the world's wine industry capital, it's also home to La Cité du Vin wine museum. You can get around the city with trams, the V3 bike network, and riverboats.Montendre is the closest town (6km away), and has the largest market in the area (Thursday mornings). There are evening street markets on Tuesday evenings in July and August. Freemusic festival in June. It has a couple of very good restaurants, two supermarkets and a great takeaway pizza shop. It also has the closest railway station.Mysterra is a new family attraction, based on mazes and puzzles which also uses augmented reality and interactive apps; you can spend a whole day here.Jonzac (15km away) is a charming spa town dominated by its 15th century castle at the top of the main street. It has weekly markets (Tuesday, Friday and Saturday), green and antiques markets Sunday mornings, and has plenty of good restaurants and bars. From mid-June to mid-September there is an evening street market with food and music on Wednesdays. There are other cultural events throughout the year. There are supermarkets and plenty of local servicesNearby there is a casino, treatment spa, and Les Antilles - an indoor tropical lagoon with pools, wave machine, slides and geysers, fitness centre and restaurants.Cognac (50km/45 mins away) is a town famed for the brandy named after it. All the main cognac producers, such as Courvoisier, Martell, and Rémy Martin, have distillery visits. The Hennessy visit even takes in a boat ride on the River Charente.
Some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world are grown in neighbouring Gironde. Areas such as Margaux, Pauillac, Médoc, Graves, Sauternes, Côtes de Bourg, Saint-Emilion and Saint-Georges are all with easy reach, and many estates have tastings.
The villages of Talmont-sur-Gironde (one of La Plus Beaux Villages de France - "The most beautiful villages of France") and Meschers-sur-Gironde are both around 50km away. Just further north are family-friendly beach resorts such as Saint-Georges-de-Didonne, Royan, and Saint-Palais-sur-Mer - though these can be very busy in school holidays. Beyond the Zoo de La Palmyre is the spectacular Côte Sauvage - park in La Coubre forest for a 10-minute walk to this unspoilt Atlantic coast beach.If you want to travel further, you can cross the cross the Gironde, either by the ferry at Blaye and have miles of unspoilt beaches on the vast Côte d'Argent Atlantic coast at resorts such Hourtin Plage and Lacanau Océan, or cross via Bordeaux to Bassin d'Arcachon, with the quaint resort town of Arcachon itself, and Cap Ferret and La Grande Dune du Pilat (The Great Dune of Pyla) - the largest sand dune in Europe.
The area around La Sablière is great for cycling - quiet roads with good surfaces, rolling countryside, great weather, interesting places to visit. If you want to do 5, 50 or 100km, there are some fantastic routes for you here.If you are bringing your own bike, La Sablière has a workshop stand, bike tools and some spares available for you to use. We have room to store bike boxes.
Vineyards
Some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world are grown in neighbouring Gironde. Areas such as Margaux, Pauillac, Médoc, Graves, Sauternes, Côtes de Bourg, Saint-Emilion and Saint-Georges are all with easy reach, and many estates have tastings.Vineyards
The coast
The villages of Talmont-sur-Gironde (one of La Plus Beaux Villages de France - "The most beautiful villages of France") and Meschers-sur-Gironde are both around 50km away. Just further north are family-friendly beach resorts such as Saint-Georges-de-Didonne, Royan, and Saint-Palais-sur-Mer - though these can be very busy in school holidays. Beyond the Zoo de La Palmyre is the spectacular Côte Sauvage - park in La Coubre forest for a 10-minute walk to this unspoilt Atlantic coast beach.If you want to travel further, you can cross the cross the Gironde, either by the ferry at Blaye and have miles of unspoilt beaches on the vast Côte d'Argent Atlantic coast at resorts such Hourtin Plage and Lacanau Océan, or cross via Bordeaux to Bassin d'Arcachon, with the quaint resort town of Arcachon itself, and Cap Ferret and La Grande Dune du Pilat (The Great Dune of Pyla) - the largest sand dune in Europe.The coast
Cycling
The area around La Sablière is great for cycling - quiet roads with good surfaces, rolling countryside, great weather, interesting places to visit. If you want to do 5, 50 or 100km, there are some fantastic routes for you here.If you are bringing your own bike, La Sablière has a workshop stand, bike tools and some spares available for you to use. We have room to store bike boxes.Cycling