Sand but not sea at Saint Georges de Didonne, France

This “seaside” resort is not far from Bordeaux and has a really beautiful, long, wide stretch of sand which is just lovely to chill out on.

It’s definitely worth a visit if you want to spend a day at the beach – but the sea there is more of a river estuary, so it’s a little muddy and not the best place for a dip.

However the town itself is also really lovely. It’s a great place for shopping with a mixture of lots designer and not-so-designer shops, and it’s got a classic French vibe about it with the pale stone buildings and bakeries everywhere. A particularly nice spot is a square surrounded by restaurants/cafes where Rue de la Republique meets Rue de Marechal Leclerc – I had some pretty wonderful mussels here!

Saint-Georges also provides access to Ile d’Oleron – a small island that is attached to the mainland by a bridge. This island also has some lovely beaches, but the water is still a bit murky. There is a harbour that’s lovely to wander around, though, and we struck gold on the island with one of the nicest fish restaurants I’ve ever eaten at – read my review here.