An escape to the French seaside probably evokes visions of the glitzy French Riviera. But we much prefer the low-key charm of the oyster villages of Cap Ferret on France’s Atlantic Coast to the rowdy crowds and beach bars of the Med. The peninsula of Lège-Cap-Ferret has been our favorite discovery since moving to France a decade ago.
Picture tiny rustic villages lined with oyster shacks, toes in the golden sand as you while away days alternating between swimming in the calm waters of the Bassin d’Arcachon and sipping white Bordeaux while slurping up the freshest oysters, all whilst taking in epic views of the Dune du Pilat. Located just over an hour drive from Bordeaux, we often hop in the car and head to Lège-Cap-Ferret for a day of doing exactly that.
But sometimes a day just isn’t enough, and we want to trade city life for a few days of beach relaxation. The problem has always been that you aren’t exactly spoiled for choice of accommodation in an area that maintains its natural beauty and history of oyster farming, especially when you add pet-friendly on to your list of what makes the perfect stay.
That is until our recent discovery of Domaine du Ferret, a 4-star wellness resort complete with two pools, spa and onsite restaurant located in Claouey, one of the 10 villages that make up Lège-Cap-Ferret. Just a short drive to all of our favorite oyster cabanas and beaches, Domaine du Ferret is truly a perfect home base for enjoying all that Lège-Cap-Ferret has to offer.
Domaine Du Ferret
The 4-star Domaine du Ferret is tucked into the pine forest of Claouey, with your choice of Bassin-side beaches and oyster cabanas just a short walk, bike ride or drive away. The resort is inspired by the wooden fisherman huts typical of the villages of the Bassin of Arcachon, yet provides all the modern amenities to make the resort feel like your home away from home. Complete with 1000m2 spa, outdoor pool, onsite restaurant and a 3 truffes Qualidog rating for its’ pet-friendliness, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better stay on Lège-Cap-Ferret.
The Lodges
There is a choice of studio, 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom lodges at Domaine du Ferret. All lodges have been recently renovated with a contemporary design and appointed with modern amenities from well-equipped kitchenettes to central air conditioning. And all lodges have either a balcony or a hedge lined terrace to enjoy your own private outdoor seating area.
We stayed in a Superior Lodge 1 Bedroom, which is ideal for 2 adults and a pet. The Superior Lodges, which are offered as 1 or 2 bedroom lodges, are situated in a prime location within the domaine to allow you a more relaxed stay. The Superior Lodges are ground floor only, with no accommodation above. Superior Lodges also come with additional amenities like body lotion, conditioner, and a dish washing kit.
Our 40m2 Superior Lodge 1 Bedroom was situated toward the back of the property with convenient parking a short walk away. Though a porter will assist with your luggage and bring it to your lodge on arrival. As our dog, Coco, was staying with us, there were dog bowls provided and the sofa was made up with a sheet over it so your dog can feel right at home and lounge on the furniture too.
The kitchen is fully equipped with a refrigerator, cook top, microwave, Nespresso machine, kettle, pots, pans and dishes. The Superior category also comes with a brand new dish washing kit, which I immediately noted and appreciated. One of my complaints about aparthotels is the dish sponge, which is often not changed between guests.
Guests also receive a refillable glass water bottle from reception, which you can fill as frequently as you like with either flat or sparkling water from the water filling machine in the main building.
The bed can be a queen bed or configured as two twin beds if you’re staying with a friend. The bed and bedding are comfortable. There are flat screen tvs in both the living room and in the bedroom, which we actually never switched on during our stay. The wifi is free and has an excellent connection, however.
The bathroom is spacious with a walk-in rain shower. A hair dryer, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and shower gel is provided. The products are all from Domaine du Ferret’s own range of natural products that are 100% made in France.
Domaine du Ferret Spa
Domaine du Ferret’s 1000m2 spa is a resort highlight. The spa has a heated indoor/outdoor swimming pool with jacuzzi, a hammam, and a sauna. Spa guests are provided with a robe, towel and flip flops and the changing rooms offer the Domaine’s range of shampoo, conditioner and lotions for guest use. There is also a bar with Kusmi teas and fresh water.
While we only used the spa facilities like the pool, hammam and sauna during our stay, there are a variety of treatments from facials to body care that you can also book a la carte.
The spa is adults only. Separate from the spa, the resort also has another outdoor pool that guests can enjoy without booking spa access.
La Cabanon du Domaine Restaurant
Domaine du Ferret also has an onsite restaurant, La Cabanom du Domaine, which is located in the main building and has an elevated outdoor deck overlooking the pine forest.
La Cabanon du Domaine offers guests a breakfast buffet with the breakfast included rate. The breakfast buffet includes hot items like scrambled or boiled eggs, pancakes, bacon and sausages, as well as fresh fruit, breads and cakes, a cheese and charcuterie selection, honey from the Bassin, selection of juices, coffee and Kusmi teas.
We were quite impressed with the breakfast buffet selection. And dogs are also welcome to join you for breakfast in the restaurant.
Throughout the day the restaurant offers nibbles like hummus and charcuterie boards, as well as cocktails, that you can enjoy on the decks, or even poolside.
We also tested the bistronomique restaurant for dinner. While we love our oyster-filled days and we indulged with two dozen already before checking in to the resort, it’s nice to taste other flavors as well.
A menu of the day featuring fresh, seasonal ingredients from the region is offered with a starter, main course and dessert. Or you can choose from the a la carte menu which again features a selection of products from both land and sea of the Bassin of Arcachon and the South West of France.
The menu changes with the seasonal ingredients available, but during our stay we were delighted to try the asparagus with a bacon and Parmesan cream and the oysters au gratin with Entre Deux Mers sabayon to start. The asparagus was so delicious, it’s a dish I’ll be trying to recreate at home as I love to do with dishes from our travels. For our mains, we both opted for a pork loin with spring vegetables that was so incredibly tender it practically melted. And for something sweet, we finished off with sharing the profiteroles.
La Cabanon du Ferret also offers a gourmet Sunday brunch. We didn’t try the Sunday brunch, but guests were still brunching as we arrived to check-in and the brunch looked fantastic. There are cold starters like salads, fresh vegetables and charcuterie, seafood platters, various finger foods, hot dishes like eggs, and a selection of desserts. We’d definitely book brunch in the future.
Pet-Friendly
Domaine du Ferret is pet-friendly! They’ve earned a 3 truffes Qualidog rating, which is a dog-friendliness rating ranging from 1 to 4 truffes from the Emméne Ton Chien website. Dogs are welcome for a 12€ per day per dog supplement and are welcome throughout the resort with the exception of the spa and the pool.
There is a toutou bar at reception offering treats and water. Dog bowls are provided in rooms for guests staying with their dog. And there are no rules like dogs cannot be on the furniture, because we all know dogs love to test out the beds and couches too. Instead, a sheet was already prepared to cover the sofa so Coco could lounge comfortably too.
There are also walking paths, and trash bins conveniently throughout the resort to depose of pet waste.
Activities to Do in Lège-Cap-Ferret
While you’ll definitely want to leave time to enjoy Domaine du Ferret’s spa, pool and relaxing on your balcony or terrace, there are some things no visit to Lège-Cap-Ferret is complete without.
You can discover Lège-Cap-Ferret by foot, bicycle or car. Domaine du Ferret has bicycles rentals through their partner C du Cycle. The resort can also help arrange of variety of activities from boat tours of the Bassin d’Archachon to yoga on the beach.
A few things you won’t want to miss:
Fresh Oysters at an Oyster Cabana
Lège-Cap-Ferret is made up of 10 fishing villages where you’ll find countless oyster farmers selling their oysters direct. Many have a makeshift restaurant where the menu is simple: oysters, shrimp, bullots, pâté and white or rosé wine. It’s a quintessential Lège-Cap-Ferret experience to sit and gaze out across the sweeping views of the Bassin of Arcachon while slurping up the freshest oysters and sipping chilled white Bordeaux.
We’ve tried various oyster cabanas across the villages, and we have a few we return to again and again. Closest to Domaine du Ferret, Les Pieds dans l’Eau is set on a spit of beach in the village of Le Four.
Another favorite is Le Petit Chenal at the edge of Petit Piquey, which is always our choice on a chillier day as they enclose their seating in the cooler months. You can also easily reserve a table at Le Petit Chenal online.
Practically next door to Le Petit Chenal and also located in Petit Piquey is Le Conche. Le Conche is our go to, especially in off-season as they are usually open and even have heaters in their enclosed seating.
Our absolute favorite and most frequented oyster cabana is Chez Guillaume located in the village of l’Herbe. l’Herbe is our absolute favorite of all the villages and Chez Guillaume is in a gorgeous setting with views of the Dune du Pilat.
Relax on the Beach
With 25 kilometers of coastline stretching from Lège to Cap Ferret, you’re spoiled for choice with beaches on both the open Atlantic side and the protected Bassin side of the Lège-Cap-Ferret peninsula.
For calm beaches, head to any of the Bassin side beaches. The longest beaches on the Bassin side of Lège-Cap-Ferret are Plage des Pastourelles and Plage de la Crois des Marins, which are both an easy walk from Domaine du Ferret.
Plage de l’Herbe in the village l’Herbe is one of the biggest beaches with a long, wide stretch of golden sand that doesn’t disappear with the high tide.
Plage de la Vigne located between Le Canon and Cap Ferret is another beautiful stretch of sand. And Plage des Pieds Rouges is an interesting stretch of beach that is its own sand spit stretching out into the Bassin from Cap Ferret.
If you’re looking for some surf beaches, head over to the long stretches of Atlantic beaches. You often need to climb over smaller dunes to reach the beaches, and you won’t find any services like umbrella and chair rentals or anything sold on the beach.
Sports
For a more active day, there’s countless ways to get moving around Lège-Cap-Ferret. The Atlantic beaches provide the perfect waves for surfing and there are a number of surf schools located throughout the villages if you’ve always wanted to take a surf lesson.
Domaine du Ferret can help with bicycle rentals if you want to check out the more than 50 kilometers of cycle paths that crisscross the Lège-Cap-Ferret peninsula.
There’s even mini golf and a tree climbing leisure park located in Le Four, which are great activities for family fun.
Bassin d’Arcachon Cruises
A number of boat tour agencies offer Bassin d’Arcachon cruises and include everything from private boat rentals with a captain to larger group cruises around the Bassin.
You can also take the UBA shuttle that runs between Arcachon and Cap Ferret for a scenic ferry ride across the Bassin to easily check out Arcachon and the Dune du Pilat during your stay. And UBA offers a variety of excursions, including lunch cruises and even fireworks cruises on July 14 and August 15.
Know Before You Go
There is free onsite parking. Pets are an additional 12€ per pet per day.
We were guests of Domaine du Ferret in order to bring you this story. However, Bordeaux Travel Guide maintains full editorial control of the content published on this site. As always, all thoughts, opinions, and enthusiasm for travel are entirely our own. This article contains affiliate links. When you book through our affiliate sites, we earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
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