This year's rugby calendar is all over the place and, as such, Iain ended up with a holiday window in mid-September which is completely unheard of. Due to all the current anxiety over the looming Second Wave we were a bit nervous about travelling anywhere but given that we didn't get away at all in the summer, we decided to bite the bullet and try to find somewhere out on the coast. We wanted something like Natureo but, ever the adventurers, we wanted to try a new place. Typically, I spent hours and hours trawling the internet trying to find somewhere suitable, with availability, and finally, randomly (scanning a map and wondering what that was) we stumbled upon The Green Resort. It looked great and the reviews were brilliant so we booked it. We got the car absolutely rammed on Sunday morning and headed off just after lunch. This was our first go at the bike rack which proved to be a right pain in the jacksie, even requiring us to stop on the motorway to adjust the thing as the weight of the three bikes had popped the bumper off. Arrgh. I really felt for Iain, trying to sort it all in 35*C heat. Anyway, we finally made it out to Ondres by about 4pm and we were absolutely blown away by the place. The cabin was big, modern and really well equipped, the grounds were quiet and natural, and the swimming pool was glorious. And all just about 2km from the beach.
Here's the cabin:
It was probably a little bigger than the Natureo cabin, but the outside deck space was definitely bigger and the hammock ended up being a absolute winner. Iain spent most of the week lying in it. 
Once we'd gotten unpacked and organised, it was time to take in a tour of the grounds and head to the pool. As mid-Septembers go in the SW of France, we really couldn't have been any luckier with the weather - the forecast was for the low-mid 30s every day. Incredible. 
On Monday morning, I decided to get up and out to investigate the neighbourhood, along with getting in some exercise (achilles and heel pain permitting!) so I ran down to the beach and back. All in, 4km on the nose. Coupled with a bit of meditation on the beach, Mondays don't really get much better.
By the time I got back, William and Iain had had breakfast on the deck and were happy pottering around playing and reading. We got ourselves organised, picked up some picnic things, and headed on an adventure through the forest towards the beach. It was a bit of a hike, and you could easily get lost but we made it and spent much of the late morning / early afternoon playing and watching the absolute nutters who were daring enough to go in the ocean. The waves were enormous. We had some drinks at the beach bar and sussed things out for a potential dinner out. It was mainly fish and it looked good. Yass!
For much of the rest of the day, we split our time relaxing at either the pool or the cabin. It was exactly what we needed. For dinner, we grabbed some takeaway from the wee cafe at the resort. As it's not high season, the main restaurant was closed which was a bit disappointing but it was still good to get someone else to make the dinner for us. William was delighted as they had chicken nuggets. There was also a massive playground next to the cafe so he couldn't have been happier!
On Tuesday morning, Iain started his day with a run and he even took William with him (on the bike). They had great fun until it was time to leave the beach and William had a meltdown about putting his sandals back on. By the time they both got home, they were exhausted with the exercise and each other. Eeek. Once everyone was back on track, we headed off on a cycling adventure this time heading inland toward the main town, to pick up some supplies. We really needed a beach umbrella and Iain looked like he was going jousting with the way we'd managed to attach it to his bike for the trip home! As we were heading back to the campsite to meet Fish who agreed to join us for a couple of days, we actually ran into him in the town. Mental. It was lovely having him come to stay. He definitely needed the downtime too. And he brought some essentials too: côte du boeuf and red wine. Yaaaas.
Wednesday was a suitably slow day. We pottered around in the morning for a while, then headed out on our bikes to the beach for a bit, then came back for lunch and some fun and relaxing at the pool. William is really reluctant to wear his floaties now and just wants to swim. I'm obviously keen for him to learn to swim but he just wont listen to what I'm trying to get him to do. He needs proper lessons. While we'd been down at the beach, we booked a table for dinner at So Beach, the seafood restaurant we'd had drinks in on Monday and it was perfect. A table facing the ocean and watching the sun set with an aperol spritz in our hands. The server was also really helpful when it came to my GF needs. What more could you want on holiday? Cycling home was hilarious. Obviously, the adults in the group were a little inebriated and we put a head torch on William to light the way for us. He was mesmerised by it and kept moving his head all over the show to see the light moving. Fish said it was like something from E.T.
Fish was up and away early doors on Thursday and we decided that we'd get back out on the bikes and explore some of the tracks that we'd seen heading up to some of the other beaches. It was great. The tracks were pretty flat so easy for William and they went through beautiful forests. We went as far as Labenne-Ocean, had a bit of a look around and found a place for lunch. This town was a bit bigger and you could see that it could be mobbed in the summer. Coming at this time though, we could get easy bike parks, and a table in a cafe straight away. It was lovely. I had a Thai prawn salad and it was great. After lunch we played on the beach for a wee while but didn't hang around too long as we were wary of William's little legs giving up half way home! Had we been on our own, we'd probably have headed up to Capbreton; about another 12k up the coast. Anyway, as the saying goes, Hame'll dae us. It was also cool to notice that our cycling route forms part of the Camino de Santiago. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: this is a walking route that I'd love to have a go at. Maybe one day. We spent the rest of the day relaxing around the cabin and pool, having dinner at home then going for ice cream at the wee resort shop. Easy.
Before we knew it, Friday had rolled round and it was time to pack the car up and head home. Amazingly, Iain suggested we could visit the huge shopping centre in Bayonne before heading back to Pau. I was delighted; it would have felt wrong not to! It was a win for all concerned: William got fish and chips in the Ikea cafe, I got a new dress from G-Star, and Iain didn't get forced into actual Ikea.
All in all, an absolutely brilliant week away and I wouldn't hesitate to stay here again.
Lorna :)
No comments:
Post a Comment