Arcachon Basin, the French Cape Cod

While most people think of the French Riviera as the best place for summer beach getaways, the Arcachon Basin, on the west coast of France, is the best-kept secret for a number of Parisians, Belgians, British and Spanish. I couldn't help but compare it to New England's Cape Cod for a number of reasons. First, it's definitely a summer resort, but much more low-key than Nice or Cannes, and considerably less expensive. I actually stayed in Gujan-Mestras, the Oyster lover's paradise. While on Cape Cod you see artist shacks lining the beaches, here, oyster shacks in every state of disrepair line the shallow inlets that make up the Arcachon Basin. The weathered wood is very similar to the Cape Cod bungalow, except here the trim is red, instead of New England white.

It was the railroad and the Pereire brothers from nearby Bordeaux who popularised Arcachon for wealthy Parisians looking for a quick weekend getaway. Also, saltwater baths that were a cure for tuberculosis brought the bourgeois clientele to Arcachon. At the turn of the 20th century, Arcachon became known as a writers retreat when Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre and Jean Cocteau discovered its tranquil beauty. Arcachon was named after the 'Arcachonnaise', the distinctive local architectural style of villa, with numerous styles such as Néo-Classical, Medieval chalet and Suisse Chalet, to name a few. Across the bay at Cap Ferret, celebrities like Zinedine Zidane own summer mansions.

Visiting the Oyster Museum is a must, as I learned not only the ins and outs of Oyster fishing, but why Arcachon is so important to this industry. It's nothing like what you would see in Brittany, with over 60,000 tons of oysters being produced and shipped all over the world. Instead, Arcachon is where the oyster farming industry comes to buy its breeding stock. So although the number of oysters pales in comparison, without Arcachon, the oyster industry couldn't exist. It was actually thanks to Napoleon III, who made it illegal to eat the oysters for free, that spurred the oyster farming industry to be born.

I also noted that quite a few new restaurants seemed to be opening, all within the last couple of years. In one case, we literally found the restaurant by following the lime green parasols viewed from a distance. As it turned out, Chez David was really an oyster farm, with its third generation, David Dehillotte deciding to finally act on his clients' wishes to open a tasting room in his prime location. So instead of lunch, we sampled oysters with a dry white Domaine de Tariquet Classique, the local wine of choice from the Gascogne Region.

I asked him for a dinner recommendation, as I knew I couldn't get any more local than 3 generations, and sure enough he referred us to La Marine, another new restaurant close by. With a view of Port Larros, La Marine is located right behind the red brick tower in the port center. We were expecting a very low-key restaurant, based on what Chez David had said, however, we found quite a gourmet menu elegantly presented at a very affordable price.

For only 25€, the prix fixe menu included appetizer, entrée and dessert! I My dinner consisted of crusted brown crab with fresh tomato coulis and garnished with mesclun. I chose a slightly sweet Domaine de Tariquet Premières Grives, similar to a late harvest reisling--perfect sweetness with the salty seafood. Pictured here is the Julienne fish, poached on a bed of garden vegetables. The dessert was a nice twist on a traditional French dessert--les îles flottants, with fresh basil and a red berry coulis. The basil added a nice minty freshness.

I had found a perfect AirBNB called La Cabane de Noreda, close to the beach, downtown Gujan-Mestras and even the train station. Agnès was the perfect hostess, right down to letting us choose our own handmade soap for the room. We stayed in the Petit Nice room, which felt like a cabin on a cruise ship, efficiently arranged and decorated in a beach motif. The next day we rented bikes from Agnès and meandered around the rows and rows of oyster shacks, admiring the ocean view and the quaint scenery.

On our way back, I happened upon the Gujan-Mestras Marché, held every Wednesday and Saturday morning from 8:30 to 1 pm. where I found local specialty items like honey, wine & vinegar, and artisan crafts. Overall, the weekend progressed much too quickly, so I started thinking about renting a villa for a week to take full advantage of everything the Arcachon Basin has to offer.