Le Bois Saint Martin

The service was the highlight, warm and superb throughout. We also really liked the comfortable accommodation, with its little private garden for eating outside. There’s a great pool, a large barbecue to use, a bar, and games including pool and table tennis. The place is tucked into secluded woodland but still close to major facilities.

We love spending time with Monique and Chloé, and the place is very welcoming for dogs. It’s also an easy base for getting around Îl de Ré. We’ve been coming for seven years and keep enjoying our comfortable apartment for four or five people. A dip in the pool and a drink are a lovely way to start and finish the day.

We really enjoyed our stay and would come back, but there are a few things I’d have wanted to know beforehand. The cabins sit in a pleasant wooded area, though it’s about a 30-minute walk to St Martin and nearby sites play loud music late into the night. Ours had everything we needed and a lovely clean shower and toilet room. The pool is gorgeous. Our cabin’s garden was mostly damp sand, even in the heat, and not as nice as some others we saw. Maybe we were assigned it because we had dogs, though I can’t be sure. The cabin is close to the road, and the glass roof made it very hot. The air conditioning didn’t do much.

We chose to go back to La Rochelle and weren’t happy to hear that management says our deposit won’t be refunded. We arrived by taxi on 18.9.23 at 6.55pm, after seeing a sign outside for a hotel and chalets. The accommodation didn’t look healthy to us, there was no reception or food available, and no taxi. Nobody offered help beyond bicycles for the 3 km ride to the village and back in the dark.