Emerald Coast Gites is set in the heart of Brittany, around 20 miles from St Malo and its ferry port. The beautiful Emerald Coast is just 9 miles away and the gites themselves are, located in Henansal, set amongst a traditional farm. Its cottages, which are open all year round, have been renovated recently to a very high standard. Every gite or lodge has a terrace with garden furniture and BBQ. There are private bathrooms in each holiday home with bathrobes and slippers provided. Linen is also provided. The management have even included some luxury toiletries from the cult skincare brand, REN. The kitchens are all well equipped with a eating area as well as sitting room for easy catering options for the whole family.
Gites and lodges vary in size, with some being able to accommodate up to 8 people, plus infants. Rooms also have a whole host of equipment for children. The owners have included stair gates, blackout blinds, high chairs and travel cots, amongst many other kiddie necessities. Anything the owners have not included, they can source for you when asked at the time of booking. It’s a big comfort to know that all your children’s needs will be taken care of when going on holiday.
Whilst this is definitely a self catering establishment, it is also possible to take advantage of the fresh bread and patisseries that are delivered every morning. Children’s meals are available all day, along with ice creams from the stocked freezer, whilst adults can enjoy the Plat du Jour service. This is freshly cooked by the owners and can be delivered to your gite or given to you in the bar. Food is locally sourced and makes the most of the abundance of quality ingredients from the surrounding area.
For children’s entertainment, there are several play areas, trampolines and football pitches available. Play areas are equipped with swings, slides and a climbing wall. These vary in size so that children of all ages can are catered for. Many of the gites are based around the play area so that many parents simply open the doors of their gite in the morning for their children to go out and play. There is also a soft play area as well as swimming pool – both are covered so can be enjoyed year round. In the evening, little ones can enjoy some of the entertainment put on by the owners. They run scavenger hunts and movie nights. They can also host a children’s party should one of your children have a birthday whilst you are away.
For children’s entertainment, there are several play areas, trampolines and football pitches available. Play areas are equipped with swings, slides and a climbing wall. These vary in size so that children of all ages can are catered for. Many of the gites are based around the play area so that many parents simply open the doors of their gite in the morning for their children to go out and play. There is also a soft play area as well as swimming pool – both are covered so can be enjoyed year round. In the evening, little ones can enjoy some of the entertainment put on by the owners. They run scavenger hunts and movie nights. They can also host a children’s party should one of your children have a birthday whilst you are away.
Finally, there is an onsite bar for adults where parents can enjoy a much needed glass of wine whilst making use of the pool table or book exchange shelf. Each week, the owners run a cheese and wine evening as well as a galette and crepe evening too. Unsurprisingly, these are incredibly popular.
La Touche, Henansal, 22400, Cotes D’Armor FRANCE
Telephone: +33 296340985 or +33 650634287
Website: http://www.francefamilyholidays.com
What TripAdvisor says
After much research and a few visits to Mumsnet for impartial advice, we came across Emerald Coast Gites, which describes itself as “a cluster of fabulous family friendly holiday cottages in beautiful Brittany”. It gets its name from the stretch of North Brittany coast between Cap Frehel in the west to Mont-Saint-Michel in the east, famous for its clear waters, dramatic cliffs, beautiful beaches and picturesque towns and villages. Although it offers seven properties of varying sizes, we opted for one of their cheaper properties, No. 1 La Vielle Grange. At between 500 to 1400 euros per week, it sleeps 4, ideal for us two adults and our two young children (four years and two years).
Email correspondence between myself and the owner Lesley was friendly, efficient and responsive. Closer to the time we were asked if we wanted a meal on arrival which I agreed to. Being able to relax into a self-catering holiday without rushing to find the nearest supermarket and get acquainted with the local food seemed like a very good idea!
After a relatively short and easy drive of an hour and forty minutes from Roscoff to Hénansal, we arrived at our destination. We were greeted by Lesley who told us where to park. We were then shown to our gite and given a tour of the accommodation and its facilities. The milk, eggs, coffee and pain provide in our welcome back were very well received. Again, one thing less to think about!
Although No. 1 La Vielle Grange is one of the smaller cottages on site, the bright décor and clever use of space make it feel bigger than it is. We certainly didn’t feel claustrophobic and I would say it was just the right size for our young family. Downstairs comprised a bright and decent size open plan living/dining area complete with kitchen appliances. Upstairs there were two cosy rooms, one with a double bed complete with ‘shabby chic’ French antique furniture and the other with a bed and a wooden cot that we had pre-booked for our two year old. The bathroom, although on the small side, was clean, modern and complete with REN toiletries.
A small garden was at the rear, accessed via French windows in the kitchen area.
After spending a bit of time unpacking and settling in, Simon (Lesley’s husband) brought us our home-made meal. I was already impressed with the initial greeting but the food was superb, Lesley can certainly cook! We adults had home-made tartiflette (highly recommended) followed by apple crumble and the kids had spaghetti bolognaise followed by ice cream. What a great start to the holiday and really set the scene for the next six nights we were there.
Emerald Coast Gites certainly ticks all the boxes for a family holiday. Slides, a giant trampoline, a football area, soft play and plenty of space for kids to, well, be kids! We made frequent use of the two child-friendly swimming pools, one a 13 metre long older children/adult pool and the other a smaller baby/toddler pool where our two year old spent most of her time.
It was great to see our children interact with the other kids and there was a real feeling of like mindedness with other parents too. I particularly liked the way that we and other families did our own thing during the day but at dinner time we all met up around the bar (yes, there’s a bar!) and soft play area to watch our kids play together whilst we adults enjoyed an al-fresco drink.
A particularly useful thing about No. 1 La Vielle Grange was that, being the nearest to the bar, we could put the children to bed and either use the monitors or leave the front door open to keep an ear out for the kids whilst we enjoyed a drink with other parents and the owners. The complex is very secure and self-contained and you can pretty much see all the gites from this central area.
The honesty bar was a great idea for when Lesley and Simon weren't around. We could also order bread and pastries for collection the next morning -a great idea that saved us getting up early to visit the boulangerie for pain au chocolat. It is clear that Lesley and Simon have put a lot of thought into the needs of the whole family to make a self-catering holiday with the kids as painless as possible!
The surrounding area is fantastic and there are plenty of beaches within 15 minutes. Notable places that we visited were: Dinan and a 'train' ride tour around the medieval town; The beach at Sables d’Or les Pins; the beach at Petit Mont St Michel; Fort la Latte medieval fort on a beautiful cliff edge; Grande Aquarium at St Malo, one of the better aquariums we as a family have ever experienced.
There are many more places and days out but to be honest, Emerald Coast Gites is so well thought out that you wouldn’t feel guilty if you just spent a day lazing about the complex letting the kids run around.
Lesley, Simon and their daughter and son, Evie and Sam, were fantastic hosts where nothing was too much trouble. We would not hesitate in coming back and staying in any of the accommodation at Emerald Coast Gites. Even their contemporary lodges, where traditional wooden lodge meets tent, would be perfect to ‘glamp’ in and take advantage of what the complex has to offer.
What was particularly impressive, in our eyes at least, was the attention to detail. Call me old fashioned but the fact that Lesley emailed me the following day after our departure to check we got home OK pretty much says it all. An obvious Editors’ Choice award winner and thoroughly deserved, make sure you put it at the very top of your list for a family-friendly holiday in Brittany!
