The easy elegance of Cap Ferret

It is often confused with its near-namesake, Cap Ferrat.

But though both are popular with "well-heeled" Parisians, Cap Ferret is a world apart from that "showy" headland on France's Côte d'Azur, said Johny Pitts in Condé Nast Traveller.

A 12-mile-long, southward-pointing spit of land that all but encloses Arcachon Bay on the country's Atlantic coast, not far from Bordeaux, it is an "elemental and otherworldly" place of low-lying pine woods, "vast" beaches and immense skies. Loved above all for its natural beauty, it also has an elegance "totally at ease with itself". Indeed, the villa I rented from Le Collectionist on Cap Ferret is typical of it – a simple whitewashed wooden building with "high-raftered" interiors, rattan furniture and tiled floors – stylish and upmarket, but relaxed and "unassuming".

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Near the southern tip of the peninsula lies the little town of Cap Ferret itself, which has some lovely places to eat, such as Frédélian (a splendid art deco café) and Chez Hortense (known for its excellent moules frites). Things get more "surfy and bohemian" as you head up the peninsula's wild ocean-facing coast, but its eastern shore, facing the bay, has calm waters (good for swimming) and a "convivial, villagey" air. Around the rambling settlement of L'Herbe, there are lots of whitewashed shacks with "a rainbow of shutters, and hollyhocks waving between them", all of which serve oysters "plucked straight from the water" and "crisp" white wines from the region.

If you want to stay here, you could try the beachfront Hôtel de la Plage, which has 12 cheerful rooms and a "laid-back" ambience. A short boat ride across the mouth of the bay lies the "classically refined" village of Pyla-sur-Mer, which is home to La Co(o)rniche, a hotel designed by Philippe Starck with opulent interiors and "incredible" views over the water. And just to the south of the village, the great sand dune of Pilat, the tallest in Europe, rising to roughly 106 metres above the ocean waves, is a sight of "raw" and mysterious beauty.