Saunter the Shoreline

Saunter the Shoreline: Nouvelle-Aquitaine

With its timber exterior and chalet-esque shape, you could be forgiven for envisioning some rustic living quarters upon first glance of this home close to Arcachon Bay. However, step behind the glass doors and guests are greeted by a contemporary interior bathed in natural light and furnished with Scandi-style furnishings – not to mention a super-sleek kitchen designed with minimalism in mind.

However, this is a corner of France in which people try to pass as many hours as possible spent outside and you can do that on the home's verandah, complete with a lounge, barbecue and alfresco dining table, which overlooks the local forest. Alternatively, there's a swimming pool shared with other local residences on the site in which to splash about on warm afternoons, plus children's play equipment, a volleyball court and a bowling green.

And that's not forgetting the wealth of attractions that await in the nearby area. The Dune of Pilat – the tallest in Europe – can be reached on foot via a hiking route and there's also a great selection of beaches in the local region. Both the towns of Arcachon and La Teste-de-Buch have plenty of markets, restaurants and grand architecture to discover, too.

Home truths:
*The home is spread over two floors with no elevator, but there's a twin bedroom on the ground level that can be arranged as a double if preferred
*Guests staying at the home have access to two allocated parking spaces
*There's space for storing bicycles and beach equipment in the garage
*Your host can provide a high chair for free upon request
*The swimming pool is only available for use between 10am and 7pm from June to September
*Though there isn't a dedicated desk here, the dining table doubles up as a laptop-friendly workspace