Last spring, a family I was advising nearly booked a gorgeous-looking villa in Ars-en-Ré. The photos showed cobblestone streets, oyster boats in the harbour, everything you’d want. One problem: they had two kids under ten who wanted beach time every day. The nearest decent beach from that property? A twenty-minute cycle. They would have spent their holiday as taxi drivers rather than sunbathers.
Île de Ré isn’t complicated once you understand its quirks. But most guides throw ten villages at you, list a dozen booking platforms, and leave you more confused than when you started. Here’s what actually matters if you’re planning from the UK.
Your 60-second Île de Ré rental guide:
- Best beach access: Bois-Plage-en-Ré or La Couarde-sur-Mer
- Price reality: $1,180-15,280 per week depending on size and season
- Booking window: September-January for best summer selection
- Hidden costs to budget: bridge toll, tourist tax, cleaning fees, bike hire
What Makes Île de Ré Different from Mainland France
Here’s what most guides won’t tell you: Île de Ré costs more than comparable mainland destinations, and that premium is intentional. The island has strict building controls, limited hotel development, and a loyal following of French families who return every August. You’re competing with Parisians who’ve been booking the same villa for fifteen years.
138km
of dedicated cycle paths across the island
The upside? According to tourist office data on cycling infrastructure, those 138 kilometres of flat, car-free cycle paths mean you genuinely don’t need a car once you’re there. Families cycle to the beach, to dinner, to the market. My experience with first-time visitors is that they underestimate how liberating this is—no parking stress, no designated driver, kids cycling ahead with that holiday freedom you remember from childhood.
Weekly rentals range from around $1,180 for a modest cottage to upwards of $15,000 for a premium villa with pool in peak August. Most families I work with land somewhere in the $2,500-4,500 range for a comfortable three-bedroom with outdoor space. That’s pricier than Brittany, about on par with Provence, and cheaper than the Côte d’Azur. Whether it’s worth it depends on what you’re after—if cycling, oysters, and that particular Atlantic light matter to you, the answer is usually yes.
Which Village to Choose (And Which to Avoid for Your Trip)
The island has ten villages, but honestly, you only need to consider about four of them for a family beach holiday. The others are either too remote, too quiet, or focused on things that don’t suit kids.
Find your perfect village in 3 questions
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Your priority is beach access?
Start your search in Bois-Plage-en-Ré or La Couarde-sur-Mer. Wide sandy beaches, five-minute cycles.
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Your priority is restaurants and atmosphere?
Look at Saint-Martin-de-Ré. The harbour, the shops, the ice cream—but beaches require a proper cycle.
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Your priority is peace and nature?
Consider Les Portes-en-Ré or Saint-Clément. Premium pricing, wilder beaches, better for couples than families.
When you’re ready to browse properties, platforms specialising in the region typically offer better local knowledge than the big aggregators. Agencies with Île de Ré holiday rentals tend to vet their properties more carefully and can tell you exactly how far that “beach-adjacent” cottage actually is from the sand.
For Beach-Focused Families: The Central Coast
Bois-Plage-en-Ré is where I’d start if you have children under twelve. The main beach, Grande Plage, is genuinely excellent—wide sand, lifeguards in summer, shallow water for paddling. The village itself has that perfect mix: bakery, a couple of restaurants, mini-golf, ice cream shops, but not so much nightlife that it gets rowdy. Cycle paths connect you to everywhere else in under twenty minutes.
La Couarde-sur-Mer sits just west and offers similar beach access with slightly fewer tourists. Properties here tend to run about 15% cheaper than Bois-Plage for comparable quality. My advice? Check both when searching.
For Charm and Restaurants: The Historic Towns
Saint-Martin-de-Ré is the postcard village—the harbour, the fortifications, the restaurants spilling onto cobblestones. If you’re after evening atmosphere and don’t mind a fifteen-minute cycle to the beach, this works beautifully. What I’ve noticed with first-time visitors is they overestimate how much beach time they’ll actually want. If good dinners matter more than sandcastles, Saint-Martin delivers.
Honest warning: Ars-en-Ré looks gorgeous in photos but sits in the island’s northwest—a solid thirty-minute cycle from proper swimming beaches. Lovely for couples, frustrating for families with beach-obsessed kids.
For Tranquility: The Wild North
Les Portes-en-Ré and Saint-Clément-des-Baleines occupy the island’s northern tip, all salt marshes and nature reserves. The beaches are wilder, the restaurants fewer, the prices higher. I’d recommend these for couples or families with teenagers who want space rather than activities. Frankly, with young children, you’ll feel isolated here.
| Village | Beach distance | Restaurants | Supermarket | Price level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bois-Plage | 5 min cycle | Good selection | Yes | Mid-high |
| La Couarde | 5 min cycle | Moderate | Small | Mid |
| Saint-Martin | 15 min cycle | Excellent | Yes | High |
| Ars-en-Ré | 30 min cycle | Good | Small | High |
| Les Portes | 10 min cycle | Limited | No | Premium |
| Saint-Clément | 8 min cycle | Very limited | No | Premium |
How to Book Without the Stress (Or the Rip-Offs)
In my experience helping travellers plan French island holidays, one mistake comes up repeatedly: waiting until spring to book summer weeks on Île de Ré. By March, the best-value villas with pools are typically gone. I’ve seen families end up paying 30-40% more for last-minute options, or settling for properties far from their preferred beach.
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Best selection, early-bird rates from returning guests releasing properties -
Good availability, standard rates—ideal booking window for UK families -
Limited premium properties, mid-range still available -
Leftover inventory, premium pricing, limited choice
The school calendar from Service Public shows French summer holidays starting July 5th in 2025 and running through August 31st. Those eight weeks are when prices peak and availability vanishes. If you can travel the last two weeks of June or first week of September, you’ll find better rates and calmer beaches.
For more general wisdom on getting value from your booking, these tips for renting a holiday home cover the basics that apply across destinations.
Budget beyond the rental: costs to factor in
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Bridge toll: €8 low season, €16 high season (covers return journey)
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Tourist tax: Around €1-3 per adult per night, collected on arrival
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Cleaning fee: €50-150 typically, sometimes included—always check
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Linen hire: €15-30 per bed if not included
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Bike rental: €10-15 per day per adult, less for children
Those bridge toll figures come from the current toll rates from tourist office—€8 between September and mid-June, jumping to €16 from late June through early September. The toll covers your return journey, so you pay once on the way in. Cyclists and pedestrians cross free.
The Hendersons’ near-miss with village choice
I advised a family of five from Surrey on their first Île de Ré trip in 2023. They’d nearly booked in Ars-en-Ré—drawn in by harbour photos—when they mentioned their 8 and 12-year-olds wanted beach time every day. We redirected their search to Bois-Plage and found a villa 800 metres from Grande Plage. They told me afterwards it was the best holiday call they’d made: no cycling negotiations with tired kids, beach access within minutes of waking.
Your Questions About Île de Ré Rentals
Common questions from UK families
Do I need a car on Île de Ré?
Honestly, no—once you’re there. The 138km cycle network connects every village, and cycling is genuinely the most practical way to get around. You’ll need transport to reach La Rochelle (airport, train station, or ferry port), but many families hire bikes on arrival and don’t touch a car for the fortnight.
Is August too crowded?
It’s busy, yes. The beaches fill up, restaurant bookings become essential, and prices peak. But “crowded” is relative—this isn’t Benidorm. The island absorbs visitors across ten villages, and there’s always a quieter beach if you’re willing to cycle an extra ten minutes. Late June or early September offers the sweet spot: warm weather, swimmable water, fewer bodies.
Can I manage with just English?
Mostly, though some effort helps. Restaurants and shops in tourist areas manage fine. Property owners? Variable. Booking through a UK-facing agency means English support. Pack a translation app and a few key phrases—the attempt matters more than fluency.
Is the island suitable for teenagers?
Depends on your teenager. If they’re happy cycling, kayaking, beach time, and family dinners—yes, it’s excellent. If they need nightclubs and shopping centres, they’ll be disappointed. The water sports scene (surfing, paddleboarding) keeps active teens engaged, and the independence of cycling everywhere appeals to that age group.
If you’re still weighing up whether a villa, cottage, or gîte suits your travel style, this guide to choosing the right accommodation walks through the key considerations by trip type.
Your next step
The families who end up with the best Île de Ré holidays aren’t the ones who found the cheapest deal or the biggest villa. They’re the ones who matched their village to their priorities and booked early enough to have real choice. Start your search this autumn for summer 2026. Shortlist two villages—one beach-focused, one with more evening atmosphere. Then compare properties within cycling distance of what matters to you.
That villa with the perfect pool and the five-minute beach cycle? Someone’s booking it right now. Make sure it’s you.
