Newly renovated country house in a beautiful location, garden + terrace, quiet

The property is set in the pine-wooded suburbs of Piraillan, in the middle of Cap Ferret. Piraillan fresh produce market is a five-minute walk away and Carrefour and Casino supermarkets a short bike ride away - essential for our family of five (including three teenagers). The outside space was exceptional: to the front, a beautiful spacious terrace overlooking the pines (with the bonus of watching red squirrels chase each other up and down the trees) and to the rear, a paved yard, with fresh herbs and produce growing in the duned garden. We cooked every day on the la plancha: steaks and chickens, bought from the market, with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables The house is in a great spot for access to both Arcachon Bay and its many oyster shacks, and to the wilder Atlantic beaches at Truc Vert, which could be reached on foot after a half hour walk through the forest, or within 10 minutes on the bikes we hired (there are some cycle hire places nearby - but book in advance. We were left disappointed for our first couple of days). The Atlantic beaches are outstanding: perfect for wave-jumping and surfing. The sand is powder-soft and stretches as far as the eye can see in both directions. If you want privacy, it is very easy to find. We ate out only twice - at the pizza restaurant on the main street running through Le Canon (fantastic pizzas and authentic carbonara) and at La Pleine Mer, a 15 minute walk from the house. Located right on the bay, we had a great table right on the deck and enjoyed fabulously fresh bay-caught seafood. For days away from the area, we got the ferry across the bay to Arcachon (a 40-minute trip that's a great way to see Europe's biggest sand dune, Dune du Pilat, in all its glory) and drove down to Cap Ferret town, which is full of chic shops and restaurants, and where both the beaches of the bay and the Atlantic can be walked to. The house itself is very well equipped (though it took some sleuthing to find the 'secret' cutlery drawers in the units by the side of the cooker!). La plancha was a joy to cook on but the BBQ was a disappointment, being quite old and rusty (we didn't actually use it for that reason). But overall, it was a very comfortable home, with four rooms (one for each of our three children and one for my wife and I), an open-plan kitchen, a great walk-in shower - and even a shower outside to wash off after a day at the beach. Wonderful holiday!