Le Domaine des Guifettes

Once you're away from/out of the water, the nearby town of Luçon should be an early holiday option from Le Domaine des Guifettes, for its cathedral, restaurants, shops and the monastery of St.Philbert. The town market is on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The huge wetland area and salt marshes of Marais Poitevin are another much-visited spot in the region and is now crossed by canals used for rowing boats (it's nicknamed the Green Venice or la Venise Verte, so do find your way there). Also around, roam around the Côte de Lumière or Coast of Light, the seaside resorts along the coast of the Vendée, and the Luçon -Fontenay Prairie, the peaceful plain around Luçon. Back at Luçon, the Jardin Dumaine built on the site of an old convent is also well worth a look.