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| Title: | Naturism |
| Notice: | Site report index is in topic 7 |
| Moderator: | GENRAL::KILGORE |
|
| Created: | Tue Jan 26 1988 |
| Last Modified: | Wed May 07 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 457 |
| Total number of notes: | 3687 |
355.0. "La Jenny at Le Porge (France)" by MOIRA::FAIMAN (light upon the figured leaf) Thu Feb 27 1992 12:48
Entered anonymously for a NATURISM conference reader...
-Neil Faiman, NATURISM co-moderator
Le Porge (France)
La Jenny
This is a report on the "holiday village" La Jenny, near Le
Porge, France.
It includes a short section on the beach of Le Verdon.
It is based on our experiences there in July 1991.
I wish to remain anonymous. It is not proper for an anonymous
contributor to express opinions - on the other hand, what would
a report be without opinions on accommodations, restaurants etc.
?
CONTENTS
1 Cartography.......................................... 1
1.1 Michelin map...................................... 1
1.2 Michelin guide.................................... 1
1.3 Directions........................................ 1
2 Topography........................................... 2
2.1 La C�te d'Argent.................................. 2
2.2 The dunes......................................... 2
3 La Jenny............................................. 2
3.1 Address........................................... 3
3.2 What does it look like............................ 3
3.3 Dress code........................................ 3
3.4 Telephone......................................... 4
3.5 Rent.............................................. 4
3.6 Swimming pools.................................... 6
3.7 Three rules....................................... 6
3.8 Organised activities.............................. 7
3.9 The beach......................................... 8
3.10 Checking in...................................... 8
3.11 Checking out..................................... 8
4 Bicycles............................................. 9
5 Restaurants.......................................... 9
5.1 La Jenny.......................................... 9
5.2 Le Courtiou....................................... 10
5.3 In Le Porge: La Vieille Auberge and La Grange au
Lierre............................................ 10
5.4 In Le Porge: the hotel............................ 10
5.5 At Le Porge Oc�an................................. 10
5.6 Fish restaurant in L�ge........................... 10
iii
5.7 Le Calhoc in Cap Ferret........................... 11
6 Shopping............................................. 11
6.1 In La Jenny....................................... 11
6.2 In Le Porge....................................... 11
6.3 In Andernos - Casino.............................. 11
6.4 Chemists.......................................... 12
6.5 Banks............................................. 12
7 Excursions........................................... 12
7.1 Cap Ferret and boat trip.......................... 12
7.2 Arcachon.......................................... 13
7.3 Pointe de Grave, Le Verdon and the M�doc.......... 14
8 Water quality........................................ 15
9 The weather.......................................... 16
iv
1 Cartography
1.1 Michelin map
The relevant Michelin map is number 71 "La Rochelle - Royan -
Bordeaux".
1.2 Michelin guide
The relevant (green) Michelin guide is "C�te de l'Atlantique".
It covers an area from the Adour river in the south to the Loire
river (the city of Nantes) in the North.
1.3 Directions
The directions we received from our travel agency were slightly
wrong.
A good route from Bordeaux is:
o On the Bordeaux ring road, take exit 7 "Eysines - Le Bous-
cat".
o Take the N215 & D6, direction "Salaunes" & "Lacanau" to
Sainte H�l�ne.
o Take the D5, direction "Le Porge" & "Saumos" to Saumos.
o Take the D5E4 to Le Porge.
o On the market square of Le Porge, turn left, direction L�ge &
Ar�s.
o After a couple of kilometres, you will see a huge sign for La
Jenny - turn right here. If you miss it, there is a second
sign (and a second opportunity to turn right) 200 meters
farther.
An alternative would be to take another exit from the Bordeaux
ring road (near the airport), and to take the straight road
(D106) to L�ge - take the exit between L�ge and Ar�s.
1
A completely different approach, if you are coming from the
North, would be to leave the motorway near Cognac, to drive to
Royan, to take the ferry, and drive down the C�te d' Argent (to
Le Porge). However, I would not do this after a long drive -
when I am tired, I want to stick to the motorways as much as
possible.
2 Topography
2.1 La C�te d'Argent
"La C�te d'Argent" (the Silver Coast) is the name for the
stretch of coast between the Gironde estuary (in the North) and
the Arcachon bay (Bassin d'Arcachon) in the South. The landscape
consists of a coastal forest, on top of dunes.
2.2 The dunes
The first row of dunes is the highest one. The first rows of
dunes are State property, and the forest that covers them is
called "for�t protectrice" (protective forest) - they protect
the area from the sea. They are effectively a wildlife sanc-
tuary. Access is limited: there is the bicycle path that runs
along the coast (cf. Section 4, Bicycles), and there are some
paths leading to the beach (often with a parking area at the
edge of the for�t protectrice).
Behind the for�t protectrice, the dunes are lower, and the
forest is denser. Most of this forest is used for forestry,
but there are also places like La Jenny (although they are few
and far between).
3 La Jenny
2
3.1 Address
Village Naturiste La Jenny, route de Lauros, 33680 Le Porge
Phone +33 56 265690
Fax +33 56 265651
3.2 What does it look like
The village consists of wooden houses in the forest, between the
trees and spread all over the (low) dunes.
Just imagine: the warm air (but not too hot), a gentle breeze,
the sunlight tempered somewhat by the fir trees, birds and
butterflies flying around, squirrels scurrying up the trees,
the sound of crickets, ... .
The houses are group in circles, called "marguerites" (could be
translated as "daisies"). You can park your car in front of your
house.
Most of the central facilities are located around the swimming-
pools (restaurant, bar, shops, sauna, massage, aerobic area,
table-tennis, dance hall, laundry, bicycle shop, ...).
We lived in a house of the type "Tourterelle", which accom-
modates one family of (at most) six - some of the other types
are symmetrical and accommodate one family in each half. On the
ground floor, we had a bedroom (with double bed), a bathroom and
a living-room with kitchen corner and a folding bed (double). In
the attic, we had two single beds. Area: 36 m� (and a porch of 6
m�).
3.3 Dress code
The general rule is "Be nude. Nudity is mandatory (and enforced
!) around the swimming pool and on the beach.". However, people
are very reasonable - after all, it is not always as hot as on
the Mediterranean coast.
3
3.4 Telephone
There all telephone booths all over La Jenny. They are often
located in pairs: one accepting coins, one accepting the French
telephone card (which you can buy at the non-food shop).
3.5 Rent
The following are the rates (in FRF) for 1992, if you rent
directly from La Jenny. We have found that it is cheaper if
you rent through a tour-operator.
4
_______________________________________________
23-May..6- 6-Jun..20- 20-Jun..11- 11-
Jun, 19- Jun, 5- Jul, 22- Jul..22-
House_______People_m�_Sep..26-Sep_Sep..19-Sep_Aug..5-Sep Aug
AIGRETTE 2 13 1200 1600 2100 2400
FREGATE 2..3 21 1500 1900 2800 3200
MESANGE 2..3 28 1700 2300 3200 3600
TOURTERELLE 4..6 35 2000 2400 3300 3700
FAUVETTE 4..5 36 2400 3100 4000 4400
SITELLE-1 6 2200 2700 3600 4000
PALOMBE-1 6 2200 2700 3600 4000
SITELLE-2 6..8 2700 3400 4300 4700
PALOMBE-2 6..8 2700 3400 4300 4700
HIRONDELLE 6..8 2700 3400 4300 4700
COURLIS 6..8 3000 3700 4600 5000
ALOUETTE 6..8 3000 3700 4600 5000
LOUISIANA___6..8______3000________3700________4600 5000
This does not include:
o The local taxes you have to pay upon arrival ( "taxe de
s�jour").
o 100 FRF per week per family you have to pay upon arrival for
the "Club Card".
5
o Membership of the French naturist federation (unless you are
a member of an association affiliated with the INF) - was 90
FRF per adult in 1991.
3.6 Swimming pools
The swimming pools are the pride of La Jenny. There are four of
them (all adjacent):
o a small, shallow pool for the toddlers,
o two deeper pools (connected by a canal), for the kids to
play,
o a real, rectangular swimming pool.
There is a life guard on duty.
There is a lot of sun-bathing space around the swimming pools,
and the bar is nearby.
3.7 Three rules
The guests are reminded of the 3 rules:
1. Be nude. Nudity is mandatory (and enforced !) around the
swimming pool and on the beach.
2. When driving a car in La Jenny, respect the speed limit of 20
km/h. Do not use your car if not really necessary (within La
Jenny: walk, or take the bicycle).
3. Dogs must be kept on a leash. Dogs are not allowed around the
swimming pool, and at the beach.
6
3.8 Organised activities
There are organised day-time activities for every day of the
week (not on Saturday or on Sunday). An introduction to these
activities is given on Sunday, at the ap�ritif.
Activities for adults include:
o Aerobics, stretching & similar exercise, in the morning, on
the concrete platform near the sauna.
o Water gymnastics, in the morning, in the main swimming pool.
o Archery.
Furthermore, you can use the tennis courts (free), the p�tanque
court (free) &c.
The only things you have to pay for are the fitness centre, the
sauna and the massage.
For the children, there is a variety of group activities.
There is also the possibility of horse-back riding (and cart
riding), for children and for adults (if I remember correctly),
but with a rather complicated timetable.
There are also special day-time activities, such as a small
tri-athlon, or a championship of the swimming-pool, that are
announced on the posting-boards.
There are also evening activities. There is dancing and/or live
music every evening. In addition, there is a huge party (dinner,
games, dancing) on the 14th of July. We also enjoyed a cous-cous
dinner on one of those "special" evenings.
7
3.9 The beach
The beach consists of nice sand - not pebbles. It is subject to
the tides, and the tidal difference is rather large here.
Life-guards are on duty (I do not remember when they arrive
in the morning, and when they leave in the evening), and they
insist that you only swim in the narrow swimming area between
the two blue flags they plant.
This rule about swimming between the two blue flags seems to
be common along the French Atlantic coast. The reasons for
this are, that the surf is stronger along the Atlantic coast
(stronger than on the Mediterranean coast), and that in France,
the mayor can be held responsible (in court) for accidents
happening on the beach of his town.
There are showers at the top of the dunes.
3.10 Checking in
The houses normally become available in the late afternoon
(5 p.m.) (on the Saturday, of course). If you are lucky, you
house could be available after lunch (if the previous occupants
vacated it very early, and it was cleaned during the morning).
3.11 Checking out
You are expected to vacate your house on Saturday morning, at
the latest. However, you must make an appointment for the in-
spection - you must make that appointment on the Thursday or the
Friday. On Saturday, at the agreed time, the inspector arrives,
inspects your house, and writes a statement that will aloow you
to collect your deposit from the reception. If you leave during
the night, your deposit is sent to your home address.
8
4 Bicycles
There is a bicycle with every cottage.
You can rent additional bicycles at the bicycle shop behind the
food shop. If you rent a bicycle for one week, it will cost you
100 FRF for a children's bicycle, and 150, 200 or 250 FRF for an
"adult" bicycle.
Bicycles are very practical to go shopping, to go to the swim-
ming pool or the beach, etc..
There is also a network of bicycle paths running through the
whole area. One of them runs along the C�te d'Argent, and runs
right behind the back fence of La Jenny - you cross it when you
go to the beach.
With our children, aged 5 and 7, we have made bicycle trips
to the plage du Gressier (Le Porge Oc�an), 5 kilometres to the
North and to the plage du Grand Crohot, 5 kilometres to the
South.
I have seen many people riding bicycles (one each) along the
main roads. That is something I certainly would not do, because
the main road are rather narrow, and the car drivers can barely
keep enough clearance.
5 Restaurants
5.1 La Jenny
This is the restaurant next to the swimming pool.
At lunch time, they have a short lunch time menu card, that is
more-or-less "fast-food" (pizza, hamburger, ...) and you can
only eat outside. The pizze are very good.
9
In the evening, they have got the full card (but also pizze).
The food is good, at a reasonable price. The children's menu
is not bad, either. They have special dinners from time to
time, e.g. on the 14th of July (you have to reserve for such
occasions).
5.2 Le Courtiou
This restaurant is on the road between La Jenny and Le Porge, on
the boundary between the forest and the fields. The choice is
limited (pizze, paste). You get more than you can eat, at a very
reasonable price. Our children (aged 5 and 7) shared one dish.
5.3 In Le Porge: La Vieille Auberge and La Grange au Lierre
These look like very fine restaurants, where you would take your
wife for a special occasion, such as a wedding anniversary or
the 14th of July - but not with the children - they are far too
expensive, and there is no children's menu.
5.4 In Le Porge: the hotel
There is a hotel (with restaurant) near the village of Le Porge,
on the road to L�ge. We have never been there.
5.5 At Le Porge Oc�an
There are a number of restaurants at Le Porge Oc�an (Plage du
Gressier). Most of them look cheap. The quality of the food
matches their appearance, the prices do not.
5.6 Fish restaurant in L�ge
I have heard there is a fish restaurant in L�ge. It was reported
to be good, and reasonable in price, but you need a good stomach
(because the cook uses lots of oil in his cooking).
10
5.7 Le Calhoc in Cap Ferret
See "Section 7.1, Cap Ferret and boat trip".
6 Shopping
6.1 In La Jenny
There is a small super-market, and a shop for non-food items
(such as sun-oil, magazines, hats, telephone cards, etc.).
You can order chicken at the meat counter in that super-market
(expensive, not very good).
There is a fish-monger, 3 times a week, in the morning.
There is a man selling pasta, twice a week (expensive).
6.2 In Le Porge
There is a "Huit-�-8" supermarket in the village. As a matter
of fact, there is at least one of those small super-markets in
every village - belong to one of the chains (Huit-�-8, Shoppi,
...).
6.3 In Andernos - Casino
The "Casino" super-market in Andernos seems to be the closest
"big supermarket". It is also much cheaper than other shops or
small super-markets. We have never been there - on our way to
Andernos, we got stuck in a traffic jam in Ar�s (where all the
traffic goes through the village). However, I did buy diesel-oil
at the Casino once, and it was cheaper there than anywhere else
in the area.
11
6.4 Chemists
There is a chemist in Le Porge (at the entrance to the village,
when you come from La Jenny).
There is a chemist in Ar�s, on the main square.
In general, I do not think you will have a problem finding a
chemist.
6.5 Banks
You get some banking service from the reception desk.
I was looking for an office of the "Cr�dit Agricole" and I found
one in practically every village (in Le Porge: across the road
from the hotel), except they were on a summer schedule, and
they were open only a couple of half-days per week. The office
in Ar�s had a convenient schedule, and it is located on the
entrance (the trick is to turn left before you reach the bank
office, and to park in that side street).
7 Excursions
7.1 Cap Ferret and boat trip
First, we drove to the light-house. From the top of the light-
house, you have an excellent view of the peninsula of Cap Fer-
ret, the forest, the bay, Arcachon, the "Dune de Pilat" and the
"Banc d'Arguin". Access if free, but the light-house closes for
lunch from 12 to 2 (what do light-houses eat for lunch ? ;-)} ).
Next, we had lunch at the restaurant "Le Calhoc", close to the
light-house (5, Rue des Go�lands - approx. 150 meter NE from
the light-house). This looks like a simple caf� from the street,
but there is a very nice restaurant in the back (in some sort
of court-yard). The prices seem a bit high at first site, but
you get the ap�ritif for free, AND the children eat for free. We
had an excellent meal, with an excellent wine. We heard from a
12
couple at a nearby table that there was a possibility to make a
round-trip on the "bassin".
We arrived at the pier in time for the round-trip (I do not
remember what time that was). Finding the pier is not diffi-
cult: it is at the Eastern end of the narrow-gauge railway that
crosses the peninsula.
The trip was absolutely wonderful. We sat in the bows, and
enjoyed the sun and the spray. First, we did a round-trip of
the "bassin", around the central island, and along the beach of
Arcachon. Then we, turned towards the open sea, and we landed on
the "Banc d'Arguin" (a sand-bar in front of the "Dune de Pilat".
Most of this island is a bird sanctuary, but part of the beach
is accessible to the public. We stayed there for an hour, and
then the boat came back (!) to pick us up.
NOTE
I heard it is also possible to take to boat to the "Banc
d'Arguin" and to be picked up in the evening - i.e., to
spend a whole day there. Take your pick-nick, lots of
drinks, lots of sun-cream and a parasol.
NATURIST NOTE
Although this island is some sort of small paradise, peo-
ple do not wear their paradise costume - at least they did
not while the sight-seeing people (that's us) were there.
7.2 Arcachon
We spent one day at Arcachon - a very cloudy day.
Parking is difficult here. We found some parking space at the
parking-building of the Market Square.
13
Arcachon has been a very fashionable sea-side resort. It is
now more an "ordinary" sea-side resort (the fashionable bit can
still be seen in the form of the large houses south of town,
along the shore - very visible from the boat-trip around the
"bassin"). However, it is still very busy.
The Casino is well worth seeing - it looks like a fairy-tale
castle designed by Walt Disney.
If you want to do some shopping, you should look in the pedes-
trian streets that run perpendicular to the shore.
Driving from le Porge to Arcachon can be long and tedious. It is
better to drive via Blagon and Marchepierre (roads D106, D5 &
N250).
7.3 Pointe de Grave, Le Verdon and the M�doc
First we drove to the "Pointe de Grave", where you have a mag-
nificent view over the sea, the "Phare de Cordouan", the "Grande
C�te", the town of Royan and the Gironde.
The "Phare de Cordouan" is a light-house, on a reef right in
front of the Gironde. It was proclaimed a national monument in
1862, together with the "Notre Dame" cathedral in Paris.
We had a light lunch at one of the caf�s.
There is a "light-house museum" at the nearby square light-
house, but it is closed from 12 to 2.
Next, we drove to the naturist beach of Le Verdon.
The directions are a bit complicated. The "Plage Naturiste"
and the "Plage Oc�an" are 2 sections of the same beach. You
will find signs for either or both of them along the main road.
Getting there is not difficult, parking your car is. The parking
consists of 2 dirt roads that run parallel to each other, and
parallel to the shore, with 2 connecting roads. Together, they
form a one-way system, in counter-clock-wise sense: you can
14
drive from North to South along the Western road (closest to
the beach) and from South to North along the Eastern road. We
entered the whole thing from the North, and naturally took the
Western road. We parked the car as soon as we saw a sign for the
"Plage Naturiste" that pointed to a path over the dunes.
The beach itself is quite nice. It is very wide, and divided
in a textile section and a nude section. The swimming areas are
again marked with blue flags (4 of them, 2 for the wet-textile
section and 2 for the nude section - though flag number 2 and
number 3 are only one meter apart). The water, however, did not
look very clean - we were there when the tide was going out, so
there may have been a lot of pollution from the Gironde estuary.
When the clouds came back, we returned to our car and drove
to Lesparre. There, we took the D204 and visited the "M�doc"
wine area. We enjoyed it, but if you are a real wine lover, you
should prepare such a tour thoroughly, and you would not do it
with small children (5 and 7).
8 Water quality
Most towns in this area are proud of having the "Blue Ribbon"
distinction for the quality of the water at the beach (awarded
by the EEC). However:
o Le Porge apparently has not been awarded that distinction -
I suppose the town council never applied for it (the tourist
business is only marginal, it is mainly an agricultural
village).
o Arcachon has been awarded that distinction for its beaches,
although it only has beaches along the bay (no beaches along
the sea), and the bay has a problem of eutrophy of alg�.
In general, I can say that the water looks good, and that I do
not see any nearby sources of pollution.
15
Things were different on our excursion to Le Verdon. The wa-
ter did not look very clean, on the contrary - we were there
when the tide was going out, so there may have been a lot of
pollution from the Gironde estuary.
9 The weather
We had good weather. It is not like the weather at the Mediter-
ranean - you have no assurance of sunshine every day, but a
break (from the sun) is sometimes very welcome.
It is rarely very hot, and the air is rather cool in the morning
(if you want to get up early and walk along the beach - as I did
once - you'd better wear a T-shirt).
The weather is also very variable. I do not think we have had
a single day without clouds. In general, however, if there are
clouds when you get up, it means that you will have brilliant
weather after breakfast.
16
| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 355.1 | follow-up | TLE::FAIMAN | light upon the figured leaf | Tue Dec 01 1992 11:04 | 101 |
| Here is a follow-up report from the author of 355.0:
-Neil Faiman, PARENTING co-moderator
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
* IMPROVED lunch-time service at restaurant
I reported last year that the service and the choice, at lunch-time, in the
restaurant of La Jenny were far from good (that was in 1991). This has improved
a lot (in 1992). We had lunch there on our last Friday. You have a fairly wide
choice. The lunch-time restaurant is between the "real" restaurant and the sauna
(in other words, where they offer the take-away service in the evening). You eat
outdoors. Clothing is optional (don't laugh - you do wear clothes at dinner).
* Restaurant "Le Gai Logis" (Ar�s)
In Ar�s, on the road to Andernos, on the right-hand side. Excellent food, at a
reasonable price. They have a good children's menu. You eat outdoors. One
drawback: the noise of the cars on the road.
* Restaurant "La Perle" (Ar�s) - sea-food
In Ar�s, on the right-hand side just before you enter the village - next to a
"d�gustation". Not a very sophisticated restaurant, but a great place for
sea-food. We had "gambas au cognac"; for our children (aged 6 & 8) we ordered
one Dover sole, which the waiter nicely divided and arranged on two plates. If
you have the whole evening, try the "plateau de fruits de mer" (cannot do that
with young children - they grow tired).
* Fitness centre (musculation)
I took a subscription for 5 sessions at the fitness centre (which cost me 150
FRF, if I remember correctly).
The centre is run by Daniel, a remarkable old character - who can lift anything
that his customers lift.
It is more primitive that what I am used to, and the emphasis is more on
"body-building" (Fr. "musculation") - whereas I am used to a program of "general
fitness training with emphasis on endurance".
You should count on 2 hours for a session - you get a very elaborate (and
well-documented) training programme. The centre is open from 10.00 to 13.00 and
from 16.00 to 19.00 .
You have to wear clothes (e.g., shorts and a T-shirt), appropriate shoes (e.g.
jogging shoes), and you have to bring a towel. It is a bit strange to see people
doing their exercises in "traditional" clothes (the clothes that you normally
wear in a fitness centre), and then strip and walk out.
* Aerobics - WARNING
My wife went to the aerobics class every morning. She noticed that the aerobics
teacher does not pay much attention to the stretching exercises, and that the
exercises she advocates put a serious strain on your back. My wife (who is used
to aerobics) had a back-ache at the end of our vacation. We think the teacher is
a dance teacher, not an aerobics teacher.
* Pony-riding
Our children (who were 6 and 8 at the time) could enroll for a free pony ride.
Ask Fabienne (the girl who teaches horse-riding). The ponys are led by the
parents, or by volunteers.
Younger children may take a ride on a cart (drawn by horses) - the horses are
led by Fabienne, and one of the fathers may sit on the box.
* Shopping in Andernos (Casino)
This year, we did go shopping at the Casino supermarket in Andernos, on our very
first shopping trip, and it is indeed much cheaper.
* Bank offices closed
The offices of the "Cr�dit Agricole" that used to exist in Le Porge and in Ar�s
have been closed. There is an office of the "Banque Maritime" in Ar�s, and an
office of the "Cr�dit Agricole" in Andernos (though I do not know where).
You can cash a cheque at the reception of La Jenny, in the morning (between 9
and 12, I think). They take a commission of 20 FRF, but in my case, that was
cheaper and simpler than driving to (Ar�s or) Andernos.
* Village m�di�val
There is an array of fun parks in La Hume (part of Cujan-Mestras, on the South
shore of the Bassin): Le Mus�e Maritime, Le Village M�di�val, La Coccinelle.
The Village M�di�val is supposed to be a medieval village, with many craftsman
demonstrating their trade. It is in fact a tourist trap. It is expensive. The
so-called craftsmen (and women) are bored and boring. Yet, the children enjoyed
it - they had never before seen a tin-smith at work, how stained-lass windows
are made, &c..
* Anecdote: arriving late
We arrived late, due to a strike of the French truck drivers (they blocked the
motorways...). Instead of arriving on Saturday, around noon, we arrived on
Sunday, in the evening. This was not really a problem: we received the keys from
the gatekeeper, and did the paper-work on Monday morning. The weather on
Saturday and Sunday had been bad, so we did not miss much.
|
| 355.2 | follow-up 2 | MOIRA::FAIMAN | Alternately stone in you and star | Fri Dec 01 1995 12:11 | 177 |
| Another follow-up from the original author:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a supplement to the existing reports in topic 355, after our summer
vacation in July 1995 (our third stay in La Jenny - we had been there in 1991
and 1992).
I make a distinction between "changes" and "new information" - "changes" are
changes to information on the previous reports, "new information" is about
things that we did not try on our previous stays at La Jenny, or that did not
exist yet.
First I must tell you about our arrival. The first thing we noticed, during the
last kilometers of our drive (already in the forest), was "that smell". After
three years, we had almost forgotten "that smell" of pine needles on warm sand,
but it all came back. How glad we were to smell "that smell" again ! Later that
day, I walked to the beach (on my own - my wife and kids were too tired, but I
absolutely wanted to see the sea again). While I was walking through the "front"
dunes (closest to the sea), there was "that other smell" again - the smell of
the dune thistles.
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CHANGED
* The restaurant and the pizzeria
There is a new management in the restaurant. In the restaurant itself, the "plat
du jour" does not exist anymore - at least not for dinner. Only the expensive
options remain (dinner � la carte). However, once a week (on Thursday), they
offer an all-in menu (from ap�ritif to coffee, with the main dish being paella
or barbecued meat, or ...) at a very reasonable price (95 FRF for an adult, 50
FRF for a child) (moreover, the children's version of that menu was large enough
even for our children, aged 9 and 11) - you must book as soon as it is
announced. On the other hand, the pizzeria has expanded from a take-away
pizzeria to a full pizza restaurant, which offers also other dishes than pizza,
all at reasonable prices. I can recommend the pizza calzone (which is crisp and
light), and the tagliatelli with salmon (but not the tagliatelli with crab
meat). The borderline between the restaurant and the pizzeria is a row of potted
plants. There is also a pizza delivery service (noon and evening). For dinner on
Friday or Saturday, at the restaurant or the pizzeria, you must book early (many
people eat out on their last night or on their first night). The restaurant has
excellent escargots.
* Animation
They now have "evening animation" practically every evening, either on the
terrace of the restaurant or on the terrace in the middle of the swimming pool.
There are performances of all sorts, but there is always music and dance. On
Friday, there is a performance by the children who went to the children's
activities during the week. Apart fom the second Friday (when my daughter
participated), the most memorable performace was that of a real Brasilian samba
school - I have never seen such a performance of playing drums (but I had read
about it in one of Feynman's books).
* The fishmonger
The fishmonger is now open more often than he used to be.
* Restaurant La Perle in Ar�s
We had a very nice fish dinner (including Dover sole) there, on a previous
occasion. We went back and were very disappointed. The Dover sole was awful.
* More people
La Jenny has expanded considerably. This means that there are now people staying
there than before - on the other hand, most of the central facilities have not
expanded (the restaurant has, to some extent: they added the large pizzeria
area). The swimming pool was large, but has not grown, and is becoming crowded.
* Wine
The shop now also offers a Bordeaux wine under the label of La Jenny (red, white
and ros�). We tried the white wine, and it is very decent.
* Full nudity enforced in swimming pool area
Nudity is enforced in the swimming pool area - this is nothing new. In the past
however, it was not enforced with respect to women wearing just a bikini bottom
- the tacit assumption being that they were, er, that it was that time of the
month. This has changed now. This is probably part of the naturism-vs-nudism
fight.
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NEW
* Balade � v�lo - bicycle tour
A "balade � v�lo" is organised every Wednesday afternoon. "Balade", like
"mariage" and "trafic", is one of those French words that are subtly different
in spelling from their English counterpart. Moreover, "balade" means "walk". The
"balade" had been described as a leisurely bicycle tour, but I was the only one
with a "plain" bike (which was not well adapted to the size of my body), in a
group with 2 racing bikes, 5 mountain bikes and 1 Swiss Army bike. We rode to
Ar�s in slightly less than one hour (not exactly leisurely) (using the path
through the forest) and had a break there (during which I rode into the Ar�s
harbour, just for the fun of it - the tide was out, there was no water to be
seen, and the soil was solid enough). We returned in less than one hour, and the
Swiss guy arrived after I had - but I was completely exhausted. A Swiss Army
bike, btw, is, like a Swiss Army knife, sturdy and full of hidden features -
unlike the knife, it is painted khaki and it has 2 wheels.
* Cap Ferret - the very tip
One afternoon, we drove the the very tip of Cap Ferret. Follow the signs to
Belv�d�re. It is something special. You also have a good view of the Dune de
Pilat.
* Restaurant Mirador at Cap Ferret
We had dinner at the Mirador, which is near (10 meter) the Belv�d�re. The food
is good, you get good value for money, and you have a nice view of the Dune de
Pilat in the sunset.
* The ferry from Royan
On our trip to Le Porge, we took the ferry at Royan. It was difficult to reach
Royan (many traffic jams) and to traverse Royan. We had to wait a long time, to
pay (115 FRF for the car, 15 FRF per person, and you pay for the driver and for
the children, too, but probably not for the very small children) and, after all,
the crossing was short and not very spectacular. If you do this: you must (on
the South shore) leave the N215 road very soon and take the D1E4; in Soulac, you
must turn onto the D101 (I missed this one); in Hourtin, you must turn onto the
D3 (Southbound), not onto the D4.
* The public beach of La Jenny
The public beach, which is at the end of the road that runs straight towards the
sea, seems to be completely clothing-optional now (that is probably the case for
many beaches in France). On one occasion, I walked along the beach in Northerly
direction, and I could see (from a distance) that some of the bathers were nude,
while others were not.
* The sauna
I went to the sauna once, when the itching was a bit too annoying (I am
susceptible to itching from the exposure to the sun, and I find the sauna, with
its extremes of hot and cold, very useful at the end of a hot afternoon). It is
a very nice sauna, but it is a bit expensive, and more expensive to guests than
to proprietors (!). On the other hand, this is the closest I have ever come to
the legendary sensation of running straight from the sauna into the lake (I ran
from the sauna into the swimming pool).
* Aquagym
We participated fairly often in the morning aquagym. It is a lot of fun,
especially if you are in the back rows (most men are in the back rows, because
they are generally taller) and hear the comments they (the men) give on the
exercises. When somebody entered the swimming pool area wearing shoes or
sandals, the instructor would admonish him/her to go barefoot, and the entire
group would chant 'chaussures ! chaussures !".
-----
Differences with Euronat Grayan
The family who stayed in the cottage next to ours during our first week, had
spent the previous week at Euronat (in Grayan), 70 km further North. They said
that at Euronat the swimming pool was smaller, but people went to the beach
anyway. Access to the beach was shorter and easier at Euronat, and the beach
itself was "more gentle" - the surf was not so violent.
-----
Naturism vs nudism
Our neighbours also told about the naturism vs nudism discussion. In their
definition, a naturist is nude whenever circumstances permit, whereas a nudist
would wear some clothes, and disrobe only for sunbathing or swimming. It seems
to be more of a "problem" nowadays. Nudity has become fairly common on the
French beaches - at least, at the remote ends of the beaches. It used to be
something for the relatively small group of die-hard naturists, who would
effectively be nude whenever that was possible. It is now something for a much
larger audience, with all sorts of attitudes.
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