96 | SATURDAY | 30.04.22 | The Guardian
LIFESTYLE
The Guardian | 30.04.22 | SATURDAY | 96LIFESTYLE
indoor pool, a spa and a peaceful
camping fi eld behind it.
FRANCE
24 | Plage des Amiets, Cléder,
Brittany
O n the north coast of Finistère , west
of Roscoff , the Côte des Sables (sandy
coast) is a little-known corner of
France with many heart-soaringly
beautiful beaches. Plage des Amiets is
among them: the sweep of golden sand
is bookended by yellow-hued boulders
that hide two maisons des douaniers ,
18th-century customs houses, built
into the rocks. The pristine waters take
on a turquoise shimmer in the
sunshine and a paddle between the
rocks reveals a garden of seaweed
ribbons, frills and fronds. There are
small car parks at either end of the
beach. Twenty minutes away, La Butte
(doubles from € 120 room-only , labutte.
fr ), is a luxurious eco-friendly hotel.
25 | Plage de la Vieille Église,
Normandy
The west coast of Normandy’s Cotentin
peninsula is wild and beautiful. At
Barneville-Carteret , a track around the
headland leads from the Plage de la
Potinière towards the Plage de la
Vieille-Église. This precipitous path
runs down towards black rocks lapped
by the sea , and up to the lighthouse,
which looks out towards Jersey on the
horizon. Past the headland is the
incredible sight of miles of white sand
backed by dunes. On the beach stands
the ruined church from which it takes
its name. Legend says it was built by an
Irish saint who vanquished a child-
eating dragon. There are car parks
nearer the beach, but the view is worth
the walk. Hotel Marine (doubles from
€123 room-only , hotelmarine.com ) has
waterside views.
26 | Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Basque
country
The best view of Saint-Jean-de-Luz’s
spectacular beach is from Colline
Sainte-Barbe on its eastern side. The
panorama takes in soft yellow sands
backed by red-and-white Basque villas
and, to the rear, the jagged silhouette
of the Pyrenees. Many of the beaches
on this coastline attract surfers, with
their big Atlantic rollers, but the beach
at Saint-Jean-de-Luz is enclosed in a
circular bay, so gentle enough for
swimming and for younger children.
The town’s colourful market, Les
Halles de Saint-Jean-de-Luz , is a great
place to buy picnic supplies. La
Reserve (doubles from € 135 room-only ,
hotel-lareserve.com ) is a few minutes’
walk from the Colline Sainte-Barbe.27 | Plage de Palombaggia, Corsica
Rondinara, Cupabia , Pinarello ,
Ostriconi and Campomoro. Corsica’s
most beautiful beaches sound like a
cast list from a commedia dell’arte , but
top billing undoubtedly goes to
Palombaggia. Just down from Porto-
Vecchio in the far south-east of the
island, Palombaggia beach ,
surrounded by umbrella pines, is a
semicircle of golden sand descending
into clear, turquoise water. Soft-edged
rocky outcrops poking out of the
water are ideal places to lounge if the
sand gets too hot. It is one of the most
popular beaches on the island, so the
rockier Tamaricciu next door is a goodwalk from the centre of Théoule, or a
steep hike down from the Corniche
d’Or coast road. Hotel Port La Galère
(doubles from € 98 room-only ,
clubportlagalere.com ) is set in a
23-hectare park just along the coast.29 | Plage de Saint-Clair, Le
Lavandou, Var
Palm trees, beachside cafes, pedalos
and a gentle slope into the water make
Saint-Clair a perfect family beach.
Known locally as La Perle , the wide,
sandy bay is protected by outcrops at
both ends and the clear, calm water
makes it ideal for snorkelling and
watching cormorants dive for fi sh off
the whale-shaped Rocher de la
Baleine. There are great views of Le
Levant island to the south and the
beach is a short walk along the rocky,
coastal footpath from Le Lavandou
p o r t. L a P i n è d e r e s t a u r a n t - b a r s e t s o u t
a few lines of parasols and sun
loungers from April to October. Hotel
Astria, Beach La Falaise (doubles from
€95 room-only, two-night minimum ,
hotelastria.fr ) has pea-green-shuttered
rooms and a pretty courtyard
overlooking the sea.understudy, only slightly less
beautiful, but with far fewer people.
Les Hameaux de Bocca del Oro
( four-person villa from €104 a night ,
boccadeloro-residence.com ) is close by.28 | Plage de l’Aiguille , Théoule-
sur-Mer , Alpes-Maritimes
Backed by a dense forest and the
rust-red rocks of the Estérel massif,
Plage de l’Aiguille is the Riviera’s most
picturesque beach, with caramel-
coloured sand and amazing views of
Cannes, glinting in the distance. It
feels wild and remote, but it’s still the
Côte d’Azur, so there are posh loos, an
information cabin and a beach club in
the high season. A clamber over the
headland rocks leads to another tiny,
fan-shaped cove, the Crique de
l’Aiguille , great for uninterrupted
sunbathing and gazing at the passing
super yachts. The beach is a 15-minute PHOTOGRAPHS: ROBIN WEAVER/ALAMY; PKAZMIERCZAK/GETTY IMAGES25TRAVEL