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A 15-mile-long sandy spit that juts into Arcachon Bay like a protective arm, Lège-Cap Ferret, on France’s west coast, is that country’s answer to New York’s Montauk, though it’s called a decade or two earlier. Cap Ferret — not to be confused with Cap Ferrat, the glitzy, southeastern French peninsula of nearly the same name — is a 30-minute ferry ride from the seaside town of Arcachon and boasts a varied, contrasting landscape: oyster farms in the quiet lagoon, or basin side, and a large surfing beach on the Atlantic side (“When there are waves, they’re gigantic,” says designer and architect Philippe Starck), which has attracted Parisians since the 1950s.
The past 15 years have brought an influx of even more bourgeois-bohemian visitors — locals blame the 2010 film “Little White Lies,” written and directed by Guillaume Canet and starring Marion Cotillard, along with the high-speed train that cut his time of travel from Paris to Bordeaux, about 45 miles from Cap Ferret, in just over two hours in 2017. Still, the peninsula has managed, for the most part, to remain low-key.
Hotels are of the glitzy rather than luxury variety, while bikes, vintage Citroëns and Mini Mokes outnumber Range Rovers and sports cars. And the oyster cabins, offering shellfish (an estimated 60 percent of the oysters consumed in France come from Arcachon Bay), white wine and not much else, serve as local canteens.
Across the lagoon is Pyla-sur-Mer, a genteel village home to the Philippe Starck-designed La Co(o)rniche and Hotel Ha(a)ïtza and Europe’s highest dune, the massive Dune du Pilat. which rises more than 300 feet and makes a difficult climb. Elegant Arcachon is also worth a visit for its markets and the fascinating Ville d’Hiver, an enclave of ornate villas built in the 19th century for wealthy residents convalescing during Europe’s tuberculosis epidemic. Whatever you do, leave time to explore Plage de l’Horizon with its sand dunes on the Atlantic side of Cap Ferret. “It’s one of the last places in France where you can be alone on a beach in the middle of summer,” says artist and fashion designer Marguerite Bartherotte. Here, Bartherotte, Starck and two other locals share some of their favorite places.
The Insiders
The artist and fashion designer Marguerite Bartherotte grew up in Cap Ferret. She is co-founder and creative director of G. Kero, which has a boutique in Cap Ferret and Paris.
Farid Ben Ahmed he is the manager of the Moroccan homeware store Etincelles in Cap Ferret and splits his time between Bordeaux and Marrakesh.
The designer Sarah Poniatowski is its founder home goods and clothing brand Maison Sarah Lavoine. He lives mainly in Paris but has a house in Cap Ferret and has been holidaying in the area since he was a child.
The designer and the architect Philippe Starck he is based in Portugal and has a home in Cap Ferret. He he designed both the hotels La Co(o)rniche and Ha(a)ïtza in Pyla-sur-Mer, across the bay from the peninsula, and La Pâtisserie de ma Fille, which opened in Arcachon last year. He is currently building a small hotel in Cap Ferret.
Illustrated by Richard Pedaline
“Hotel des Pins is a charming throwback to the 1930s in a quiet location in basin side. It started life as a theater and was converted into a hotel by a former Bordeaux footballer in 1999. There are 13 rooms, a restaurant and a terrace.” (Rooms from about $100 a night.) — Marguerite Bartherotte
“Hotel des Dunes was the first hotel to open in Cap Ferret, in 1969, and reopened last year after a complete restoration. It is in the sand dunes, a [short] walk from the ocean, and has a surfy vibe. The 13 rooms are simple and retro, with tiled headboards, Bakelite telephones and striped deck chairs on the verandas.’ (Rooms from about $185 a night.) — Sarah Poniatowski
“I’ve been to La Maison du Bassin for nearly three decades. I have great memories of a birthday surprise my wife once threw for me there: It was during a storm, so there was no heat or electricity, just candles (Rooms from about $170 a night). I also recommend renting a cottage through Sandra and Jérôme Cazaubon at Agence immobilière de la Presqu’île — is the best way to experience authentic local life: walking through the market, eating at the oyster cabanas on the water and renting a bike to go to the ocean side of the beach.” (Rents from about $1,720 per week in July.) — Philippe Starck
“The food at La Mayzou is very good—it’s run by a young chef named Juliette Lacroix-Wasover, and dishes such as oysters from basin with ginger sauce, are influenced by her travels in Indonesia [and elsewhere]. The traditional tasting with oysters [tasting] in Cap Ferret it can get a bit samey-y so it’s nice to have something different. the atmosphere is cool and it is very nice off season. I take my kids to Sail Fish Café for a late, casual lunch when I don’t feel like cooking. It serves great burgers and healthy food and is open all day.” — SP
“It’s a pleasure to go Huîtres Maleyran, a new oyster cabin right on the bay. I take my oysters with lemon juice and bring my own lemons, one for each taste, because I am very picky and use a lot of lemon. I always order the Don Juan cocktail at Lou Bar, the cocktail bar at La Mayzou restaurant.” — MB
“Chez Hortense, [a seafood restaurant] The view of the bay is a must: It is a true Cap Ferret institution that has been passed down from generation to generation. Book a table in advance and order the house specialty, the garlic mussels. And don’t miss the sweet choux Dunes Blanches with cream filling at Chez Pascal Pains et Dunes Blanches — it’s a delight.” — Farid Ben Ahmed
“You have oysters in La Cabane d’Hortensethe sister restaurant of Chez Hortense — it’s a classic — or at Les Parcs de l’Imperatrice, run by my friend Joël Dupuch: It embodies the sensitive humor of the oyster. I also like the warm welcome and generous menus at Le Bouchon du Ferret for lunch and dinner any time of year — I always order the tuna pate. If I’m entertaining at home in Cap Ferret, I like to cook an omelette with oysters. Just add some oysters at the end, heat up a bit and then serve. My friends were shocked at first, but now they love it.” — POSTSCRIPT
Store
“I Buy summer fruits – raspberries, cherry, melons, strawberries — from Chez Cocotte at the market. It’s run by a very funny, big-hearted woman who gives the kids goodies.” — MB
“I often make a big seafood meal for my kids and their friends in the summer, with langoustines or whatever fish I find at the amazing Cap Ferret market. It’s every day [in summer] and I go around 8 in the morning, before it’s crowded. Day.Co has a wide variety of homeware brands — including many of my own — as well as printed tablecloths and napkins made by the owner in India, candles and a very nice collection of tableware.” — SP
“Canelés are small cakes flavored with rum and vanilla originating from Bordeaux. Frédélian it’s the most famous patisserie in Cap Ferret and the best place to get them.” — SP
“I buy sailing equipment [the Grand Piquey location of the store] Comptoir de la Mer— I recommend the marine blue captain’s cap: It is waterproof and has been improved over the years to work perfectly at sea. I find original perfumes, like Me Gustas by my lifelong friend Jacques Zolty, at Jane de Bois. My wife and daughter love the laid-back, rock and roll fashion of the boutique and the advice the owner, Marie, gives them.” — POSTSCRIPT
“Rent a pinassea traditional wooden boat, and sail to it Banc d’Arguin, a huge sand beach in the middle of the bay, in front of the Dune du Pilat. It is the most beautiful place in the world: At low tide you think you are in the Maldives, there is amazing bird life and you can be alone even on the 14th of July [Bastille Day]. We spend the whole afternoon there, having a picnic and playing pétanque until the sun goes down.” — SP
“There are many secret beach spots on the Atlantic Ocean side. Park your car anywhere Avenue de Bordeaux Cap Ferret and walk through the forest on endless miles of white sand.” — MB
“Take a boat to Cabanes Tchanquees, next to Île aux Oiseaux (Bird Island). These cabins on stilts, the first of which was built in 1883 [then rebuilt in the 1940s], were used by oyster farmers to inspect the beds at high or low tide — an amazing sight. — FBA
“When I have some free time, I do what everyone else is doing in the basin: I take a boat with some good friends, white wine and some oysters and we chat until it gets dark. The real treat is the local flair for conversation. Oysters’ sense of humor is sharp, creative and contagious. I also like cycling in the villages or in the forest. I wish I could surf: My daughter Justice does, and it’s one of her favorite places to surf. Alex école de surf it’s the place to learn.” — POSTSCRIPT
Practical Issues
“Make sure you book the taxi boat from Arcachon to Cap Ferret in advance — you need it [around] 30 minutes and is the best way to get to the peninsula as there is only one tiny road which can take ages. — SP
These interviews have been edited and condensed.
