Villas in Les Landes

Hossegor and Capbreton suit surfers, Mimizan suits families who want space, and Vieux-Boucau and Biscarrosse have calm lakes. Most of our villas are around Mimizan and Capbreton. The coast is one long Atlantic beach backed by dunes and pine forest, with strong waves and currents, so swim between the flags. You will need a car.

Where

Villas: 353
From, per week: £137
Cheapest month: September
Nearest airports: Biarritz is closest to the southern resorts, with Ryanair flights from London Stansted taking around an hour and three quarters. Bordeaux has more UK flights and suits Biscarrosse and Mimizan. Some routes are seasonal, so check before booking.

Where to stay in Les Landes

Mimizan and the Born coast (Mimizan, Lit-et-Mixe, Contis, Mézos)

This is where we have the most villas. Mimizan-Plage has wide beaches either side of the Courant de Mimizan, the stream that drains the lake behind the town, and cycle paths run through the pines to the Lac d'Aureilhan, where the water is calm. Contis has a lighthouse and a small resort, while Lit-et-Mixe and Mézos are forest villages. Biarritz and Bordeaux airports are each around an hour and a half away.

Best for: Families who want space, wide beaches and a lake for calmer days

Not for you if: You want an old town to wander: Mimizan-Plage is a plain seaside resort with a modern centre.

Capbreton, Hossegor and Seignosse (south coast)

Hossegor's beach break at La Gravière is one of the best-known surf spots in Europe, and the town has pine-shaded villas and surf shops. Behind it the Lac d'Hossegor fills and empties with the tide, giving children calm salt water. Capbreton has a fishing port where the boats sell their catch, and a deep underwater canyon, the Gouf, just offshore. Biarritz airport is around 30 minutes away.

Best for: Surfers and families who want a livelier resort with good restaurants

Not for you if: You want empty beaches in August: this is the busiest stretch of the Landes coast.

Moliets, Vieux-Boucau and Soustons (with Messanges, Léon, Vielle-Saint-Girons, Linxe)

Vieux-Boucau has a man-made seawater lake, the Lac Marin de Port d'Albret, with sheltered swimming for small children. Moliets has a golf course among the pines and a beach where the Courant d'Huchet reaches the sea; the river is a nature reserve you can explore by flat-bottomed boat from Léon. Soustons sits by its own large lake a few minutes inland. Biarritz airport is about 45 minutes to an hour away.

Best for: Families and golfers who want lakes and the sea a few minutes apart

Not for you if: You want nightlife: outside July and August these resorts are very quiet.

Biscarrosse and Parentis-en-Born (north)

Biscarrosse sits between the ocean and two big freshwater lakes, Cazaux-Sanguinet and Biscarrosse-Parentis, with sailing, pedalos and sandy lake shores. Biscarrosse-Plage is the surf side, and the town has a seaplane museum. The Dune du Pilat, over the border in Gironde, is around 40 minutes north. Parentis is quieter, on the south shore of its lake. Bordeaux airport is about an hour and a quarter away.

Best for: Families who want lake beaches and a short drive to the Dune du Pilat

Not for you if: You plan to spend time in Biarritz or the Basque Country: they are around two hours south.

Ondres, Labenne and Saint-Martin-de-Seignanx (near Bayonne)

The southern tip of the Landes coast is a few minutes from Bayonne. Ondres and Labenne each have a long beach reached through the pines, with lifeguards in summer. Bayonne's old town, Biarritz and the Spanish border are all within around 30 to 45 minutes, which makes this the easiest base for mixing beach days with the Basque Country. Biarritz airport is about 20 minutes away.

Best for: Families who want a quick transfer and day trips into the Basque Country

Not for you if: You want a resort with its own buzz: Ondres and Labenne are quiet, and Saint-Martin is inland.

Inland Landes and the Chalosse (Saint-Pandelon, Magescq, Brassempouy, Pujo-le-Plan)

Away from the pines, the Chalosse is rolling farmland known for duck, foie gras and country markets. Saint-Pandelon is just outside Dax, a spa town with hot springs, and Magescq is about 20 minutes from the coast at Hossegor. Brassempouy is where the Venus of Brassempouy, one of the earliest known carvings of a human face, was found. The coast is up to an hour away.

Best for: Couples who want countryside, markets and a pool rather than the beach

Not for you if: You want plenty of choice: we have only a few houses inland.

When to go to Les Landes

July and August are the warmest and busiest months, with French families on every beach, lifeguards at the main resorts and night markets in the summer towns. June and September are quieter, and the sea is still fine for swimming in September. Surfers prefer autumn, when the swell is bigger and the crowds have gone. From October to April many beach restaurants, surf schools and campsites close, and some resorts feel empty. Inland summers can be hot, with occasional thunderstorms.