It was on a beautiful July weekend that I left with my friend Christel, from the blog Happy City, to share 3 days of relaxation and discovery as girls in the Côtes d’Armor, in the Sud Goëlo between Binic and Saint-Quay-Portrieux. Despite all my love for Brittany and my first name with Celtic nuances that predestined me to have a special relationship with this region of France, I admit that I know the Breton peninsula quite poorly and had in fact never come to this corner before… Yes, I know, it happens to very good people…
For a little info, these two Breton towns are part of the Sensation Bretagne label, a group of 21 resorts on the north and south coast of Brittany, whom I warmly thank for inviting me to discover these beautiful places and for allowing me to explore this land of rocks, salt, and lemon crêpes a little more! But I will tell you more about that in the 2nd article on this subject, with my traditional Food Tour, Breton style this time. In this first article, I suggest a selection of things to do in the region, as well as two great addresses for accommodations, with a few tips and practical info for discovering these two towns.
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Table of Contents
Step 1: Binic, Côtes d’Armor
This town with a rich maritime history, notably in the Great Cod Fishery from Newfoundland to Iceland (which reminded me of that great exhibition on the subject that just ended in June at the Marine Museum), but also as a shellfish port in the 70s, is today one of the most important marinas in the department. In addition to this, the city really has crazy charm and offers beautiful beaches for sunbathing enthusiasts.
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Go on a catamaran cruise
Unlike the very sporty activity I practiced in La Baule on a small catamaran, cruising on a large catamaran (12 m) is completely different. Here, it is aboard a comfortable catamaran that we discovered, during the morning, the coast between Binic and Saint-Quay-Portrieux. Obviously, one can also take the option of spending the day on the boat or even doing the Sunset cruise, where Olivier offers to have an aperitif on the catamaran.
My favorite moment: the lounging phase on the net at the front of the catamaran, pure happiness and full of sun and vitamin D!
Not forgetting the memorable moment where you pretend (or almost) to be at the helm of the catamaran, in ship captain mode… It is obviously very unconvincing, but in the photo it turns out pretty well, I think.
Maestro Croisières booking phone: 06 86 34 19 89 2h discovery cruise, €40 per person and €35 for groups of 6 or more
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Take care of yourself at the Maison Couleurs Café beauty salon
It is the ideal address for a pampering moment by doing, for example, a little relaxing hammam session (€15 for 1 session for 1 to 3 people) with a dose of black soap which is provided by the establishment. You can also opt for a quick nail polish break in the colors of summer (€10) with the Art Déco institute brand or even a flash makeup (€25) if you want to look super sharp for a night out. For treatments, it is the great brand Payot that is used by the establishment.
Spa and hair salon Maison Couleurs Café 4, place du marché 22520 Binic
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Take a walk on the GR 43, the Customs Officers’ Path
This long coastal path follows the entire Brittany coastline for over 1,800 km and winds along the seaside in the heart of nature. It actually allows you to almost walk around Brittany!
In the surrounding area, you can take it from Binic to Saint-Quay-Portrieux passing through Etables-sur-Mer, which makes for a 10.3 km route in total (allow about 3.5 hours of walking). Afterward, of course, you can do it in stages or just a small portion, according to your desire and physical abilities. The landscape is truly magical along the path and reveals the southern coast of the Goëlo with its beaches, cliffs, points (including the Rognouse point), and coves. This walk and this nature outing are truly unmissable if you are passing through Brittany and, what’s more, it is a completely free activity, so no reason to deprive yourself!
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Step 2: Saint-Quay-Portrieux, Côtes d’Armor
This small seaside resort on the Goëlo coast retains, like Binic, its important maritime past linked there again to the Great Cod Fishery. The town developed a lot under the impetus of the mayor Alfred Delpierre from 1919 to 1941 and the latter left the town, in particular, one of its emblems, pretty white barriers that run along a large part of the city. Saint-Quay-Portrieux also has some very beautiful beaches and it is very pleasant to walk there, even if one does not wish to swim.
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The beaches of Saint-Quay:
- Casino Beach with its seawater swimming pool (which is located between Casino Beach and Châtelet Beach).
- Châtelet Beach
- Portrieux Beach
- Comtesse Beach, from which you can access the Comtesse Island and its ruins on foot at low tide. A short walk that I advise you to do!
Summer good deal: the festival of free concerts and shows Place aux Artistes which takes place in the town from June 26 to August 21, 2016.
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Go on a guided tour of the town in the footsteps of painters in Portrieux
This visit takes us into the lanes of the town, the small tortuous alleys where the sailors’ houses were nestled at the time, and to discover the old port, the Portrieux. This guided walk that we did with Florence from the Tourist Office, allows you to relive the history of the resort in the 19th century through the artists and impressionists who painted in Portrieux (Eugène Boudin, Paul Signac, and Berthe Morisot in particular) and to discover the town if you have never been to Saint-Quay, as was our case. At the end of the visit, a small passage to the studio of the painter Jacques Le Varrat and an authentic meeting with the character in question, if you are a little lucky.
In summer meet on Friday at 3:30 pm in front of the old town hall / during school holidays on Thursday at 10:30 am Booking with the Saint-Quay-Portrieux Tourist Office Price: €3.50 for adults / €2.30 for children aged 10 to 15 / free for those under 10 Duration: about 1h30
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Try sea kayaking
This Breton stay was an opportunity to do an introductory session for beginners in sea kayaking with Killian, a sports educator. The departure of our little trip was from Comtesse beach and we arrived at Grève Noire (another beach backed by the Isnain point). The weather was unfortunately not with us and it was very gray with some rainy passages. These are clearly not the ideal conditions for discovering this activity, but it was clearly less horrible than what I expected.
Concretely it is obviously a physical activity but relatively accessible even without great fitness and if the instructor knows how to make you confident you have a good time. I am not completely a fan of this sport, but I was proud of myself and for having tried the experience.
The little extra that I appreciated: a big theoretical part at the beginning of the trip to reassure and to explain well the handling of the kayak and the paddles, without forgetting the patience of the instructor (because I was not very gifted…).
Kayak Avel Vor introductory session duration: 2h30 price: €25 including the rental of the kayak obviously
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My good accommodation addresses in Côtes d’Armor
As usual, I suggest you discover below the accommodations that I tested during this stay in Brittany.
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Les maisons de Victoire
This charming gîte offers several rentals, including two in Binic (Cap Mouton and Digue et Dentelle). With Christel we were housed in the Cap Mouton gîte (60 m2 for 2 or 3 people), perfect for a trip with girlfriends. There is only one bedroom, but for the modest there is also a sofa bed in the living room which is very comfortable. The decoration is super design but with a real maritime atmosphere and you immediately feel “at home” in this place. The hostess had prepared two small bags of homemade biscuits for us that were very successful!
We immediately fell in love with this beautiful apartment on the 1st floor of a large house (in which the other gîte is located, moreover) and its very nice small and quiet terrace hidden at the back, not to mention the private sauna which is a very appreciable little extra.
Les maisons de Victoire 38 Rue Joffre, 22520 Binic Price: €85 per night during the week / weekend package 2 nights at €230
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Hôtel le Ker Moor in Saint-Quay-Portrieux
This 4-star hotel is located at the top of the cliffs of Saint-Quay. It offers a panoramic view of the sea, the coves, and the islands of the Breton Armor coast.
My comfort room with its small private terrace:
The little extra: the pretty terrace to have breakfast with a view of the sea, first thing in the morning it is pleasant!
Hôtel le Ker Moor rue du Président Le Sénécal 22410 St-Quay-Portrieux Price: comfort room (18 m2) with a small private terrace with a sea view from €108
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Practical information for getting to Brittany
To get to the area from Paris without a car, the nearest SNCF train station is in Saint-Brieuc (about 13 km from Binic), which makes for a 2h50 trip by direct TGV. Other mines of information for your stay, the two Tourist Offices of the coastal resorts of Binic and Saint-Quay-Portrieux of course.
Saint-Quay-Portrieux Tourist Office 17 bis rue Jeanne d'Arc 22410 St-Quay-Portrieux
Binic Tourist Office 6 place Le Pomellec 22520 Binic
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I hope that with all this I will have made you want to discover or re-discover this corner of Brittany and if you too have your tips for visiting this region, do not hesitate to share them in the comments!
Do not hesitate to also take a look at the Breton article from Happy City, my weekend sidekick, thanks to whom, you must have noticed, I was able to put many photos of myself in the article, taken by her, and that’s great!
Photo credits: Mademoiselle Bon Plan Photos not royalty-free, photographer's authorization mandatory before any use
