Villa Etxola

Architectural “Hut” on the Côte Basque

Its Basque name indicating its architectural inspiration, this newly built, wood clad “hut” sits on France’s chic coastal headland west of Bordeaux, surrounded by dunes, pines and a vast landscaped garden just a five-minute walk from the heart of Le Canon in coastal Cap Ferret.

Ready to welcome a group across its bright, cabana-styled suites, this wood-clad residence stands as an open-living, minimalist retreat for sophisticated nomads eager to discover the charms of an age-old coastal playground. With its cool, Basque-modernist interior, banks of windows and minimalist décor, the easy styling of this villa for rent in France complements its low-key Cap Ferret location. The coastal area is known as an unpretentious surf and sailing playground, long a favorite of French aristocrats.

The villa’s vast outdoor play space caters to all ages. There’s a petanque court, an outdoor shower and surfboard rack, an ebike charging station and lap pool. The pool house does group entertaining right, with its separate kitchen, poolside bar and brasero grilling station. Work, if you must, in an upper-floor office landing in the main house, then gather around the funky, periscope of a fireplace that divides living and dining areas.

AROUND

A five-minute walk from the center of Le Canon village, this villa for rent in France offers easy access to some of Cap Ferret’s best loved cafes, bars, restaurants and shops. Le Canon, one of 10 villages on the Cape, is home to the launch that goes to l’Ile aux Oiseaux (Bird Island) where the Cape’s traditional stilted houses stand. These huts, part of Extola’s inspiration, once served as perches for oystermen to guard their precious shells from thieves. Bicycles are the preferred transport on Cap Ferret, and the peninsula offers some 60 kilometers of cycling trails. Extola’s concierge staff can set up bike or boat rentals, the latter skippered or not, as well as arrange for boat taxis, in-house catering, and onsite yoga sessions and massage services.

A narrow headland, Cap Ferret’s chic communities feature swim and surf beaches, dunes and lighthouses, and plenty of waterfront restaurants. The local lighthouse doubles as a cartography museum that shows the region’s evolution, and Cap Ferret, often referred to as France’s “Cape Cod” is more secluded and arguably more laid-back than its American counterpart. Facing the Bay of Arcachon on one side, the Atlantic on the other, Cap Ferret is one of France’s oyster farming headquarters. The region supplies Paris’ glossy cocktail and raw bars with its gleaming bivalves, and the unique location between lagoon and ocean means that the landscape changes with the tides. On the mainland opposite the lagoon, Europe’s tallest sand dune, the Dune du Pilat, soars, while out in the Atlantic, a German bunker seems to bob in the crashing waves.

LOCATION

Lège-Cap-Ferret, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. Nearest airport: Bordeaux

BEST TIME TO VISIT: April to October