Brittany Holiday Dinard

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Dinard, Brittany - A polular self catering family holiday destination

Situated in the north western corner of Brittany, across the Rance estuary from the ferry port of St Malo, Dinard is a stylish, family orientated seaside resort which has retained much of its old world charm and is often viewed as more reminiscence of the 1930's than the present day.
At the end of the 19th century, in what the British would describe as the Victorian era, Dinard was one of Europe's most popular holiday destinations. Throughout this period wealthy visitors embarked upon a building program within the town that saw numerous imposing villas built across the promontories to either side of the Dinard's main beach as well as west along the coast towards Saint-Énogat and eastwards between the plage du Prieuré and the Rance Estuary. The Grand Hotel Barriere, Dinard's 5 star hotel also dates from this period.
Many of these 'belle epoque' villas survive to this day and more than 400 of them, in addition to the grand hotel, have listed building status. In fact the whole of the centre of the town is now effectively a 'listed area' as Dinard seeks to retain its architectural heritage and preserve the 'old world' charm for which it is now famous.
In addition to its wonderful man made architecture however, much of Dinard's appeal as a favourite holiday destination can be attributed to our love of a more natural phenomenon - sandy beaches.
Dinard boasts 3 main beaches, all of which are sandy and clean. Each has its own character and are very different from one another.
The Plage de l'Écluse : This is Dinard's main beach and accessed directly from the center of town. It is the largest of the beaches with find sand and a very gentle slope. At low tide the sea can retract 4 or 5 hundred metres. To each side are rocks and rock pool where young children often search from crabs. During the summer months the beach is home to numerous children's clubs as well as the venue for beach volleyball and beach football competition which are open to all. A number of restaurants line the sea front as well as snack bars. This beach is very popular with families with young children and is by far the busiest of the 3 in summer.
During the summer season a number of spectacular firework displays are held here.
The Plage de Saint-Énogat : to the west of the central beach, this long, narrow sandy beach slopes fairly steeply and frequently has larger waves. It is popular with water sports enthusiasts and has a number of wind surfing clubs. More popular with older children, the beach is access either directly from St Enogat or via the coastal walkway from the main beach.
The Plage du Prieuré : The least developed and quietest of the three main beaches it has a shallow sloping sandy beach and is situated directly in front of the parc du Prieuré which is a free entry 'parc' with many animal exhibits and a children's play area.
Located at the foot of the Normandy, Brittany border, Dinard, like the channel islands, benefits from a 'micro climate' which regularly sees it enjoy dry and sunny summer weather.

Dinard - Famous visitors

Over the years Dinard has attracted a wide variety of famous visitors. Joan Collins has often visited, and Winston Churchill enjoyed holiday spent along the nearby Rance estuary. Although unproven, it is widely claimed locally that Alfred Hitchcock visited Dinard and was taken by the gothic architecture of the some of the belle eopque villas that he based the house used in his most famous movie, Psycho, on one of the villas overlooking the Plage de l'Écluse. As a young child Lawrence of Arabia lived in town and Picasso painted there during the 1920s. Debussy was inspired while visiting Saint-Énogat in 1902 to compose "La Mer" (again unproven !) and Oscar Wilde is known to have visited the town.

Dinard - Activities

Dinard is not a destination for those seeking a night life resort - there are no night clubs within the town.
Dinard does, however, boast many bars and fine restaurants especially near the place de la Republique. The restaurant within the Casino, which overlooks the Plage de l'Écluse, is particularly popular and offers wonderful views across the bay as well as wonderful food !

Dinard - Self catering accommodation

As a long established holiday rental agency we are able to offer a huge range of holiday accommodation including
- large mansions able to accommodate up to 30 people
- family accommodation of various sizes suitable for not only for mum, dad and the kids but also extended family members
- a range of 1 or 2 bed appartments
- Studio appartments.
Whatever your accommodation requirements, we can help. Our aim is to help you find the accommodation that is right for you which is why our website carries extensive details of all properties including photos, descriptions and most importantly a location map clearly showing where the property is located within the town. If you would like any additional information or would like to discuss your requirements please contact us and we would be pleased to help.