Location

The Vendée is located south of the Loire, north of Bordeaux and west of Perigord and the Dordogne.It is a region rich in history and culture.

The Vendee is within 3 to 5 hours drive of the various western ferry ports and budget airlines now operate from the Uk to nearby airports at La Rochelle and Poitiers making the area an easy day's journey.

Maillezais is situated in the heart of the Venise Verte or green Venice, a national park of meandering rivers and tree-shaded dreamy canals.

The area, also known as the Marais Poitevin, is a green tourist area where you can take traditional canal punt trips, rent bicycles or walk along the canal paths and over the seemingly endless picturesque bridges from villages that seem to have changed little this century.

For those who like a little more excitement, La Rochelle, Niort and Cognac are well worth a visit and are within easy reach, as are the beaches on the Atlantic coast.