Hôtel Odalys Les Hauts de Cocraud

We enjoyed our week's stay on this lovely island. The accommodation was very good value for the price paid. We were given a house actually meant to accomodate 5-6 people so we had plenty of room plus a small yard area with garden furniture. It was well-equipped generally although we did find the mattresses on the beds were a bit thin and so not as comfortable as we would have liked - but then after a busy day walking and exploring we slept well anyway!Hotel staff were cheerful, friendly and very helpful and also spoke very good English. Although we didn't use it, the swimming pool looked very good although it was tucked away at the far end of the hotel complex. Our biggest disappointment, however, was that the bar and restaurant was not in use as we would definitely have used this on several nights rather than walk back again into the port area which was a good 20 minutes away.Whilst in the island the use of a car would have been of value to us so we could have explored the other 9 villages. One can also rent cycles at a reasonable fee and the island is a cyclist's paradise!Bus fares from the port to the mainland of La Rochelle for a return ticket for 2 people was 14.80 Euros for a 40 minute ride. La Rochelle is definitely worth visiting.Lastly, bring plenty of spending money as food and drink are more expensive than in the UK and coffee was often more expensive than beer. The '8 to 8' small supermarket in the port area is also very expensive but the fresh bread from the nearby boulangery was delicious and reasonably priced - look out for the early morning queues waiting for their french sticks. Cakes also looked gorgeous but fairly expensive to buy. The ice-cream is a must to try and there are loads of interesting flavours offered. English newspapers are available but are a day behind. Have a great holiday!