Nearby, oyster shack La Cabane D’Hortense is evidence of what happens when a younger generation is supported in Cap Ferret. Sharing its name with Chez Hortense, one of the cape’s most famous restaurants, it sits in a grovelike enclave overlooking the peaceful Conche du Mimbeau bay. I entered as the sun was low and the atmosphere magical, while owner Khalid Zamrani, dressed head to toe in white cotton, laughed with some regulars. Khalid had a great rapport with his patrons and teased me when I asked him, too formally, if I could order some food (“No, now get out,” was his wry response). Khalid has cultivated what he described as a “zen space”, in which the line between server and served was made fuzzy. As I ate he sat and joined me for a chat, something I saw him do at other tables. “My father was an imam but sent me to a Catholic school, and so I got used to mixing with different cultures. When I came here I was the only person with brown skin and I started at the bottom, as a dishwasher at Chez Hortense, and, to be honest, I think people looked down on me. But I also believe that we are capable of drawing good energy to ourselves, and this is the energy you can feel in my place. I have customers who have been coming here for years and I still don’t know what they do for a living, because I don’t care. It’s important to me that the staff feel free to be themselves. In here there is no hierarchy.” After Khalid worked his way up the ranks at Chez Hortense, the restaurant’s owners let him use their name for his place. “It’s mutually beneficial,” he smiled.
Sunset on Horizon BeachMathieu Richer Mamousse
My final night in Cap Ferret happened to fall on the evening of the village fête, which traditionally marks the unofficial end to the high season and provides a chance for locals and regulars to drink and dance together after a busy summer. I realised that the people I’d met – who were all there on the dance floor – were living their vocation. As I partied across the generations with Khalid, Estelle, Benoît and others, to the sound of the evening surf (and Boney M), I felt that I was a part of this surprisingly motley community, and forgot for a moment that I had to go home.
Where to stayLe Collectionist Villas
Le Collectionist’s variety of villas can be tailor-made for guests’ needs, with optional chefs, tour guides and concierges on tap. For somewhere close to La Pointe and the beaches, the six-bedroom Villa de la Pointe is ideal. Villa Dorea is slightly more stylish and hidden away or, if money is no object, there’s the huge Villa Omnia, which has a library, gym and a hidden doorway leading to a path through the forest straight to the ocean. There’s even an integrated sound system in every bathroom. lecollectionist.com
La Coorniche’s terraceMathieu Richer Mamousse
Fish of the day at La Coorniche hotel’s restaurantMathieu Richer Mamousse
La Coorniche
A short boat ride across Arcachon Bay is the pretty village of Pyla-sur-Mer. La Coorniche, set in a former 1930s hunting lodge with beautiful interiors by Philippe Starck, has incredible views over the water, as well as a restaurant with a terrace next to an infinity pool. Rooms are in the main house and across a scattering of lodges inspired by the area’s oyster shacks, with stylish white-and-yellow or white-and-pink interiors. The restaurant is strong on seafood, naturally, with seabass ceviche and roast monkfish on the menu along with tom yum ravioli and many-hued ice creams. With the dunes rising up behind, it’s a spectacular spot. Sister hotel Haaïtza, also by Starck, is just down the road. lacoorniche.com