Beach fun
There are 3 main resorts next to each other, La Tranche sur Mer, l'Aiguillon-sur-Mer, and La Faute-sur-Mer.  All are excellent for families,for the more touristy type of resort les Sables-d'Olonne offers full facilities expected of a commercialised resort.
The beaches have fine, white sand, rolling waves and, of course, all of this mixed together with the great sunny weather- perfect! 
Here are a few of the resorts to get you started...
Les Conches - a very popular stretch of beach - a mecca for surfers and bathers.  Great  for collecting driftwood, shells etc
St Jeans des Monts - a glorious stretch of sand and 7 life guard stations. Variety of restaurants with child menus. A more commercialised resort and parking can be a problem in peak season.  All the water sports you could need.
La Tranche sur Mer - 13 kilometres of of gentle sloping beaches and 7 beaches.  Walk through pine forests down to the sandy beaches.  Lots of water sports available, including kite boarding.   Restaurants and cafes available.
See Vendee Beaches for lots more information of Vendee Beaches

Lakeside Beaches
There are plenty of lakeside beaches in the Vendee, these tend to be well organised with lifeguards, and plenty of watersports available including sailing, caoeing, pedaloes, swimming.  There will also be restaurant and/or cafe, picnic area and children's play area.
See Vendee Lakeside beaches for lots more information of Vendee Lakeside Beaches

Great Activities.
The Vendee is a fantastic place to go cycling together as a family as most of the area is quite flat. The cycle tracks are well maintained.  All over the region are trails that take you off the beaten track and safely away from traffic. Much of the area is flat or with just gently undulating countryside, making it possible for even young children to pull on their bike helmet and get on their bikes!.  There are local maps in the villages and tourist offices - it is very well organised.
The Marais Poitevin, called ‘Green Venice, is a mysterious land of marsh and water and with little traffic and flat roads is one place to head to.  There is plenty to do here, many tourists hire boats and travel up the canals - recommended.
Also popular is the island of Île de Re off the Atlantic coast. Here more people seem to cycle than use their car in the summer months, attracted by the many cycle paths - and the lack of hills. If you cycle out to Ile de Re it is free ( as apposed to £10 if you travel there by car).  It is easy to hire a bike so you don’t need to take your own down to France if you don’t want to. 
If your children love watersports, then you’re spoilt for choice. The coastal resorts will have watersports clubs with activities aimed at children. You can also go canoeing along the many rivers. Then there are the lakeside beaches. The watersports centre at the Lakes offer lessons and there are lifeguards on duty.  You can try windsurfing, water-skiing, sailing, and canoeing.
Mervent is very popular for cycling, walking and lots of water sports as well as having a small zoo and tree top zipwires etc
See Vendee activities for lots more information

Great Attractions
The Vendee is packed full of attractions, with something for children of any ages. One of the biggest is Futuroscope (just South of Vendee), a high-tech and science theme park with futuristic style architecture and the exhibits that boast the latest in audio-visual technology. In towering cinema pavilions set in landscaped, fountain-filled gardens see films in the 3D and be thrilled with rides that have you swooping through the universe. There is also a 4D attractions.  In the evening, the lake is the setting for laser-light and firework displays.
Then there’s Puy du Fou, a theme park set in medieval times with battling knights amongst the 60 or so spectacles each day. Also a great night time spectacular - you need t book in advance as it does get fully booked.
If your children love animals, then there are several available. At the Zoo Les Sables D'Olonne, small zoo at Mervent and lots of nature parks throughout the area.
The aquarium at La Rochelle is one of Europe’s with more than 10,000 sea creatures of all shapes, sizes and colours, including a massive shark tank and the tunnel of water that makes you feel as though you are underwater. There are also attractions dedicated just to monkeys, crocodiles, birds, snakes and even sheep.
See Vendee attractions for lots more information

Family Accommodation
We offer a great selection of Gîtes,  self-catering cottages, farmhouses or villas - which are a very popular choice for families holidaying in France.  Self catering holiday homes allow you to choose the size of property needed, whether it be a smaller cottage for one family or a larger property when two of more families or groups of friends that are holidaying together.
The Vendee has an excellent range of accommodation from those near the beach to the middle of the countryside. When choosing, make sure yours has an enclosed garden (some even have children's play areas) so children can run around safely and a pool is another must for hours of splashing about in the sun – by law, a pool must now be fenced in or have a cover and be child-proof. A shaded area for outside eating - and a barbeque - is another must for "al fresco" dining. Most will also have modern conveniences such as washing machines and dishwashers but it is best to check.  Lots of the self catering gites, farmhouses and villas also have a snooker table, table football and/or table tennis - ideal for the teenagers and adults! Some also have a gym!
Prices do vary according to the type of gîte and its location, the closer to the coast that you are, the more you expect to pay.

If you prefer not to self-cater, then there a huge range of hotels, many of them with a relaxed vibe and a family-friendly atmosphere – near the beach, this is the choice for a lot of French families. Most are called resorts and the accommodation while ensuite will be simple, either in a hotel-style building or individual lodges. However, almost all will have a pool and a restaurant that caters for children. They are also found in areas full of restaurants and cafes, all with special children’s menus.
Camping is the least expensive accommodation option – and there are some beautiful campsites in the Vendee, not far from the beach as well as inland, near a river or lake. Like hotels, campsites are graded under a star system and four-star sites will often have pools, a restaurant and on-site grocery stores. Many campsites will also put on regular nightly entertainment from pop concerts to karaoke (not everyone's choice!)

A majority of the holiday homes on this website are family friendly, however some of the property  owners have gone that extra mile and offer extra items, ie  baby changing area, plastic cups and plates, night lite, potty, steriliser etc.  Here are a selection of these properties:
       

                     View a selection of Child Friendly Holiday Homes in the Vendee

                                                      View a selection of Vendee Holiday Homes

                                Family Friendly Holidays in the Vendee

The Vendee is an excellent, and very popular choice for a perfect family holiday.
There are more than 160km of sandy beaches which are very clean and safe, and some very family-friendly resorts with a great choice of watersports available - great for children of all ages varying from surfing, wind-surfing, jet skiing for the teenagers and body boarding or just splashing around for the young ones. Many of the beaches have lifeguards. There are some great rock pools too and lovely shells to collect.  All of this together with the fantastic weather equals great family holidays.
For those prefering to holiday a bit further inland there are some wonderful lakeside beaches which have lifeguards ensuring everybodies safety, again with lots of water sports available, picnic areas, restaurant,
Plenty of animal parks of fish, birds, monkeys and tigers, world-class theme parks including Puy du Fou, Futuroscope, water parks, aquariums, tree-top walks, safe paths for cycling and riding and just about every sport you could think of.....and all with wonderful scenery.
An abundance of activities and attractions on offer not only for the little ones, but the teenagers too.
A majority of the restaurants are very geared towards families with many having child menus, and very relaxed attitudes towards families.
Traveling to this area is easy, whether you are traveling by ferry and driving down through France (only 3 hours drive from St Malo to South Vendee) or taking a short flight with a great choice of flights from many regional airports -  all used by the budget airlines.

We offer some great accommodation too which caters for family friendly holidays whether you have babies, toddlers, young children or teenagers.  Many of the holiday homes have swimming pools, enclosed gardens, children's play area and table tennis, snooker, or table football. 
Child Friendly properties which offer not only swimming pools etc but also such extras as baby changing area, sterilier, stair gate, potty etc