Last weekend, my Dad and I decided to surprise my girlfriend and take her on a weekend away to the coast. It’s only about a 3-hour drive away from where my Dad lives so it’s do-able for a weekend.

 After many setbacks (mostly to do with my washing not being dry), we finally left at about 10-ish on the Saturday morning, and drove to Lit-et-Mixe, a small seaside town about half an hour away from Mimizan, to show us around before the new surfing season so we’d have our bearings if we decided to give surfing a go next spring.  My Dad has always been big on water sports and passed it along to my brother when he was my age and is now working on passing it along to me also.

 We arrived at around 1 pm so given that I was about to bite someone's head off with hanger, we went to a restaurant that I totally forgot to document and had the best chicken burger I’ve possibly ever had.

 We then strolled down to the beach (the walk up and down the hill that leads to the beach nearly winded/killed me, though). We had a stroll down the beach and played with the dog and collected seashells (Ayden filled an entire sock with seashells with I'll never understand), before exploring a quieter part of the beach.

 The check-ins at the hotel we were staying at was around 5.30pm so we headed down there (and obviously took a long way round). We stayed at the Single Fin Hotel and Lodge in Mimizan which, if you’re staying in or around that area, I would seriously recommend. I think it came to about 100€ for one night in the family room which had 3 beds (a double and two singles), but if it’s only for two people it’s seriously affordable.

 I didn’t get chance to take a decent photo of the room but it was pretty simple but perfect for one night, though all three of us noted that it was a tad small for a room that could house 4 people (I’d say it was about 10m squared including the bathroom?). I didn't really get a chance to explore and really take in the hotel but the staff were insanely patient and helpful and always willing to make sure everything was perfect, and they also speak English which I think is always important to know in a hotel. Also, there was exceptionally good free Wifi.

 The breakfasts were 5,60€ per person extra but there was a really nice spread. It was a typical continental breakfast with cereal, bread, endless amounts of coffee and tea and hot chocolate and Nutella and honey and jam and cake and I wish I had that every day.

 Despite the room being a bit small, it’s a super trendy hotel that’s about a 10-minute walk from the center and a 5-minute walk to the beach. 

 Even though the hotel was serving dinner, we preferred to go out for some food instead. We went for some drinks at a bar called ‘The Pit’ (I had a lemonade that tasted like heaven). One thing that I noticed everywhere in Mimizan is that it was all so hipster-y and well decorated, it makes things very pleasing to look at. In the end, we decided on tapas for dinner and went to a bar called ‘The Orchestra’. We had saucisson and chorizo, ham croquettes, patatas bravas, ink calamari, and tortilla, and it was all extremely delicious.


 On the Sunday we took it pretty easy, mooched down to the beach again to walk the dog, then went into the center for a spot of shopping where both Ayden and I got treated to a dress each (technically mine's not a dress but a very loose playsuit that it disguised as a dress). Then we went for some food at a really cute Asian restaurant called 'Little Asia' that did loads of different kinds of noodles and ramen-type meals. I went for the Nasi Goreng (I kinda have a love affair going with him), Ayden, a Chicken Mixao and my Dad had a Pad Thai.

 I really enjoyed Mimizan, because it’s the kind of sized town that doesn’t make you feel overwhelmed when you get there, but still big enough to have a fair share of bars, restaurants, and shops to keep you occupied. The beach is everywhere and I think it would be ideal for a longer holiday, or just a long weekend break. All in all, I'm really looking forward to going back to Mimizan as soon as humanly possible!

Hit me up with your favorite holiday destinations, I'm looking for ideas for this summer.

M x