Villa de Jade

Villa de Jade

, Taillefer, Belle Ile en Mer, Brittany.

Villa de Jade is a family-run B&B perched on a clifftop and almost surrounded by the sea. It's located on Belle Ile, the largest island in Brittany; large enough to spend a holiday there yet small enough to feel personal and disconnected from the world at large. The ferry from the mainland at Quiberon is just a kilometre away.

It seems superfluous to mention the sea views which are there in just about every room. From the garden there is a private pathway and steps that lead down to the sandy beach. A swim before breakfast is any easy option. The century-old building is as original as it can be while maintaining modern comfort. Everything is in original wood, from the chimney to the furniture. The cups are made of old china and the spoons are in silver.

The breakfast menu changes every day. Everything is homemade and organic. Milk comes from the local farm, and eggs are from Valerie's own chickens. For dinner, there are restaurants in Le Palais, just 20 minutes on foot, 10 minutes by bike or 2 minutes in the car.

The Blue Room is the most romantic bedroom, with a huge sotuh-facing window overlooking the beach, the mainland coast and the citadel, the port of Le Palais and all the beaches up to Locmaria. At the top of the house, the Strawberry Room is the biggest and has the most spectacular views. Even the bathroom has a sea view, as well as a et shower and hydromassage bath. There's even a sitting room with it's own library. The cosy Mauve Room has views of the trees and the garden and looks almost straight down to the beach.

Owners Manuel and Valerie are Parisians who decided to swap the jams on the Peripherique for the sea spray of Brittany, the clamour of car horns for the clamour of gulls, and the breaded fish for fresh sole. You could join them in their idyll.