Well-kept secrets rarely remain well-kept or secret for very long but despite being labelled as the St. Tropez of the Atlantic for decades, the island of Ile de Ré still manages to maintain a certain incognito air.
 
Ile de Ré - Isle of Ferns - lies off the Atlantic coast by La Rochelle and while it is connected to the mainland by an impressive bridge it is still easy to fade into the landscape along its 30 km length. And since the island is located in a little pocket of France that is graced with just as much sun as the Cote d'Azur, place your bets on fading away into good weather.
 
The island is known for its oysters and sea salt and the latter placed it firmly on the map back when the 'white gold' was a valuable commodity. More recently, Ile de Ré became a hideaway for French celebrities and the B.C.B.G. - “bon chic, bon genre” crowd. Many politicians and stars holiday on the island and they, too, manage to fade into the background in the laid-back, unimpressed atmosphere.
 
There are 10 main towns to choose from on the island and there is a definite east to west rule of thumb regarding most everything on the island. In other words, the eastern end nearest the bridge tends to be more crowded and touristy - due to the good beaches and the day-trippers from La Rochelle. The towns here are typical French beach towns. The farther you go westward the towns become much more quaint, picturesque, quiet and posh. St. Martin, the largest town, is a lively hub for food, nightlife and shopping. Les Portes, on the far end, is a living postcard. My favourite village is Ars-en-Ré - riding my bike to the bakery every morning I felt like the protagonist in any number of Eric Rohmer films.
 
Don't be put off by the St. Tropez label. This is an island for everyone, and everyone can be seen coasting along the well-developed bike path system criss-crossing the island, in the daily markets, in the towns and on the beaches.
 
Let's just call it Ile de Ré-lax, shall we?