Where to travel on a mums-only holiday? The perfect French villa without the kids
After two years of A-levels stress, it is not just the kids that need a break – Sarah Rodrigues discovers a villa near Biarritz where her group of mum friends can unwind with poolside lazing, vintage markets and local wine
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Your support makes all the difference.If you’ve ever watched 2016’s Bad Moms, starring Mila Kunis, you may remember a certain scene in a supermarket.
Set to Icona Pop’s “I Love It”, it shows three overworked, underappreciated mothers storming the aisles of a supermarket being, in turns, suggestive, raucous, aggressive and frankly terrifying. At the checkout, one of them fondles an oversized saucisson in the face of a male cashier.
There were no such antics on a recent girls’ – indeed, moms – trip to Moliets-et-Maa, located about an hour north of Biarritz. In the supermarket, we were all too busy stocking up on rosé, cheeses, radishes (to be eaten raw and salted) and pâté – all served, grazing-style, on the outdoor table by our villa pool.
It was a celebration, of sorts. None of us knew whether we’d be wailing in a corner or crowing from the rooftops when results came out in a few weeks – but, at least, the stress of A-levels was over.
As a group of women who met when our now-18-year-olds were four, we’ve formed friendships beyond the school gate, becoming invested in each other’s children, as well as in each other. Together, we’ve been through the bake sales, the seasonal plays, and the sports days. The birthday parties and sleepovers, the romances, rows and revision.
So although a few of us have been on holiday together before, it’s always been with our children. Wholesomeness has reigned, albeit with a few post-kids bedtime wines. This time, it was just us. The icon for our WhatsApp group – a gaggle of women jumping gleefully into a pool – said it all. Fourteen years of school: over. Do you think you’re relieved, kiddos?
There’s a telling moment in the Bad Moms rampage, though, where they stop to coo over a baby. The kick-in of maternal instinct, even while mothers are on the loose, is strong. And so it was with us – for as much as we had fantasised about spa retreats in Thailand, beachy jaunts in Mexico and what happens in Vegas moments... well when it came down to it, we didn’t want to be too far away from our children. Just in case.
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So Moliets-et-Maa was perfect: a short flight from London to Biarritz, and then an easy drive. Even so, some of our group ultimately had to drop out, due to family commitments. Others could only come for a few days. All of us received constant messages, asking everything from “where’s the ketchup?” and “can you transfer me some money?” to “when are you back?” to “where are you, again?”
Despite its (under these circumstances) sometimes annoyingly good wifi, our Summer France accommodation couldn’t have been more ideal: five double bedrooms, most with their own bathroom; a spacious living and kitchen area; a large outdoor area and pool, backing on to woods and a lake (I saw a deer on our first morning) and a pétanque pitch at the front. At times, it was difficult to know whether to hibernate or explore.
Although there were – okay, fine, we admit it – attempts to straddle an inflatable pineapple and some fully clothed pool-jumping antics, exploring generally won. With the beach just a short cycle or walk away, there was little excuse not to head down for morning yoga against the soothing sound of the rolling surf. By the time we arrived back at the villa, the “croissant fairy” would have passed by our front door, dropping off a bag of buttery bakery treats. Later in the day, surf lessons were available for those who wanted to take on the Atlantic waves – and evening swims against pink skies were blissful.
As the sun set, the commercial stretch leading to the broad expanse of Moliets beach became lively, with bars, restaurants and ice cream parlours doing a roaring trade. The queue that started to form outside La Cave Aux Moules each night, well before its 7pm opening time, was all the encouragement we needed to join its large tables of feasting families, slurping happily behind ever-increasing mountains of shells. With generous portions priced at around £12 and multiple sauce choices (such as roquefort and saffron, as well as the usual marinière), there was also pizza and salad for vegetarians. The fact that the restaurant doesn’t take reservations says it all, as does the fact that we returned a second, equally satisfying, time.
There’s no better way to spend a summer Sunday in France than at a brocante, a vintage market. In Anglet, about 10 minutes inland from Biarritz, we were in our element as we rifled through jewellery, linens, crockery and buttons, wondering how much treasure we could feasibly take home with Ryanair’s meagre luggage allowance (sadly, the ornately framed mirror got left behind). Just by the square, Les Halles des Cinq Cantons provided fuel for our shopping spree, with a wide range of cuisines. We ate paella at a communal table, washed down with local wine.
However, it wasn’t just second-hand purchases that we stuffed into every available corner of our bags – brightly coloured foutas, lightweight beach towels, could be found for €10 in Moliets. In Bayonne, known as France’s chocolate capital (head to Cazenave on Rue Pont Neuf for its mousseux, thick and whisked to perfection) we also found the fabulous Bayona, stocked with every imaginable type of artisanally-crafted espadrille, as well as a specialty truffle shop (it was a simple and delicious truffle pasta for dinner that night) and a clutch of reasonably priced antique shops.
Buying additional luggage was beginning to look like a very real possibility.
While we didn’t spend a great deal of time in Biarritz itself – its crowded sands weren’t a patch on the delightful serenity of our beach at Moliets – it’s worth noting that many of the more authentic eateries close after the lunchtime service, so time your visit well if food is a priority, or you’ll end up having to eat somewhere pricier and more geared towards tourists.
Not that the occasional rip-off is such a big deal, in the scheme of things – after all, we’ve all heard people rhapsodising about French supermarkets and how irresistible their selection and prices are, and rightly so.
Such perfection could do with a shake-up, though. Perhaps someone does need to make a Bad Moms-style clip in one. Complete with gigantic saucisson. And hey – with university looming and the messages requesting cash inevitably multiplying, it may very well be us.
Sarah Rodrigues was hosted by Summer France at Villas La Clairière aux Chevreuils, Moliets-et-Maa. During summer 2025, a week in a self-catered three-bedroom villa, sleeping up to 8 people, is priced from £982.
Return flights from London Stansted to Biarritz (Summer 2025) cost from £75 pp with Ryanair.
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