Le Cap Ferret, a peninsula on France's west coast, is an exclusive summer enclave and differs from its south- coast nemesis, Cap Ferrat, by more than just a vowel. Cap Ferret is a village des pêcheurs . No yacht, Sean Combs or Ivana Trump here. Instead, you'll find fishing boats and oyster farmers driving around on forklifts. Small wood houses made from local pine are decorated with blue and white shutters.

When it comes to the social scene a the boutique hotel, there is no velvet rope: just latch onto the children riding their bicycles down the dirt lane to the beach. At the ocean side, the waves are decent enough to encourage an enthusiastic surf community. On the bay side, at low tide, people trickle across the sand to pick up shells and inspect the traps. Late afternoons are devoted to fresh oysters with white wine.

The facilities

The boutique hotel has an outdoor bar and restaurant where the scene is very "Belle de Jour", part Caribbean, part French-Vietnamese, with plenty of rum. La Maison du Bassin and Cap Ferret have retained a carefree sense of summer, something that money just can't buy. It's a little less luxury than other places, but you feel better here.

The rooms

With just seven rooms at the boutique hotel, four more in a nearby annex, La Maison du Bassin is more a family house than a hotel. The style here is very Bali with a French touch. The "charme" of the boutique hotel may be the combination of the design: antique chandeliers mixed with nautical accents, painted floors and cats sleeping on chairs.