The stunning French seaside town with amazing beaches no one knows about

Do you fancy going to Les Sables-d'Olonne this summer?" asked my French partner, Celine. That was almost a decade ago, but I still recall the contrast between her enthusiastic voice and my puzzled response. "Les Sables where?"

This was, explained Celine, the seaside town of her childhood, a lovely getaway on France's mid-Atlantic coast. Every July, she'd spend a fortnight there with her parents from Paris. Her dad used to holiday in Les Sables as a boy, taken by his Parisian father, whose folks, in turn, had "discovered" the town after the railway first arrived from the French capital in 1866.

Intrigued and imagining sun, sea and sand, I gave Celine an almost Gallic shrug and said something along the lines of: "Oui, pourquoi pas (yes, why not)?". Turns out it was a good decision, because I've been back every year since.

Venture beyond the chateaux and vineyards of the Loire Valley, and the vibrant post-industrial city of Nantes, and you'll reach this delightfully under-the-radar fishing port and resort (which is so under-the-radar, you won't even read about it in the 2024 edition of Lonely Planet France). Usually more reliable weather-wise than the coastal towns of Brittany and Normandy, less packed and pretentious than the tourist magnets on the Cote d'Azur, it's in the unsung Vendee department and translates to "The Sands of Olonne". It lives up to its name, especially when the tide is low.

Curving over three kilometres, its magnificent, wide, south-facing golden bay was billed as "la plus belle plage en Europe" (the most beautiful beach in Europe) in 19th-century French tourism adverts. It always makes me think of Bondi and Copacabana, but I prefer this grande plage. There's heaps of room to spread out your towels, build sandcastles and enjoy a host of racket, ball and water sports. I usually spot one young English family playing cricket, and I'll occasionally hear conversations in Dutch and German, but on the whole, this place is tres French. About 95 per cent of visitors are domestic - a fact that hits home with the Gallic chatter on Le Remblai, a beachfront promenade that's ideal for summer-evening strolls.

All the generations wander along, devouring ice-creams, nosing craft stalls, and watching street musicians and entertainers. Pop, classical and jazz concerts are staged in the gardens of the Palace of Justice, one of several photogenic Belle Epoque-era buildings overlooking the promenade alongside a string of less beautiful medium-rise holiday apartments - many with creperies, cafe-bars, cycle hire shops and swimwear stores at ground level.

There's more bygone character in the backstreets, which snake and slope past centuries-old stone churches and fishermen's houses, to the town's port, where sleek yachts are berthed and fishing vessels chug in with their daily catches. Al fresco seafood restaurants face the harbour, but I'd recommend two chic-casual eateries - La Suite S'il Vous Plait and Lacertus - on Boulevard Franklin Roosevelt, close to the town's fin-de-siecle carousel. The chefs are big on seasonal regional ingredients and offer inventive, good-value set menus (think: multi-course lunches for about $60).

We mostly self-cater and find Les Halles Centrales a treasure trove of tantalising produce. Spanning two floors of a decorative iron-and-glass landmark from 1890, this market sells everything from oysters, whelks and langoustines to cheeses, charcuterie and wines sourced from the surrounding countryside, which is, incidentally, ripe with side-tripping potential.

Some days we hire bikes and pedal out of town on the new cycle lanes, which connect with rustic trails meandering through pine forests and past sweeping dunes, salt marshes and wetlands. Herons hover by canal banks and kayakers and stand-up paddleboarders occasionally glide by. If you have a hire car, the lush, waterway-spliced Marais Poitevin, nicknamed the "Green Venice", and Puy du Fou, a theme park with awe-inspiring sets and shows retracing episodes of French history, are both about an hour's drive away. Brittany or Bordeaux may eventually beckon you further afield.

But Les Sables is a pleasing place to linger. I love my morning jogs along the coast to Puits d'Enfer (Well of Hell), where waves thrash against a crack in the cliffs. We also like taking the little foot ferry across the town's harbour to La Chaume, a tranquil enclave with a castle-esque medieval watch-tower and the fortified priory of Saint Nicolas, which houses temporary art exhibitions. You'll find more quirky art, with impressive seashell mosaics in the hollyhock-peppered alleys of L'ile Penotte, a quarter tucked behind the town's promenade. We'll come for a look then amble around the neighbouring streets, purchasing freshly baked baguettes from one of the boulangeries and perusing shop windows showcasing the latest French fashions, dainty cakes and sailing paraphernalia.

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Every four years, the town is the springboard (and finish) for Vendee Globe, regarded as the planet's most gruelling solo round-the-world yacht race. Stretching roughly 45,000 kilometres, it rounds three legendary capes - Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin in Western Australia and Cape Horn - with the next race launching on November 10, 2024. Each May, another event, the Vendee Va'a, sees teams, including from Tahiti, competing here in a Polynesian pirogue (canoe) race.

One boutique I'll browse annually is Le Beau Bazar. Hidden down Rue des Halles, it captures the enduring charm of this town with its retro posters and postcards. We have some on our walls at home now and whenever I see them, happy memories come flooding back and I eagerly await our next visit to Les Sables-d'Olonne.

Getting there: Emirates flies to Paris from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane via Dubai. There's car hire at Charles De Gaulle airport, while several daily trains connect Paris Montparnasse with Les Sables-d'Olonne (journey time: 3.5-4 hours). sncf-connect.com

Staying there: As well as Airbnbs and other self-catering rentals, there's the beachfront Les Roches Noires Hotel & Spa. It has double and family rooms from about $250 in the northern summer. hotel-lesrochesnoires.com

Explore more: lessablesdolonne-tourisme.com; france.fr

Pictures: Steve McKenna; Getty Images

The writer travelled at his own expense.