Buying in Les Abatilles, Arcachon: villas between forest and Bassin

A wooded dune that became a neighbourhood

Les Abatilles takes its name from Gascon, the old local language, where the word is thought to mean a wooded dune. It started out as a plot of forest and, over time, became one of the most sought-after residential neighbourhoods in Arcachon. Together with Pereire, it forms the Ville de Printemps (the “Spring Town”), on the west side of Arcachon, between the pine forest and the Bassin, as everyone here calls Arcachon Bay.

The Abatilles spring

The story of the neighbourhood comes down to one anecdote. In 1923, a Breton engineer, Louis Le Marié, was drilling here in search of oil. Instead, he struck hot water, gushing out at 25 degrees. The spring was named Sainte-Anne, after the patron saint of Brittany, and was being used commercially by 1925.

Drawn from 472 metres down, it is described as the deepest spring in France. There was a spa here until 1970, and Abatilles water is still bottled on site: more than fifty million bottles in 2025. You can visit the bottling plant, which has a small museum and a tasting.

Villas under the pines

Above all, Les Abatilles means spacious villas set on large, wooded plots, often with no neighbours overlooking them. The lanes are quiet and shady, and the neighbourhood still feels like a forest people happen to live in, just a few minutes from the Bassin.

Abatilles beach

Carrying on from Pereire beach, Abatilles beach is shadier and more secluded. It has a playground, showers and a bar-restaurant, and it’s a favourite spot for kitesurfers and windsurfers. The seafront promenade lets you get to Pereire on foot or by bike.

Living in Les Abatilles

The neighbourhood has its own community centre, shared with Pereire, a primary school, a local grocery shop and clay tennis courts near the spring. Arcachon’s international golf course is very close, and Le Moulleau, with its shops and restaurants, is just a few minutes away.

People who settle here are looking for space, nature and peace and quiet, without giving up being close to the beach and the town centre. In this neighbourhood, I look at the size and orientation of the plot, and at how far the beach is on foot.

The story of a sale: a second home in Les Abatilles

In 2026, I sold a lovely renovated house in Les Abatilles, with a pool, a main bedroom suite on the ground floor and more bedrooms upstairs. Its buyers were fulfilling a lifelong dream: a second home on the Bassin, to come to from time to time at first and, who knows, to move to for good one day.

They are clients I’ll remember for a long time, with a rare kindness and warmth. It meant a great deal to me to guide them through such an important step in their lives, and we’ve stayed in touch. Since moving in, they’ve redone the house with completely different decor, and seeing it again like that really moved me. That’s also what I love about my job: keeping in touch with my clients long after the sale.

I often say it, to sellers and buyers alike: you need to be able to trust your estate agent, but trust works both ways. Things move more easily, and we work better together, when it’s there on both sides.

If you’re thinking of settling in Arcachon, or selling a property here, I’d be delighted to talk it over with you.