On the first morning, it is usually the children who wake the parents. They have heard a blackbird, spotted a donkey in the meadow, and the breakfast climbing up on a pulley sends them wild with joy. A family holiday in southern Brittany can begin exactly like that, seven metres off the ground, in a wooden cabin set among the oaks. All that is left is to choose the right accommodation and shape your days so that everyone, from the youngest to the worn-out parents, finds their share of adventure and rest.
Why does unusual accommodation change a family stay?
A hotel room looks much the same from one town to the next. A treehouse cabin does not: it sets its own pace the moment you climb the ladder. Here at Dihan, the estate spreads across 25 hectares of woods and meadows closed to cars, which settles in one go the question that haunts every parent on holiday. The children run, climb, vanish behind a hedge and come back, without anyone having to keep an eye on a road.
The estate grew, nearly twenty years ago, out of a converted family farm: Myriam and Arno were among the very first in France to perch cabins in the trees. You feel it everywhere, from the welcome in the old cowshed to the wood stove in the guest lounge, right down to the cabins themselves, built so that the century-old oaks can keep growing around them. The site is a listed LPO bird refuge and practises late mowing, so real wildlife lives here: in the evening there is no television to fill the silence, only birdsong and, on the roof of the Nijal cabin, a tawny owl that comes back to nest year after year. Screens forget themselves when the night turns truly dark.
An unusual place to stay gives children a setting that amazes them and gives parents a place that forces them to slow down. The setting does a good part of the holiday’s work. The little ones remember the cabin they slept in, the gate they opened on their own to go and see the sheep; the parents, for their part, mostly remember having finally put the phone down.
Which cabin for which family?
It all depends on the children’s age and their appetite for adventure. The treehouse cabins each carry a Breton name that gives away their character. Nijal, “to fly”, climbs to ten metres and is reached by a semi-rigid ladder with a harness: great fun for teenagers, far less so for a four-year-old. Neh Er Lenn, “by the pond”, perched at eight metres, is reserved for adults. For a first stay with young children, it is better to aim for an accessible family cabin or the reassuring comfort of a chalet on stilts.
- For older children and thrill-seeking teenagers, a back-to-basics perched cabin such as Sterenn, “the star”, entered through a barrel-shaped opening against a century-old oak, with dry toilets and a real Robinson-Crusoe spirit.
- For a family with little ones, an ecolodge on stilts in the meadow keeps the comfort of a house, kitchen and bathroom included.
- For those who want the spa at the end of the terrace, a cabin like Neizh sleeps a couple and two children, private hot tub included.
The Heol cabin, “the sun”, designed for two to five people, remains a safe bet when you travel as a four; and for families who need step-free access, Dremmwel is even adapted for guests with reduced mobility, with its panoramic view over the pond. Beyond the trees, the estate holds other surprises that light up children’s eyes: the Lov’nid and its round bed of two metres fifteen crowned by a skylight onto the stars, the clear bubble dome, the traditional caravan or the Casa Mirabilia, a little fairytale house. So many ways to say yes to the wild life without giving up a comfortable bed. The real luxury here is not in the fittings but in what you do with your days.
The estate, a full-scale playground
Many families book with the cabin in mind and leave talking about everything else. The 25 hectares are crossed on foot, without ever meeting a car. The children rush off to see the horses, the donkeys and the sheep, linger at the permaculture discovery garden, then dive into the larch-wood swimming pool bordered by a café lounge. When the rain moves in, the guest lounge takes over with its billiards, table football, piano, board games and library, open day and night.
A slow-tourism trail winds through the estate, between forest bathing, a wander round the vegetable garden and quiet pauses, enough to fill a whole morning without ever leaving the site. The days quickly settle into this slower tempo: you wake with the birds, you dawdle by the water, you nibble at the locavore café lounge with a glass of organic cider from Carnac in hand on fine days.
While the little ones wear out the meadow, the parents slip away to the Spa By Dihan, seventy-five square metres set up in the old cowshed, between hammam, sauna and treatment room where Delphine and Maureen work. A spa or a massage in Brittany takes on a different flavour when you know the children are playing safely a hundred metres away. The waterside chalets push the experience further still, with their wood-fired Finnish bath and a private deck over the pond. In the morning, breakfast arrives around nine o’clock at the foot of the cabin, hauled up on the pulley for the perched ones, a ritual the children ask for the moment they wake. In the evening, a hot dinner basket made for the whole family saves you from getting back in the car just as tiredness sets in.
No need to travel far to be somewhere else.
Ten minutes away, the sea and the megaliths
The estate sits in Ploemel, seven kilometres from the sea, which leaves the choice open every morning. Ten minutes are enough to reach the beaches of Carnac and its standing stone alignments, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2025 and regarded as the largest megalithic ensemble of its kind in the world. People often picture them as Gaulish, thanks to a certain village of indomitable Gauls, when in fact these roughly three thousand stones were raised in the Neolithic, some around 4500 BC, more than a thousand years before the pyramids of Giza. Enough to turn a stroll into a journey through time and launch a memorable treasure hunt between the rows of granite. The dunes of Erdeven stretch the sand westwards, while the wild coast of Quiberon has to be earned a little further on, with its wave-battered rocks and its Morbihan watersports spots that are open to sand yachting too.
- Ten minutes away, the beaches and standing stone alignments of Carnac, plus the great dunes of Erdeven.
- A quarter of an hour away, the wild coast of Quiberon, the harbour at La Trinité-sur-Mer and the old town of Auray.
- A little further, Vannes, the Gulf of Morbihan and the crossing to the islands of the Morbihan, Belle-Île, Houat and Hoedic.
On the Quiberon peninsula, the exposure to the wind lends itself to a first go at sand yachting, a thrill for children and parents alike. Paddleboarding and kayaking are done on sheltered stretches of water, more reassuring than the open ocean for beginners. For a gentler outing, the old town of Auray and the ramparts of Vannes can be explored at strolling pace, ice cream in hand.
On the morning of a quieter day, the markets around Dihan are well worth the trip to fill the basket with buckwheat galettes and regional produce before heading back to eat under the trees. The Ria d’Etel, more of a hidden gem, is best discovered by kayak at high tide, far from the July crowds on the beaches.
Planning a summer stay without the fuss
In high summer, the cabins go quickly: from spring onwards, the best weeks in July and August are often already booked. If you are aiming for the school holidays, put a date in early. Allow at least two nights to truly switch off. In July and August, the ecolodge is let by the week, with one night free, long enough for the children to adopt the place as a second home.
A summer’s day at Dihan. Breakfast hauled up on the pulley around nine, a morning on Carnac beach while the sand is still fresh, back to the estate for lunch and the little ones’ nap. The afternoon is split between a swim in the wooden pool, a visit to the farm animals and the spa for the parents. In the evening, a dinner basket on the terrace and off to bed under the stars.
Pack a head torch for each child for the night-time trips back and forth, and a jumper: even in July, a night perched under the leaves cools down fast. A cot can be added on request, and the extra heating is free from October to March for anyone who feels the cold. The rest is arranged on site, from the regional aperitif basket to the hot dinner basket delivered to the foot of the cabin, wine included, priced at 35 euros per adult, 22 euros for 8 to 18-year-olds and 12 euros for the youngest. Our family breaks bring together accommodation, activities and relaxation in one place, and prices vary with the season, summer remaining the most sought-after time.
A memory that outlasts the holiday
A family summer at Dihan comes down to a few simple images: the first morning up in the trees, the afternoons with bare feet in the sand at Carnac, the evenings spent counting stars from the terrace.
These are the ones the children retell long after the new school term begins. For the space of a pause, give them the cabin they are already dreaming of.
Frequently asked questions
From what age can children sleep in a cabin as a family?
It depends on the cabin. The ecolodges and family cabins welcome children from a very young age, with a cot available on request. The highest perched cabins, reached by ladder and harness, are better suited to older children and teenagers, and a few are reserved for adults. The best approach is to check the minimum age stated for each accommodation before booking.
When is the best time for a family holiday in southern Brittany?
Summer offers the beaches, the swimming and every water activity, but it is also the busiest period: it is wise to book from spring. In July and August, the beaches of Carnac and Quiberon fill up in the middle of the day, so regulars aim for the morning before eleven or the late afternoon to find space again. Spring and autumn, quieter and often mild, are perfect for enjoying the estate and the megalithic sites without the crowds.
What is there to do at Dihan with children when it rains?
The guest lounge stays open day and night with billiards, table football, piano, board games and a library. Parents can take the chance to treat themselves to a moment at the spa. Around the estate, the covered markets, the crêperies and the sites of the Morbihan also help fill a grey day.
How many nights should you plan for?
Two nights are the minimum to really settle in. For an ecolodge in July and August, the stay is booked by the week, which leaves time to alternate days at the sea with quiet days on the estate.
Are pets allowed?
No, pets are not admitted on the estate, in particular to protect the peace of the wildlife and the farm animals that live on site.