This lesser-known French island is the perfect place for a laid-back holiday

Previously known as Le Flux and then more recently as Le Caillou Blanc, the hotel was reimagined by the Domaines de Fontenille group in 2022. It now has eight new rooms and suites added to its original 17, as well as a spa with all-natural products by On the Wild Side. In the restaurant, vibrant lobster, raw vegetable and wild herb salads are served with Fontenille's own wines in a sophisticated and playful space that features a fleet of model ships hanging from the ceiling (like the votive offerings in the nearby Notre-Dame-du-Port church) and totems fashioned from salvaged fishing floats by local artist Marie Bathellier.

Round the corner from the hotel, the Conserverie de I'le d'Yeu continues the tradition of smoking tuna and preserving fish that once constituted the island's main livelihood. There are other initiatives highlighting the local heritage. In the labyrinthine lanes behind Quai Carnot, Lola Rivol displays her distinctive prints at Galerie Lola while, to the west of the port, Laure Janet transforms fishing nets into recyclable oyster platters in her Valor Yeu workshop.

Five minutes inland, in the former capital of Saint-Sauveur, the La Mission hotel already feels embedded in the local community though it only opened its doors this spring. Originally an army barracks under Napoleon III, then a school, cinema and dance hall, it now has 22 rooms and suites (including family duplexes that sleep six), as well as a lovely little Nuxe spa. These all stand to attention around a branching plane tree and heated outdoor pool, and lead to a kitchen garden and petanque courts. The decoration and graphics by Pauline d'Hoop and Studio Martine are fresh and dynamic; the youthful staff are full of personality; and the convivial restaurant serves platters of smoked tuna accompanied by classic French wines selected by the owners. Hôteliers Impertinents founders Michel Delloye and Jacques-Olivier Larant met while on holiday on the island. Their Paris hotel, Monte Cristo, has the largest rum bar in France and, though the selection at La Mission is smaller, it is a nice touch – sending the imagination skimming across the ocean to the Caribbean.

Saint-Sauveur is delightfully sleepy outside July and August (though La Mission might change that). It is the perfect place to wander, with its Romanesque church, whitewashed holiday homes with blue-painted shutters and gift shop Bissemo, where Laëtitia Moëssard – who sailed the world with her husband and daughters before putting down roots here – sells delicate holiday jewellery incorporating shells and seeds picked up on her travels.