enchanted island; France's ele de Re has all the natural beauty and insider glamour of the Hamptons--without the crowds.

Byline: Richard Alleman

Just offshore from the port of La Rochelle, halfway down France's Atlantic coast, ele de Re is an eighteen-mile-long island of dune-backed beaches, pristine pine forests, lush vineyards, and sweeping wildflower fields. Now reached via one of the world's most beautiful and most expensive bridges (toll: U16.50 in summer), Re has long been a secret escape for savvy Parisians. Like a Gallic version of New York's Hamptons, Re has also started to attract the celebrity set-from Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis to Princess Caroline. Lured by the Ile's laid-back charms and mild climate, they find that they can bike, beachcomb, wine, and dine here far from the crowds and the paparazzi of the Cote d'Azur.

In addition to its natural beauty, ele de Re is dotted with ten lovely villages, most boasting historic fortresses, churches, and harbors as well as narrow cobbled streets edged with whitewashed, tile-roofed cottages. In the island's capital, St.-Martin-de-Re, noted for its chic yacht basin, seafood restaurants (Retais oysters are among the best in France), and antiques shops, visitors also find some of the island's best places to stay. The new L'Hotel de Toiras, for example, is a luxurious harborside property created from a seventeenth-century shipowner's mansion; a member of Relais & Ch,teaux, it has seventeen smart rooms and suites from U140 for a double, plus an excellent restaurant; relaischateaux.com/toiras; 011-335-46-35-40-32.

Nearby, another landmark seventeenth-century residence is the site of Le Corps de Garde, a stylish waterfront guesthouse with four sleek rooms that start at U130; lecorpsdegarde.com; 011-335-46-09-10-50. Away from the ...