Screen Queen TV Reviews: Travels With Agatha Christie, Bay of Fires, The Surfer, America's Sweethearts, DWTS
His book, which I inhaled over the course of a weekend, is set in 1925, and is a fantastically dark rumination on the end of the British Empire, the legacy of World War I and a close-up look at colonialism and the murky confusion the world found itself in at the start of last century — it's also a ripping murder mystery.
Having spent so much time in that world, I decided to stay in similar terrain and dive into this fabulous travel series, which sees Sir David Suchet, the man who inhabited Agatha Christie's best-known creation, Inspector Hercule Poirot, for 25 years on TV — as he follows her footsteps, retracing early trips the crime novelist took with her then-husband Archie before she became famous (and famously reclusive) in later life.
In 1922, Christie, along with her husband, found herself crossing the world on a passenger ship much like the one that's central to Schmitz's book, tasked with visiting various countries to help promote an upcoming British Empire exhibition.
Suchet's first stop is South Africa; in 1924, Christie published a detective novel set there, and in episode one Suchet, armed with his old Leica camera, is off to Cape Town. Later episodes see him travel to Australia, New Zealand and Canada — even Hawaii. It's a delight to traverse the globe in his gentle presence. And — praise be! — there are no murderers along for the ride, though there is plenty of discussion of the devastating violence wrought in the name of king and country.
Seek this series out, and give Schmitz's book a read, too. Though be warned: his is a much choppier crossing.
There's much to like about this Tasmanian crime series, which sees the always-watchable Marta Dusseldorp starring as Stella, a mum-on-the-run in witness protection — it's so delightfully odd!
Season two sees her still stranded in off-kilter Mystery Bay with her kids, making the best of things by running the town's criminal enterprises. Mystery Bay's wacky inhabitants have got used to the spoils of their ill-gotten gains, but their harmonious anonymity is about to be tested as Stella finds herself in the sights of an 'unhinged apiarist drug lord' and 'maniacal doomsday cult'. It can't end well. Worth a second look, and a satisfying continuation of the story.
Remember when Nicolas Cage spent a few weeks living down south, shopping at the Asian grocery store in Busselton? He was there shooting this psychedelic surf thriller for Stan. Worth a look for the curious.
Rebecca Gibney, Susie O'Neill, Felicity Ward, Osher Gunsberg and Shaun Micallef are just some of the stars making their dance floor debut this Sunday. You KNOW I'll be tuning in to see how they fare.
Sorry, not sorry, but I loved the first season of this doco. This one follows the 2024-25 cheerleading squad from auditions right through to the season, and it won't be smooth sailing. Cannot wait to feel woefully inadequate as I check back in with these impossibly glamorous gals.
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The Advertiser
18 hours ago
- The Advertiser
What it's really like to visit the 50,000-year-old rock art in WA
The road to the main viewing area for Murujuga's 50,000-year-old art is past Woodside's giant gas mining and export hub. Subscribe now for unlimited access. or signup to continue reading All articles from our website The digital version of Today's Paper All other in your area By Saffron Howden As you listen to the ancient stories of lore and culture carved into rocks before you, the tangle of cranes, tanks, buildings and towers typical of huge industrial facilities sit at your back. Ngarluma woman and Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation senior ranger Sarah Hicks explaining rock art to visitors at the Murujuga Cultural Landscape outside Karratha in Western Australia's north west. Inset, the nearby industrial facilities, including Woodside's gas operations. Pictures by Saffron Howden The carvings - at least one million of them - are spread over a series rock outcrops on the Burrup peninsula and surrounding islands just outside Karratha in north-west Western Australia. "This is like a massive database," our guide, Ngarluma woman Sarah Hicks, says. History and knowledge are recorded in each image. A dissected kangaroo is an instructional image showing how to carve up the animal and use its parts for food, blankets, pants and combs. A rock engraving of what is thought to be a dissected kangaroo - the face is on the top right of the stone - in the Murujuga Cultural Landscape outside Karratha in Western Australia's north west. Picture by Saffron Howden An emu, or jankurna, engraving reflects the emu-shaped spaces and dust lanes of the Milky Way in the night sky, a guide to the seasons and when to hunt. A Tasmanian tiger records the extinct marsupial's presence thousands of years ago on the Australian mainland. A prehistoric fat-tailed kangaroo, mangguru, is depicted standing on four legs in its massive megafauna state, long before it evolved to hopping. A rock engraving of what is thought to be a megafauna kangaroo depicted on four legs in the Murujuga Cultural Landscape outside Karratha in Western Australia's north west. Picture by Saffron Howden As we walk and talk, small rock wallabies navigate the hardy red stones on the outcrop peaks. Ms Hicks says the presence of living animals on our visit is a good sign. There are carvings everywhere, some more faded - and older - than others. There are whales and stingrays, mice and fish tails, dingoes, quolls, goannas, spears - and people. A rock engraving of what is thought to be a whale spouting water in the Murujuga Cultural Landscape outside Karratha in Western Australia's north west. Picture by Saffron Howden Though we are asked not to take photographs of depictions of people. The outback collection - the world's largest, densest and most diverse collection of rock art engravings - is still revealing its secrets. A women's business carving of a hand was newly discovered and catalogued only weeks ago, Ms Hicks said. The bloodwood sap boiled with water to treat illness, the sticky spinifex grass (baru) burnt to make strong glue for spears and axes, the flowers that reveal when to fish depending on their bloom, and the bush tomatoes that taste like a mixture of squash and capsicum. A rock engraving of two snakes in the Murujuga Cultural Landscape outside Karratha in Western Australia's north west. Picture by Saffron Howden She's assisted by young Ngarluma man Riley Sebastian, a ranger still learning. He confesses he's never tried a bush tomato or sap medicine, but Ms Hicks says local elders still consume both. As the talk ends, our small group of well-to-do east coasters and European tourists pass a team of air quality monitors checking emissions levels from the nearby gas and fertiliser plants and iron ore and salt export facilities. We turn back to the dystopian landscape dominated by the machinery of natural resource extraction. The large industrial operations, including Woodside's north west shelf gas hub, on the Burrup peninsula near Karratha in Western Australia as seen from the Murujuga rock art gallery area. Picture by Saffron Howden The contrast could not be more stark. Woodside says it's committed to "protecting and managing this precious and culturally significant place". "Woodside has taken and continues to take proactive steps - including through emissions reduction, data sharing and ongoing support for the Murujuga Rock Art Monitoring Program (MRAMP) - to ensure we manage our impacts responsibly," a spokesman said. He said recent research shows the landscape and its ancient art can live alongside the gas operations with responsible management. How will history record us? For at least 47,000 years the Ngarluma, Mardudhunera, Yaburara, Yindjibarndi, and Wong-Goo-Tt-Oo peoples have slowly, carefully managed their relationship with the Pilbara land, sea and their wildlife. That record of management exists in the Murujuga petroglyphs. If the elders were still carving records into the rocks today, I wonder how they would tell the story of the oil and gas operations on their doorstep. Words by Saffron Howden Saffron is a journalist, editor and author with more than 20 years experience covering news. Get in touch:
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- The Advertiser
What happens when teenagers get to decide how to spend the family budget?
In 2025, budgeting is difficult for anyone. Groceries, clothes, activities and housing can all eat away at your pay slip, leaving many wondering where the money went. So what happens when teenagers take over the budget? That question is explored in the new series of ABC's Teenage Boss. The social experiment sees 10 teenagers take control of their family finances. The teenagers are given free rein over the family's spending money, however, costs, like mortgage payments and school fees, are fixed. Now in its fourth season, host and popular children's entertainer Emma Watkins issued the challenge to 10 Tasmanian families, half from the north of the state and half from the south. The show follows them for one month and tracks whether the teenagers have saved money, achieved their saving goal to purchase an item, which they establish at the beginning of the experiment, and what areas the teens struggle with. "It's a show where the parents are quite stressed," Host Emma Watkins said. "Handing over all of that control to their teenagers is a big deal, not just for themselves, but for the other children in the family." Ms Watkins said the teenagers start the show with optimism, hopeful they can take the family on a holiday and buy something they've had their eyes on. "That doesn't tend to happen," Ms Watkins said. "Sometimes the parents feel the need to step in and keep the teens on track. "That's where I come in." The teens are in charge of everything, including leisure activities, petrol, public transport, home maintenance, and garden maintenance. Despite starting out with the best of intentions, reality sets in, and they are forced to make some tough decisions - with one predictable cost getting in the way. "The biggest cost is always food and groceries," Ms Watkins said. "I think it's a funny irony because teens are always hungry." It's the first thing teenagers try to cut out of the budget. "They just cannot believe how much money goes on food, and they feel that because it's so high, it's the easiest to cut," Ms Watkins said. "They quickly realise they need that money back." Another area where the teens struggled was budgeting in the context of day-to-day living. Similar to what happens to many, life sometimes got in the way, making budgeting more difficult than it needed to be. "That's life. There's school, work, and outside activities - it's easy for them to fall off the path," Ms Watkins said. "I don't want to spoil it, but all the teens did a great job." Previous seasons of the show have been filmed on the mainland and focused on the financial and budgetary pressures there. The key concerns and struggles remained the same in Tasmania, except for one aspect. Normally, the teenager will want to organise a family holiday during the show. In the case of the previous season, filmed in Adelaide, South Australia, this was as simple as packing the car and picking a spot on the map. For the Tasmanian teens, getting the wheels moving on a family holiday proved more difficult. "A lot of the teens wanted to take a trip to Melbourne, for example," Ms Watkins said. "Taking into account flights, expenses and Uber - that was quickly brought to their attention once they got to the mainland. "That's something we hadn't seen before." Ultimately, Ms Watkins said the teens did a fantastic job and knew more about budgeting than people think they do. "Teens, and I mean most children, are very aware of the situation," she said. "They might not be aware of the details, but I think children are really observant and most of them were aware that there was a need for the family to save money as a whole and for their own personal goals." Ms Watkins added the standout of the show was the creativity on display and the learning possibilities adults can gain from watching it. "I'm always in awe of their creative thinking, and I think that's something adults can learn from teens," she said. "They definitely thought about their options to save money in more lateral ways than normal." Feedback from the families involved was also positive, with participants labelling the experiment as a valuable experience. "We received so much positive feedback from families about the show," Ms Watkins said. "I think parents and families, as a whole, will really enjoy the show. "We just had the absolute best time." Teenage Boss: Next Level, premieres Friday, July 25 on ABC iview and July 26 on ABC Family. In 2025, budgeting is difficult for anyone. Groceries, clothes, activities and housing can all eat away at your pay slip, leaving many wondering where the money went. So what happens when teenagers take over the budget? That question is explored in the new series of ABC's Teenage Boss. The social experiment sees 10 teenagers take control of their family finances. The teenagers are given free rein over the family's spending money, however, costs, like mortgage payments and school fees, are fixed. Now in its fourth season, host and popular children's entertainer Emma Watkins issued the challenge to 10 Tasmanian families, half from the north of the state and half from the south. The show follows them for one month and tracks whether the teenagers have saved money, achieved their saving goal to purchase an item, which they establish at the beginning of the experiment, and what areas the teens struggle with. "It's a show where the parents are quite stressed," Host Emma Watkins said. "Handing over all of that control to their teenagers is a big deal, not just for themselves, but for the other children in the family." Ms Watkins said the teenagers start the show with optimism, hopeful they can take the family on a holiday and buy something they've had their eyes on. "That doesn't tend to happen," Ms Watkins said. "Sometimes the parents feel the need to step in and keep the teens on track. "That's where I come in." The teens are in charge of everything, including leisure activities, petrol, public transport, home maintenance, and garden maintenance. Despite starting out with the best of intentions, reality sets in, and they are forced to make some tough decisions - with one predictable cost getting in the way. "The biggest cost is always food and groceries," Ms Watkins said. "I think it's a funny irony because teens are always hungry." It's the first thing teenagers try to cut out of the budget. "They just cannot believe how much money goes on food, and they feel that because it's so high, it's the easiest to cut," Ms Watkins said. "They quickly realise they need that money back." Another area where the teens struggled was budgeting in the context of day-to-day living. Similar to what happens to many, life sometimes got in the way, making budgeting more difficult than it needed to be. "That's life. There's school, work, and outside activities - it's easy for them to fall off the path," Ms Watkins said. "I don't want to spoil it, but all the teens did a great job." Previous seasons of the show have been filmed on the mainland and focused on the financial and budgetary pressures there. The key concerns and struggles remained the same in Tasmania, except for one aspect. Normally, the teenager will want to organise a family holiday during the show. In the case of the previous season, filmed in Adelaide, South Australia, this was as simple as packing the car and picking a spot on the map. For the Tasmanian teens, getting the wheels moving on a family holiday proved more difficult. "A lot of the teens wanted to take a trip to Melbourne, for example," Ms Watkins said. "Taking into account flights, expenses and Uber - that was quickly brought to their attention once they got to the mainland. "That's something we hadn't seen before." Ultimately, Ms Watkins said the teens did a fantastic job and knew more about budgeting than people think they do. "Teens, and I mean most children, are very aware of the situation," she said. "They might not be aware of the details, but I think children are really observant and most of them were aware that there was a need for the family to save money as a whole and for their own personal goals." Ms Watkins added the standout of the show was the creativity on display and the learning possibilities adults can gain from watching it. "I'm always in awe of their creative thinking, and I think that's something adults can learn from teens," she said. "They definitely thought about their options to save money in more lateral ways than normal." Feedback from the families involved was also positive, with participants labelling the experiment as a valuable experience. "We received so much positive feedback from families about the show," Ms Watkins said. "I think parents and families, as a whole, will really enjoy the show. "We just had the absolute best time." Teenage Boss: Next Level, premieres Friday, July 25 on ABC iview and July 26 on ABC Family. In 2025, budgeting is difficult for anyone. Groceries, clothes, activities and housing can all eat away at your pay slip, leaving many wondering where the money went. So what happens when teenagers take over the budget? That question is explored in the new series of ABC's Teenage Boss. The social experiment sees 10 teenagers take control of their family finances. The teenagers are given free rein over the family's spending money, however, costs, like mortgage payments and school fees, are fixed. Now in its fourth season, host and popular children's entertainer Emma Watkins issued the challenge to 10 Tasmanian families, half from the north of the state and half from the south. The show follows them for one month and tracks whether the teenagers have saved money, achieved their saving goal to purchase an item, which they establish at the beginning of the experiment, and what areas the teens struggle with. "It's a show where the parents are quite stressed," Host Emma Watkins said. "Handing over all of that control to their teenagers is a big deal, not just for themselves, but for the other children in the family." Ms Watkins said the teenagers start the show with optimism, hopeful they can take the family on a holiday and buy something they've had their eyes on. "That doesn't tend to happen," Ms Watkins said. "Sometimes the parents feel the need to step in and keep the teens on track. "That's where I come in." The teens are in charge of everything, including leisure activities, petrol, public transport, home maintenance, and garden maintenance. Despite starting out with the best of intentions, reality sets in, and they are forced to make some tough decisions - with one predictable cost getting in the way. "The biggest cost is always food and groceries," Ms Watkins said. "I think it's a funny irony because teens are always hungry." It's the first thing teenagers try to cut out of the budget. "They just cannot believe how much money goes on food, and they feel that because it's so high, it's the easiest to cut," Ms Watkins said. "They quickly realise they need that money back." Another area where the teens struggled was budgeting in the context of day-to-day living. Similar to what happens to many, life sometimes got in the way, making budgeting more difficult than it needed to be. "That's life. There's school, work, and outside activities - it's easy for them to fall off the path," Ms Watkins said. "I don't want to spoil it, but all the teens did a great job." Previous seasons of the show have been filmed on the mainland and focused on the financial and budgetary pressures there. The key concerns and struggles remained the same in Tasmania, except for one aspect. Normally, the teenager will want to organise a family holiday during the show. In the case of the previous season, filmed in Adelaide, South Australia, this was as simple as packing the car and picking a spot on the map. For the Tasmanian teens, getting the wheels moving on a family holiday proved more difficult. "A lot of the teens wanted to take a trip to Melbourne, for example," Ms Watkins said. "Taking into account flights, expenses and Uber - that was quickly brought to their attention once they got to the mainland. "That's something we hadn't seen before." Ultimately, Ms Watkins said the teens did a fantastic job and knew more about budgeting than people think they do. "Teens, and I mean most children, are very aware of the situation," she said. "They might not be aware of the details, but I think children are really observant and most of them were aware that there was a need for the family to save money as a whole and for their own personal goals." Ms Watkins added the standout of the show was the creativity on display and the learning possibilities adults can gain from watching it. "I'm always in awe of their creative thinking, and I think that's something adults can learn from teens," she said. "They definitely thought about their options to save money in more lateral ways than normal." Feedback from the families involved was also positive, with participants labelling the experiment as a valuable experience. "We received so much positive feedback from families about the show," Ms Watkins said. "I think parents and families, as a whole, will really enjoy the show. "We just had the absolute best time." Teenage Boss: Next Level, premieres Friday, July 25 on ABC iview and July 26 on ABC Family. In 2025, budgeting is difficult for anyone. Groceries, clothes, activities and housing can all eat away at your pay slip, leaving many wondering where the money went. So what happens when teenagers take over the budget? That question is explored in the new series of ABC's Teenage Boss. The social experiment sees 10 teenagers take control of their family finances. The teenagers are given free rein over the family's spending money, however, costs, like mortgage payments and school fees, are fixed. Now in its fourth season, host and popular children's entertainer Emma Watkins issued the challenge to 10 Tasmanian families, half from the north of the state and half from the south. The show follows them for one month and tracks whether the teenagers have saved money, achieved their saving goal to purchase an item, which they establish at the beginning of the experiment, and what areas the teens struggle with. "It's a show where the parents are quite stressed," Host Emma Watkins said. "Handing over all of that control to their teenagers is a big deal, not just for themselves, but for the other children in the family." Ms Watkins said the teenagers start the show with optimism, hopeful they can take the family on a holiday and buy something they've had their eyes on. "That doesn't tend to happen," Ms Watkins said. "Sometimes the parents feel the need to step in and keep the teens on track. "That's where I come in." The teens are in charge of everything, including leisure activities, petrol, public transport, home maintenance, and garden maintenance. Despite starting out with the best of intentions, reality sets in, and they are forced to make some tough decisions - with one predictable cost getting in the way. "The biggest cost is always food and groceries," Ms Watkins said. "I think it's a funny irony because teens are always hungry." It's the first thing teenagers try to cut out of the budget. "They just cannot believe how much money goes on food, and they feel that because it's so high, it's the easiest to cut," Ms Watkins said. "They quickly realise they need that money back." Another area where the teens struggled was budgeting in the context of day-to-day living. Similar to what happens to many, life sometimes got in the way, making budgeting more difficult than it needed to be. "That's life. There's school, work, and outside activities - it's easy for them to fall off the path," Ms Watkins said. "I don't want to spoil it, but all the teens did a great job." Previous seasons of the show have been filmed on the mainland and focused on the financial and budgetary pressures there. The key concerns and struggles remained the same in Tasmania, except for one aspect. Normally, the teenager will want to organise a family holiday during the show. In the case of the previous season, filmed in Adelaide, South Australia, this was as simple as packing the car and picking a spot on the map. For the Tasmanian teens, getting the wheels moving on a family holiday proved more difficult. "A lot of the teens wanted to take a trip to Melbourne, for example," Ms Watkins said. "Taking into account flights, expenses and Uber - that was quickly brought to their attention once they got to the mainland. "That's something we hadn't seen before." Ultimately, Ms Watkins said the teens did a fantastic job and knew more about budgeting than people think they do. "Teens, and I mean most children, are very aware of the situation," she said. "They might not be aware of the details, but I think children are really observant and most of them were aware that there was a need for the family to save money as a whole and for their own personal goals." Ms Watkins added the standout of the show was the creativity on display and the learning possibilities adults can gain from watching it. "I'm always in awe of their creative thinking, and I think that's something adults can learn from teens," she said. "They definitely thought about their options to save money in more lateral ways than normal." Feedback from the families involved was also positive, with participants labelling the experiment as a valuable experience. "We received so much positive feedback from families about the show," Ms Watkins said. "I think parents and families, as a whole, will really enjoy the show. "We just had the absolute best time." Teenage Boss: Next Level, premieres Friday, July 25 on ABC iview and July 26 on ABC Family.
Herald Sun
7 days ago
- Herald Sun
48 hours in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, the ultimate French beach weekend
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. Around two hours from Paris on the train is the French capital's favourite beach resort, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage. On the Opal Coast in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France, the upmarket resort makes the perfect beach break for anyone visiting the city. DAY 1: Morning I live in Kent in southern England, and Le Touquet has become my favourite – and most convenient – beach getaway. Despite being in a different country, it takes half the time to reach, door-to-door, than Cornwall and as such can be a fun bolt-on trip for visitors to the UK. After a short car-train journey on Eurotunnel LeShuttle and an easy drive along France's gloriously-efficient motorways, we arrive in charming Le Touquet. Taking time to orient ourselves, once more, among its neat avenues full of holiday homes, hotels, shops and restaurants, we check in, this time to a chic Airbnb duplex in the centre of town, two streets away from the enormous beach, and two doors down from the all-important boulangerie. My need for good croissants is real. Beachfront holiday apartments in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, France. Noon We head to Le Touquet's beach, a vast stretch of sand lined with apartments and peppered with playgrounds, beach clubs and watersports. This is northern France, so it's not famous for its high temperatures, but we've been lucky each time we've visited and even in October – when it's wonderfully free of crowds – we've been able to enjoy time on the beach. The more adventurous types can try kite-surfing and sand-yachting, which Le Touquet is famous for, but we fly kites we bought from Decathlon, on the main street Rue Saint-Jean. We stop in for a croque monsieur at one of the beach clubs, washed down with Orangina (always tastes better in a glass bottle in France) and coffee (always tastes worse than you remember in France). Tourist crowds on the beach at Le Touquet in France Afternoon A century ago, Le Touquet was a ritzy resort, frequented by a who's-who of visitors, including Edward VIII, Winston Churchill, Ian Fleming and Princesses Margaret and Elizabeth – the town even renamed its airport Elizabeth II Le Touquet-Paris-Plage in honour of the late Queen. But it also has a long war history and in World War I its hotels became hospitals for thousands of wounded and displaced soldiers – many of whom were Australian. The Étaples Military Cemetery, the largest Commonwealth cemetery in France, is the final resting place of 10,771 Commonwealth soldiers, including 464 Australians. It's a sobering place to visit and in the 80th anniversary year of VE Day, a reminder we should never forget. The Etaples Military Cemetery contains 10,771 Commonwealth burials of World War I. Evening Eventually, following the occupation during WWII, Le Touquet recovered and once again became a holiday destination and now a centre for gastronomy. It has around 70 restaurants, from takeaway booths to brasseries and fine-dining restaurants, such as Michelin-starred Le Pavillon in Hotel Westminster and double-Michelin-starred La Grenouillère in neighbouring town La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil. We enjoyed dinner at Le Touquet's classic brasserie Jean's Café, followed by an ice-cream, then our kids took a spin on the vintage carousel, which sits in the Place du Centenaire on the seafront. Oriental lamb chops, small vegetables and semolina at Jean's Cafe, Le Touquet, France. DAY 2: Morning You could happily spend all your time in Le Touquet, but if you have a car, it's worth exploring the coast. A 50-minute drive away, you come to the pretty town of Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, on the Baie de Somme estuary. It's a town of two halves – one ancient section of medieval buildings where William the Conqueror departed from for the UK, and where Joan of Arc was imprisoned, and a second half of old fishermen's cottages. It's a lovely place to explore on foot or to take the steam train which runs around the coast to neighbouring Le Crotoy with its long stretch of sandy beach. Street view in Saint Valery Sur Somme. Picture: Kerry Parnell Noon We walk along the Quai Jeanne d'Arc alongside the River Somme, then through the medieval part of town to the headland, where there's a pretty church, Chapelle des Marins. Back in town, we eat at Brasserie Le Courtgain,where you're reminded that steak frites are so much more sophisticated in French. Brasserie Le Courtgain in Saint Valery Sur Somme. Afternoon Halfway between Saint-Valery and Le Touquet, we call in at another small beach resort, called Fort-Mahon-Plage. With another vast sandy beach (they're huge on this coast), it's a popular family resort and its extremely long main street, at right angles to the seafront, is lined with restaurants and shops. Low tide and beach of Fort-Mahon-Plage. Evening Finally, you can't leave Le Touquet without a spot of shopping, along its sparkling-clean avenues (you can see shop owners wash the street front every morning). There's a mix of clothes shops, chocolatiers (Au Chat Bleu is a must) and eateries, while on Avenue Saint-Jean you find the designer boutiques. After splurging on souvenirs, we save cash by having galettes (regional savoury pancakes) for dinner. Outdoor dining in the beach town of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage. How to get to Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, France It's two hours by train from Paris to Étaples-Le-Touquet, or three hours by car. If combining with a trip to the UK, it's around 45 minutes' drive from the Channel Tunnel at Calais. Where to stay in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage The five-star Hôtel Barrière Le Westminster celebrated its centenary in 2024 and is on my wishlist. We have previously enjoyed a family stay at The Holiday Inn Resort Le Touquet, set in a quiet spot, and the Airbnb duplex at 48 Rue de Paris, which I recommend. Cyclists pass Hôtel Barrière Le Westminster in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, France. Best way to get around Le Touquet-Paris-Plage Two great ways of seeing Le Touquet are in the saddle – you can either rent a bike from one of the town's many hire shops, such as Bike4You, or go for a horse-ride at the equestrian centre. You can also zip along the seafront on a Segway. Best food to try when you visit Hauts-de-France You'll see 'Le Welsh' in lots of restaurants in Hauts-de-France – the dish is the regional spin on Welsh rarebit and so much more than cheese on toast. The French version is unsurprisingly heavy on the cheese, with Dijon mustard, ham, beer and bread. Originally published as 48 hours in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, the ultimate French beach weekend
