We have spent many holidays in different areas of France, even spending our honeymoon touring the Loire Valley! We visited the Vendee in 2003 and fell in love with the area, one of the friendliest and most beautiful places we had ever been.
The Vendee has everything we love, beautiful countryside and villages, great beaches and restaurants, forests, lakes, horse riding, walking, cycling, golf, reasonably priced activities for all and stunning weather (it is one of the sunniest places in France with nearly 2,500 annual sunshine hours). It is very reasonably accessible with Nantes and La Rochelle airports served by Ryanair and others and is a managable drive in one stretch from the ferry ports.
We worked hard to save for a house in the area and found our paradise with our beautifil home, please enjoy it and treat it like the home it is. Remember, it is not a 5 star hotel, it is a rural cottage in the countryside. Don't expect screaming broadband speeds, the electricity cuts out sometimes, there is no nightlife!! These are the things that make it so special.