On the beaches of Grau-du-Roi, are the straw huts still popular ?

Like Alan, many of them are seasonal workers at the water's edge. Midi Libre – Pierre Meuriot

On the beaches of Grau-du-Roi as everywhere else, after a fairly difficult start to the season, one would be tempted to wonder if straw huts are still popular with tourists and locals. We take stock.

Ah, the straw huts of Grau du Roi, these little oases of happiness where you can sip a cocktail with your feet in the sand. But the burning question is: do straw huts still attract as many people?? To answer this, we took a quick tour of the local straw huts, their managers and their customers, all with good humor and grains of sand.

Weather, politics… a mixed start to the season

On the edge of the beach in the Gard commune, whether you are on the left or right bank, the setting is enchanting. On the sand, every summer the huts emerge and their effect is immediate with tourists and locals who, for some, can no longer do without them. Despite a start to the season marked by capricious weather and an “unprecedented” political context, it seems that the charm of these small coastal cabins is intact.

Thomas Breton is manager of the Playa Miramar hut. With a smile that smells of warm sand, he confides: "We have a completely normal attendance. We haven't had any luck with the weather since the start of the season, but nothing to report."It must be said that the institution remains in a record year in 2023. As for loyal customers, Isabelle and Patrick come from Burgundy every summer. They confirm in chorus: "The huts are still popular and it’s a shame that there are fewer of them. It's really friendly, we have our feet in the water and it's much better than the bars."

At Grau-du-Roi, there is no shortage of huts along the beach. Midi Libre – Pierre Meuriot

"We all memory the nice straw huts"

Right bank, hidden behind the restaurant, Guillaume, the tireless owner of Bamboo Beach, observes the vagaries of the sky with philosophy: "That's ten -we have been established for nine years, so we have a loyal clientele. We know that in July and August there are always people there as people have reserved. However, it’s true that the start of the season was mixed due to the weather." In the distance, the clouds dissipate to give way to the first rays of sunshine of the day.

A few meters further on, at  La Baie du Roi, we take the opportunity to refill a cocktail. "We all have memories of the nice huts, they remind us a lot of the place. France, for us, is associated with huts", explain Lucien and Sandrine, both from Switzerland and who came to find the sun for a week on the beaches of Grau-du-Roi. "On a hut, at least you don't come home with your pockets full of sand", they say ironically.< /p>

The straw hut is above all a luxury and comfort. Midi Libre – Pierre Meuriot

A luxury yes, but regulated

At Grau-du-Roi, managers mainly talk about common challenges, including environmental regulations and the impact of the weather. Pauline from La Réserve Plage insists: "We hear more and more about environmentalists. We respect the plants, the dunes, we are told that’ you have to be 5 meters from the sea and everything goes well."

Despite the vagaries of the weather and ever stricter regulations, managers remain confident and customers, with their feet in the water, have no intention of sulking these summer havens of peace. So, the answer is clear: yes, huts are still popular, and as long as they last!

“If we do not respect the rules of the game, the State can be virulent”

Robert Crauste has been the first councilor of the commune of Grau-du-Roi since 2014.

As mayor of Grau-du-Roi, are you attached to the huts ?

Of course. The straw huts respond to a demand and provide a pleasant time for our visitors. More broadly, it adds pleasure to the summer life of our visitors and it corresponds to different types of clientele. From a regional economic point of view, it creates employment with the work of seasonal workers who work here all summer.

Despite everything, it’s very regulated. We don’t install a straw hut wherever we want…hellip;

We have made sure that we can establish specifications which lead to an increase in quality and which offer a good balance. I am delighted that a town like that of Grau-du-Roi can benefit from a concession from the State. More precisely, the huts are completely governed by a call for tenders and several criteria are then taken into account. I am thinking in particular of the framing of the surface or the protection of the dikes. State services are mobilized and we must play the game. If we do not respect the rules of the game, the State can be virulent.