Imagine walking to a humongous beach through a quiet village. The temperature is around 70 to 80, the sun sets in summer after 10 PM and the ice cream is waiting. Use the various beach entertainment such as the "Char a voile" or explore the 4 huge dunes with multi trails (Trail map at the tourist center where you can rent a bicycle.) Or walk the beach up to La Panne in Belgium, where the mussels are king at the restaurants and the fries are the best in the world, and accompany them with one of the 400 beers made in Belgium. Or let the kids build a sand castle in which they seat in while the rising tide assault it. Or investigate the multiple defenses built in the 1600s in the multiple villages around Dunkerque or the bunkers left over from WWII, or the mill in the highest point around Cassel with it's steep little streets at less than an hour drive. Or visit Bruges in Belgium at only 40 miles. The list goes on and on. Experiment with local cuisine: The potchlsvlech (Orthograph not guaranteed), a mixture of meats in incredible jelly, or the mussels sold in EVERY restaurant for a small price, or fish you probably never tasted, like ray wing. And of course, and especially, walk over the small grocery store to buy the breakfast baguette made fresh every morning warm and with the famous crust. (If you want to be bold, accompany it with one of the various French cheeses.) Or stop at the bakery for one of the scrumptious cakes ( look for the word 'patisserie'). And all this is available within a walk or a short drive from a very comfortable and quiet house with all the comfort. Definitely our best vacation.
Almost everybody in France drives a compact car and the various hatchbacks are quite spacious. Bigger cars are not practical to visit the great little villages. Make sure the rental has a GPS or bring your own. Make sure also your smart phone has international call that can be turned on for a modest price and sometime for free.