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Chateau de la Couronne

France,Charente

"A fashionable boutique hotel in Charente, artistically blending original features and contemporary design."

From USD 145 Read review

Villa Mauresque

France,Boulouris

"Rooms here are chic, laid back and filled with sea breezes, spread over two villas conveniently between St Tropez and Cannes."

From GBP 165 Read review

Europe > France > Pays Basque > Biarritz > Articles > Back to the Côte Basque

Back to the Côte Basque

by Francisca Kellett

The Côte Basque, the craggy coast stretching south from Biarritz, has undergone something of a renaissance in recent years

Hotel du Palais

France,Biarritz

"A dignified grande dame that overlooks the Virgin Rock, with an ornate, antiquated interior and impeccable staff."

From EUR 400.00 Read review

Le Moulin de Lourmarin

France,Lourmarin

“A lovely old converted mill, the building still maintains a simple, rustic charm in the heart of the market village of Loumarin.”

From THB 100 Read review

Hotel DUO

France,Paris

"Stylish and contemporary, yet still affordable, this boutique hotel pulls off cheap chic in Paris. It's in a great location near the Centre Pompidou, a cultural icon ...

From GBP 130 Read review

The coast offers an increasingly attractive alternative to the more popular Riviera. While its Atlantic breakers and first-rate golf courses draw a sporty crowd, families too are attracted by the laidback rural feel of the resorts, a world away from the flashiness of the Côte d'Azur.

The distinct Spanish flavour is an added appeal - the language is peppered with Basque, the food has spicy southern flavours, and the most popular sports in summer are bullfighting and pelota - the fast handball game played with wicker gloves against a high rounded wall.

The landscape, too, is thoroughly removed from the parched hills and calm seas of the south; here the Pyrenean foothills are lush and green, the coastline rugged and lashed by great breakers. The towns contrast agreeably with their unruly surroundings, from Biarritz's grand, ordered architecture to the picturesque, half-timbered houses and cobbled lanes of the smaller towns, more reminiscent of fishing villages than resorts.

A drawback of the Côte Basque is its unpredictable weather - July and August can see plenty of rain. But what once attracted Napoleon III and Queen Victoria is drawing people back today: stunning scenery, delightful villages and some of the finest beaches in France.