Showing posts with label Hotel du Palais. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hotel du Palais. Show all posts

Monday 24 January 2011

112. A word from your faded correspondent

24th January 2011. Ac-tor Simon Williams, writing in the 'Delhi' Telegraph over the weekend about Biarritz, talks of its faded gentillity.. Just as it's "known" that Venice smells*, so it seems to be received wisdom among travel writers that poor old Biarritz is akin to an old lady living on her memories.. a little down at heel, some flaky paint here and there, roots showing and in need of a discreet makeover. Nothing could be further from the truth than this.

* There's absolutely no truth in the oft-reported 'fact' that Venice smells..



OK, like all ladies d'un certain âge, she has had a past.. but the Biarritz I know is sparklingly clean, bright and has s-t-y-l-e in spades. "Faded gentillity..?" Not even close. I'd take the Grand Old Lady of the Pays Basque any day in preference to some soulless, style-free, modern high rise resort (the holiday equivalent of a blonde bimbo). If bimbo is what you want - fine - but not for me.
Hotel du Palais (right)
Simon also waxes lyrical about the Hotel du Palais (no surprises there; mentioned before here), the Café Jean (now closed) - we prefer the Bar Jean and finally he recommends a visit to Cazenave in Bayonne (yet another favourite of ours). 
I can't fault his choices at all! (he must have read this blog!)

Here's a view of Biarritz through Spanish eyes..
However, I would take issue with his fatuous claim that "Biarritz is a bit like Cornwall in the summer, only warmer.." That statement could only be true if you accept that Hull resembles San Francisco - because they both have suspension bridges..! He was going so well until then too! Apart from that, Simon, a good column..!

So... marks out of ten? Let's be kind: "Royaume Uni.. neuf points!" 

A quick dose of "Father Ted" is called for..



Friday 14 January 2011

106. A tale from the dentist

13th January 2011. We decided on a quick shopping trip to Dancharia in Spain yesterday to look for some lighter luggage suitable for our upcoming trip to Spain..

On the return journey, as we were driving down the snaking mountain road back towards Espelette (a village noted for le Piment d'Espelette and this great hotel/restaurant, and there are seven others - not bad for a village of only 2,000 inhabitants!) an oncoming car gave a discreet single flash of his headlights to the car in front of us - and the same again to us. In the Pays Basque, if agents of the State (gendarmes, CRS, police, Douanes) are out and about, operating a speed trap or a document check or, as was the case here, customs officers looking for people bringing commercial quantities of cheap cigarettes into France from Spain, then it is not unusual to be warned in this way. The strong streak of antipathy towards agents of the French State here is balanced by an equal measure of solidarity among the Basques. It's clear why this region was so successful in combatting the best efforts of the German Abwehr during WWII. There is such a solidarity that penetrating it must have been an almost impossible task.  

Now, to change the subject, if you have a 'thing' for chocolate, here's another Bayonne institution - Chocolaterie Daranatz.. I went there the other day to buy a small box of marrons glacés as a little treat for Madame. (If I give her a marron glacé I can do no wrong for minutes weeks afterwards..) If you're not a chocaholique, have a browse on their site - it will spoil you for ordinary chocolate. Chocolate from Daranatz and their close neighbours Cazenave is to High Street chocolate as a 1930s 'Blower' Bentley is to an Austin Allegro.. A word of caution: they do mail order!

14th January 2011. I went to my dentist in town this morning. His practice is in the Avenue Thiers - Bayonne's most elegant avenue - with its pale stone buildings and lined with trees that are heavily manicured (square cut) in the French fashion.
Avenue Thiers
While he was attempting to get both hands and what felt like half of his tool-kit in my mouth(!), he started asking me the usual questions.. as they do! "Where are you going for your holidays..?" Response: "Aaaarr- aaarrgghhh.." He then told me that there used to be a Monsieur Armstrong, an old Englishman, who lived next door to his surgery. He said Mr Armstrong was a widower who had been married to a lady from Bayonne - a beauty apparently. He'd been a pilot in the RAF during WWII and had lived in Bayonne for many years. Ten years ago, when Mr Armstrong was 85, he hadn't been seen by his neighbours for a while so finally the police were called to break his door down. He was found stone cold, slumped in an armchair with a bottle of whisky in front of him.. A sad end, but I suppose there are worse ways to go. I must admit that I did wonder on the way home if that would be my destiny too..? I'd better get some (more) practice in! 

15th January 2011. I'm glad I crawled out of a warm bed early this morning to go down to the club - it was low tide and the river was still. There was a cloudless blue sky but it wasn't warm in the shadows. There was a good turnout this morning and we managed to put an VIII out on the water plus four IVs, several double scullers and singles. We took a coxless quad sculler out (2 nanas & 2 mecs) and it was unanimously agreed (by all apart from me!) that I should stroke it. At this point I should add I've not stroked a coxless four before. For any non-oarsmen reading this, steering is controlled by 'stroke' (me), with the rudder cable attached to the toe of my right shoe, which can pivot about the ball of the foot, moving the cable left or right. There was a total range of movement of about 3" (7.5cm) with the null position - ie, a dead straight rudder - in the centre. With the rudder centralised, the position of my right shoe was North/South - ie, straight up and down.  Unfortunately, when I'm rowing, my feet tend to settle at a "5 to 1" position (think clock) with the net result that the boat had a permanent tendency to turn to the left. I found it difficult to turn my right foot in to a "5 to" position and row at the same time.  We zigzagged our way up-river - with me zigging when I should have been zagging -  through a low steamy mist which lay on the river - every now and again we'd burst out of the shadows into a sunlit cloud of golden mist.. very photogenic. In fact, I spotted a photographer on the bank taking pictures of us. Great morning to be out on the river. We did 14km this morning - most of which was in a straight line! (Running total: 372km). 

As it was a bright blue afternoon, Madame and I set off for Biarritz once I'd found my sunglasses. We parked on the cliffs near the lighthouse that overlooks the Grande Plage. As we looked south towards Biarritz, the sea was a dazzling silver as it reflected the bright sunlight:
There were some major rollers sweeping in and surfers could be seen getting entangled with them. The coast road in to the centre is the Avenue de l'Impératrice (Empress Avenue in yer Anglo-Saxon - think it sounds better in French!) and it is lined with over-sized houses built during Biarritz's heyday about 100 years ago when it was the go-to destination for the rich and famous. The style could be described as exotic eclecticism. That's to say, they are a unique merging of a number of styles - heavily gabled Basque, Art Deco, fantasy castle, Norman, Spanish hacienda & French Empire - that's only to be found at Biarritz. Many appear to have been sub-divided into apartments but there are still several that remain under single occupancy. These have no price. At the bottom of the hill lies the truly magnificent 5 star Hôtel du Palais - one of the world's great hotels. I can just see myself shuffling into their elegant bar in my cardigan and slippers for a pre-dinner sundowner.. 

Turning right at the Palais, we headed down to the beach and the promenade. The sea was a sight to behold - surging waves were rolling in and breaking in confused explosions of foam. There appeared to be a strong undertow as incoming waves were colliding spectacularly with the outgoing remains of previous ones. And as each new wave crested just prior to breaking, steam-like spray would blow backwards off the top and a silvery mist hung over the beach. It was hot work sitting on the low wall watching the sea and there were even a few sun worshippers stripped down for bronzing action on the beach - some in bikinis (yes, in mid January!). After 15 minutes or so we decided we'd move before we were cooked through. (The temperature in the sun must have been upwards of 20°C)     

We walked up from the beach to the restored Art Deco Hotel Plaza where we sat outside for a coffee. It was so warm there we both took our jackets off.. So, Biarritz in January - what's it like I hear you ask..? Where to start..?

While I'm pondering that, enjoy the deceptive simplicity of Beethoven's 7th Symphony, the Second Movement (Allegretto)..

A couple of high quality flash mobs to finish with.. 
And this one filmed at the celebrated Café Iruña, Pamplona (another favourite resting place of a certain Mr E Hemingway).. 
And now back to our regular programming..!

Wednesday 2 September 2009

3. St Jean de Luz & Biarritz

I think France has much to thank Napoleon for in laying down the basis of a well-ordered society. There appears to be a procedure, form, rule or a law for everything. If not, then Système Débrouille comes into play. Système D - as it's more commonly known - is the name applied to whatever it takes to beat the system. I was impressed by the efficiency of it all and the friendliness of everyone we came into contact with. It seemed that nothing was too much trouble for the mainly female staff we encountered. I can only put this down to my winsome charm, boyish good looks and casually windswept appearance.. (in my dreams!) However, I would make two recommendations to anyone trying to do what we did:

1. Make sure that at least one in your party speaks French..

2. Ensure you have multiple photocopies of everything* as they only accept documented evidence.

* = Birth Certificates, Passports, Marriage Certificates, Tax codes, P60s, Tesco Club Cards, Letters from Insurers stating No Claims Bonuses, inside leg measurements, etc etc..

What really made our life easier was the fact that, luckily, we hadn't put our printer/photo-copier in storage - we had it with us. Within the first few days, we’d started the daunting business of looking for a house. Why a house and not an apartment? For several reasons: control of maintenance costs; neighbours kept at arm’s length; the dog (he might bark if we left him alone at home for an evening which, in an apartment, would not be tolerated for long); plus we wanted a garden.

The three major towns in the French Basque country are in fairly close proximity to each other but, despite that, they are all completely different in character and appeal.
Starting from the south and working to the north, you come first to St Jean de Luz. After the hotspots of the Côte d’Azur (Nice, Cannes, Menton etc) and some chic parts of Paris, Saint-Jean-de-Luz comes a very close second when it comes to high house prices in France. Houses are advertised here by the agents as having so many square metres of habitable space (garages, hallways and landings are not included in this). If this is factored with the price, a price per square metre emerges.
The bay of St Jean de Luz

In Saint-Jean, it works out at a pretty eye-watering figure.. This price/sq metre can and does vary according to the perceived desirability of the property – but it’s a good starting point and it gives you an idea if a property is over- or under-valued. And they are seldom under-valued..!

If I had to show someone the Basque country and had only half an hour in which to do so, without question I would take them straight to Saint-Jean-de-Luz as it encapsulates all that is good about the Pays Basque. 

The town centre is compact, largely pedestrianised, flat and the main shopping street could hardly be closer to the sandy crescent of the beach. The market is a real treat for the senses - gleaming fish and shellfish fresh from the sea, yellow corn fed chickens from Les Landes, aromatic herbs, sausages, hams, crusty bread, cheeses - what a pleasure to browse the various stalls. (Rule No 1: Don't shop when you're hungry!)
Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Situated at the mouth of the river Nivelle where it flows into the almost circular bay, St Jean de Luz is bordered by its beach on one side and its port on the other. The architecture is superb – an appealing mix of the traditional heavily timbered Basque properties with their distinctive overhanging roofs and some outstanding Art Deco buildings dating from the twenties and thirties. They usually incorporate an element of Basque styling as well.
Looking across to Ciboure (left) from the inner harbour of Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Across the bay is the little village of Socoa with its beach, a good half dozen seafood restaurants, a sheltered mooring and its Vauban-designed fort.
The sea wall bears the brunt of the Atlantic swells..
The sheltered inner harbour of Socoa
Houses are invariably painted white with doors, windows and shutters picked out in one of three colours; a blood red, dark green or dark blue. While this could sound a little 'Stalinist', the result is that it does have a pleasingly unifying effect. Private property and public buildings in the Basque country are, with very few exceptions, well-maintained and clean and road verges are largely litter free. St Jean de Luz is spotlessly clean and stylish, with all the shops and facilities anyone could wish for, plus it’s on the main SNCF line to Paris.
The high speed TGV rail link all the way through to Paris will be constructed one of these days and that will drive house prices up even higher. Understandably, there is some extremely vocal resistance to the plan to extend the special high speed track (LGV) through the Pays Basque. At the moment, the TGV runs at high speed (~190mph) from Paris to Tours and then at a reduced speed to Bordeaux and the South West. (Edited to add: There's now a TGV service - 2hrs 5 mins - between Paris and Bordeaux). As things stand at the moment, Paris (some 500 miles as the crow flies) is only ~5hrs from here by rail. (Edit: now 4hrs) Once the TGV track has been extended through to the Pays Basque, then I would guess the journey time will be 3 hrs or less. However, the current financial crisis and local political resistance could well cause the completion of the south-western extension of the TGV to slip to the right. The current plan is to have the new line in operation by 2020 - but a lot can happen in the meantime!
The ski slopes of the Pyrenees are only 1½hrs away by car and a 20 minute drive from Bayonne will find you in Spain. There, San Sebastian is the nearest major attraction and Bilbao, with its strikingly modern Guggenheim Museum, lies just beyond it.


(We've yet to visit the Guggenheim because of the dog.. we couldn't leave him at home all day and we can't leave him in the car.)

St Jean’s beaches are superb and some of the best seafood in Europe is here. All the traditional values of ‘old’ France are upheld here – people dress well and live well still. People-watching is highly enjoyable. Natives and tourists alike are generally of the well-heeled variety (with one notable exception!).
The inviting beach at St Jean de Luz
We read somewhere that property changes hands on average every 25 years in St Jean de Luz compared to every 7 years in the rest of France. While there's no shortage of apartments, there aren't many houses available – especially if, like us, you are looking for something in town with only 2/3 bedrooms and a garage. They like their houses large down here; houses with 6 to 8 bedrooms are not uncommon. It’s definitely a seller’s market in St Jean de Luz and so, if you must have a house there, be prepared to sit it out. Or, bite the bullet and think about an apartment.
La Grande Plage, Biarritz, with the Hotel du Palais (right)
Moving up the coast, we come next to Biarritz. Despite it being an international resort with many 4* hotels and luxury apartments, it's not flashy. Its main beach - La Grande Plage - is dominated by the supremely elegant Hotel du Palais, a Grand Luxe hotel that attracts the world’s rich and famous. Lunch there is buttock-clenchingly expensive at 110€ (at the time of writing). (Napoleon III built it as a summer villa for the Empress Eugenie in 1855, but it was destroyed in a devastating fire in 1903. It was subsequently rebuilt as a hotel and is now owned by the town of Biarritz.) 

That said, Biarritz is all things to all men. There is a whole spectrum of things to see and do and places to eat and drink. Property prices here are generally as sky-high as St Jean, and as one approaches the sea front they surpass the St Jean values. We quickly forgot about looking for anything with a sea view or indeed near the sea.

Rail passengers for Biarritz used to be able to descend at the Gare du Midi which was in the centre of town and built to serve the needs of the Imperial visitors. It has now been converted into a theatre and very splendid it is too.
La Gare du Midi as it was
La Gare du Midi as it is today

Jardin Publique
There are some very attractive areas in Biarritz that we looked long and hard at – the area known as St Charles which, although in town, has a 'village' feel to it, and also the area around Les Halles (the covered market) and the Jardin Public (right) opposite the theatre. Both areas are very desirable as you can shop for all you need here on foot without having to use the car. But, unfortunately, there was nothing that we liked in either of those areas that was both a. for sale and b. affordable. In a perfect world, we would have tried to buy something in the Avenue du Docteur Claisse, a leafy enclave we discovered that was only an easy 5 minute walk from Biarritz’s Grande Plage.. but this turned out to be one of Biarritz’s prime residential areas. Hmm.
La Grande Plage, Biarritz
Our fall-back plan if we couldn't find anything suitable on the coast would have been to look further inland at Pau. And if we'd had no success there, our third option would have been to look in the Jura, near the Swiss border. Happily for us though, someone 'up there' must have been guiding us - because we next decided to have a look at Bayonne..