Puttin’ on the Biarritz!

We departed Espelette very satisfied and in good spirits (nothing to do with the 2 glasses of rosé consumed at lunch!). The drive to Biarritz took about 45 minutes; it is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the French Basque Country. It is about 35 kilometres from the Spanish border. Biarritz is a luxurious seaside tourist destination known for the Hôtel du Palais (originally built for the Empress Eugénie circa 1855), its casinos overlooking the sea and its surfing culture. I was amazed by all the Aussie surfing brands on display.

Unfortunately we arrived on a very cloudy day, which meant Biarritz and the Bay of Biscay were looking a bit drab. Apparently, for the two previous days, there was a big fog and so you could barely see the sea!

After checking into our hotel, the GeorgeVI we headed out for a bit of a walk, exploring the city. We stopped for an espresso on the esplanade and then we walked along the coast all the way back to our hotel.

There was plenty of action on the beach, heaps of surfers and life saver training underway, and there were plenty of people like us just out walking in the fresh sea air. I can imagine on a beautiful sunny day that Biarritz would sparkle, but like most seaside towns with big hotels, casinos etc it feels a bit touristy, not unlike the Gold Coast back home.

We returned to our hotel for a bit of downtime before drinks in the bar, followed by our farewell dinner. It was a bit sad that we were missing both Mary and Bronwyn, but this is the world we now live in.Read more