Continuing on in my series of recommended places to stay en-route from Portugal to the UK, I should mention Biarritz. Before our journey, almost everyone we spoke to said we’d absolutely love it. Needless to say, we were excited to see what all the fuss was about. So we decided to spend a night with the rich and famous (!) – it is where they come to party after all (apparently).
Well in truth we didn’t see anyone famous (probably lots of rich people though!) and, although we thought it was pleasant enough, it was nothing to really write home about. Yes, it’s a very pretty town by the beach and it’s very touristy. But we’re not really very touristy people. Where we live in Portugal, there are loads of towns just like Biarritz, and some even better so maybe I’m just being blasé about it!
Luckily though it was pretty quiet while we were there (it was a week or so before Christmas) which is a good thing – I’m not one for big crowds and noise – and it was still quite warm so very pleasant to walk into town from the hotel.
Speaking of the hotel, because it was Biarritz, we decided to splash out and so opted for a rather nice place to spend the night and there, we were not disappointed. Le Regina Biarritz Hotel & Spa was beautiful, in and out, and the finishings in the room were impeccable. You know, like the bathroom tiling and stuff (we always notice the quality of bathroom tiling because Michael specialises in renovating things like that – and he’s a stickler for quality!). The bed was divine – probably one of the most comfortable beds we’ve ever slept in. It really was something special. The breakfast, though, was pretty average. But the beautiful surroundings made up for it.
It was one night in Biarritz and probably one we won’t repeat simply because we were more impressed with the beautiful nearby town of Bayonne – where we spent a couple of hours in the evening. Sadly though, we neglected to take the camera. Next time I will make sure we do. It was stunning, especially with Christmas being around the corner and beautiful decorations were everywhere. I absolutely loved it there. There was something special about that place. Sigh. I can’t wait to return, one day.
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