Biarritz

It’s just five minutes from the airport and the staff at Beaumanoir will send a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce, escorting you to your suite in this neo-baroque mansion surrounded by lime trees. You’ll be tempted, almost immediately, to refresh your thirst post-journey at the boutique hotel’s Dom Pérignon bar. You can also order a bite to eat in the venue, whose menu features Basque Country favourites. The building is nearly a century and a half old, and housing just four bedrooms, two suites and two apartments, a stay here feels personal and intimate. Two outdoor seating areas and a pool with contemporary loungers provide ample opportunity to catch some rays.

Swim in a saltwater pool overlooking the sea that’s heated 12 months of the year, when you stay at this Sofitel hotel. The spa has a second pool with an endless current, a solarium, sauna, jacuzzi and treatments using Organic Research and Thalassa sea and skin products. Bistronomy-style cuisine is served at Le Restaurant, including the Equilibre menu specialising in well-balanced dishes, as well as salt-free, gluten-free and children’s menus. Guests can also dine in a poolside eatery and drink in the bar. 126 bedrooms at Le Miramar have a calming ambience, decorated with botanical motifs.

On Biarritz’s headland, sandwiched between a golf course and the sea, sits Le Régina. Opened in 1907, the architecture has an early Art Deco leaning, with classic modern interiors. A glamorous riviera terrace has a seasonal, heated pool, loungers and a chic restaurant, serving fine French cuisine with plenty of Basque specialities. Inside there’s a spa with steam and treatment rooms, 65 bedrooms and a lobby bar – hosting frequent live music –  that’s just made for quaffing champagne. Valet parking and a shuttle to the aforementioned golf club (one of the nation’s oldest) are free and the MGallery property frequently features art exhibitions.