Biarritz - a tonic for all the senses

The Grande Plage, Biarritz | Fiona Laing

The Grand Tonic Hotel, Biarritz. | Contributed

The birds dance from crumb to crumb among the tables as the Café du Commerce fills up with workers, shoppers and families gathering for lunch. It’s the perfect spot for a break from getting to know Biarritz. It’s all too easy to head to the beach, especially when your hotel is only two streets from the Grande Plage, but this town in south-west France also has a nice mix of history, leisure, cultural and retail attractions beyond its cliffs and sands.

A century ago Biarritz was the centre of European society, the result of the patronage of Napoleon III and his empress Eugénie. Then, in the 1950s it was discovered by the surfers. Today city breakers and surfers rub along. Having spent happy hours exploring the coast and its surfing culture, I hop on a free electric bus outside the Grand Tonic Hotel and head towards the bustling streets.

The shops range from luxury boutiques such as Hermès, through Galeries Lafayette to tourist emporiums filled with miniature surfboards and red peppers from the nearby town of Espelette.

The hub of the Biarritz life – Les Halles – is where the best of the region’s produce assembles in the mornings and residents gather to eat and drink in the evenings. The Café du Commerce is lively at lunchtime and the plat du jour – perfectly cooked seabass – follows chiperon en persillade (squid in garlic and parsley) and salty padron peppers, is ideal for middle-of-the-day refuelling.

The restaurant at Grand Tonic Hotel, Biarritz | Fiona Laing

Budget or boutique

The Grand Tonic Hotel and Spa has just 64 rooms in a tall building, close to both the Grande Plage and the shops, making it an ideal haven for a short break.

One of the 64 bedrooms at the Grand Tonic hotel and spa. | Fiona Laing

Room service

My deluxe room is spacious and I personally love my glass-fronted bathroom, but I guess it might not be to everyone’s taste, so a curtain offers decency. The bathroom is luxurious with both Jacuzzi bath and large walk-in shower. In a nod to Biarritz’s reputation for thalassotherapy, the hotel has its own spa in the basement. Not only is there a 32m² swimming pool, sauna and steam room to soothe away the miles walked, but there is also a comprehensive menu of Nuxe spa treatments and therapists to deliver them.

Wining and dining

It could be argued that food is what makes France, and a short break is inevitably filled with discovering the region’s menu. The Grand Tonic’s breakfast stretches ahead of me. I’m greeted by fresh pancakes being made and beyond a feast of delicacies await. It is here I find my new morning favourite.

Gateau Basque Creme for breakfast at the Grand Tonic Hotel | Fiona Laing

Gâteau basque is a cake filled with crème patissière or black cherry jam – it doesn’t sounds much in those few words, but trust me the first bite is pure heaven. Make space in your luggage for one from Maison D’Adam or Paries, the two best-known patisseries on the coast.

Close to the hotel and overlooking the beach, I discover Jack the Cockerel. Founded by three French brothers, it is a cool space with a Californian vibe. It serves up a menu of grills, burgers and fish. The tenderest of slow-cooked pork comes with vegetables and an amazing cranberry gravy. It calls for a strong intense red and I’m guided to Kattalin, a Pays basque wine from the steep vineyards of Irouléguy.

Another evening I eat at the Café de Paris on the aptly named Place Bellevue. I choose fish – the hake landed down the coast at St-Jean-de-Luz is served in shellfish broth with gnocchi and girolles – and I am not disappointed. However, the house speciality is soufflé and tonight it is hazelnut. It is a triumph of fluffy, subtle nutty sweetness under a crisp top.

Cafe du Commerce Biarritz | Fiona Laing

Worth getting out of bed for?

I enjoy exploring Biarritz’s shop-lined streets and close to Les Halles, I come across the historical museum. Housed in St Andrew’s Church, it is a wonderful insight into the development of the town told with quirky artifacts and historical pictures.

I pass Coco Channel’s house and the imposing Sainte Eugénie church and as I walk I learn more about the town from information boards.

I side-step a surfing lesson for a virtual reality ride of the waves at Cité de l’Océan and later watch real-life surfers giving sunset displays at the Grande Plage.

With an aquarium, art galleries and a museum of Oriental treasures, not to mention a popular rugby team and the local sport pelota, there’s something for everyone.

Biarritz is well served by inexpensive buses from the airport and then you could walk everywhere, but the town buses keep my step count under control.

The Grand Tonic Hotel Spa | Fiona Laing

Little extras

Hire an e-bike from hotel reception to make short work of exploring Biarritz’s 7km of beaches.

Guest book comment

The Pays Basque coast is both wild and sophisticated and I’ll be back to explore its village-dotted hinterland which rolls towards the Pyrenees and Spain to the south.

Factfile

Grand Tonic Hotel, 58 avenue Edouard VII, Biarritz. www.tonichotel-biarritz.com

Ryanair flies twice a week April-October from Edinburgh to Biarritz. www.ryanair.com

Pay Basque Tourism www.tourisme64.com; Explore France www.france.fr

Café du Commerce https://www.cafeducommerce-biarritz.com: Jack the Cockerel https://jackthecockerel.com; Café de Paris www.hotel-cafedeparis-biarritz.com/views/en/restaurant.html;

The Cité de l’Océan www.citedelocean.com/en/; Musée historique de Biarritz www.musee-historique-biarritz.fr; Musée Asiatica www.musee-asiatica.com; Asiatic Museum www.musee-asiatica.com; Biarritz Aquarium www.aquariumbiarritz.com