Biarritz Hotels

Biarritz is a large town in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques departement of Aquitaine, France. Biarritz is one of the most posh beach resorts of the French west Coast. Biarritz came to fame in the mid 19th Century, when Empress Eugenie (the wife of Napoleon III) fell in love with this part of the Basque country and built a Palace on the beach at Biarritz (which is now the world class Hotel du Palais) and a centre with natural springs at Eugenie les Bains in the Landes. Eugenie invited foreign royalty to stay with their entourages and courtiers; Queen Victoria of Britain, who came regularly over a period of 30 years, and sundry Spanish, Swedish, Dutch, German, Russian nobility. The Russians built their own magnificent Orthodox Church next to the Palace. The principle Architecture in Biarritz was not typically Basque, but rather a blend of 19th century city residences, large and expansive, made of local stone bricks. If you bought one of these houses now, you would probably find titles such as the Prince, Duke, Baron, Marquee etc. on the title deeds. Biarritz has a lot more than beautiful buildings to offer today. It's a vibrant cosmopolitan town with magnificent beaches, golf courses and numerous sporting facilities, not forgetting the surf. Surfing started in France here in Biarritz and surfers come from all over the world to ride the waves. The Biarritz Surf Festival brings together surfers from Hawaii, California and Australia every year to celebrate the birth of surfing in Biarritz. The stylish coastal town of Biarritz, 8km west of Bayonne, took off as a resort in the mid-19th century when Napoleon III and his Spanish-born wife, Eugénie, visited regularly. For years the darling of wealthy French families, Biarritz was dumped in the second half of the 20th century by many who preferred the fleshpots of the Mediterranean and cheaper holidays in coastal Spain. Nowadays, everyone from the jeunesse dorée (golden youth) of Paris to beach bums in camper vans are flocking back to this lovely seaside resort, renowned for its beaches and some of Europe's best surfing.