From Bidart and Biarritz to Île de Ré and L’Île-d’Yeu, we’re traipsing up the southern (and central) Atlantic coast of France, highlighting small hotels with big personalities.
You might’ve noticed that we have a thing for smaller hotels. Places where a personal touch can be felt around every corner, and in every room. It’s not an obsession, but it is a passion. We have a fairly big voice in the hotel industry, and we often default to using it to bring attention to hotels that don’t have multi-million dollar advertising budgets. We’re not biased against bigger hotels. But we know that people tend to need a little more convincing to choose smaller properties. Well, we vouch for these.
Where better to put a small hotel than near a beach in France? If you read our story about Noirmoutier, an island off the Atlantic coast not far from Nantes, you’ll learn what makes an authentic French oceanside vacation so appealing, and it’s exactly what you’d think: delicious food, a leisurely pace, and beauty all around. Or, read our full profile of a hotel that appears on this list, Hotel des Dunes, a quintessentially American surf-shack motel that isn’t in Malibu or Montauk — it’s in Cap Ferret.
France’s southerly Atlantic coast. Nothing shocking. Everything you desire. Bon appétit.
Les Frères Ibarboure
Bidart, France
In the hills above Bidart is an establishment named for the brothers who conceived it. Les Frères Ibarboure are Xabi and Patrice, a savory chef and a pastry chef, whose 13-room hotel stands on five acres of parkland. It’s a lovely place to stay thanks to its handsome modern rooms and the quiet oasis that is its outdoor pool. But the main attraction, as you might well imagine, is the restaurant.
Le Garage Biarritz
Biarritz, France
Originally built in the 1930s as a private garage for the neighboring Hôtel du Régina’s high-end guests, Le Garage today is a striking 27-room boutique hotel just above Marimar Beach — and, crucially, operates under the banner of the ultra-hip Experimental group. Industrial bones remain, but the vibe is bold and bright: terrazzo floors, Art Deco curves, handwoven Ghanian lights.
Hotel de Silhouette
Biarritz, France
Sitting in the heart of the lively Quartier des Halles and within easy walking distance of the beach, Hôtel de Silhouette is housed is in one of Biarritz’s oldest buildings. Not that you would guess it now from its bright and contemporary interiors. It now houses 21 rooms and suites, warmly dressed with rich earthy shades of tobacco brown, rust red, and terracotta, and wallpapers depicting leafy palms.
Les Hortensias du Lac – Fontenille Collection
Soorts-Hossegor, France
Les Hortensias du Lac looks over Lake Hossegor, less than a quarter-mile inland from the surfers at the Plage de la Gravière. Here life is rather more tranquil — a feeling that’s only reinforced by the small size of this newly renovated Art Deco luxury resort. The 25 rooms here nod to the region’s surfing bona fides, from their simple, pared-down wooden furniture and construction to the boards that hang above the beds.
La Co(o)rniche
Pyla-sur-Mer, France
Don’t let the tricky spelling of the hotel’s name deter you. Just know it reads as non-standard for French people, too. Located in the Pilat-Plage region, at the foot of the highest sand dune in Europe, La Corniche was a Basque-style hunting lodge built in the 1930s, thoroughly updated by none other than Phillipe Starck in 2010 — which is when it became La Co(o)rniche, and revealed its whimsical freestanding cabins.
Ha(a)ïtza
Pyla-sur-Mer, France
Yes, Hôtel Ha(a)ïtza is from the same folks who brought you La Co(o)rniche, and its appeal is similarly straightforward: a fine location close to the Dune de Pilat, less than an hour’s drive from Bordeaux; a 1930s villa with a memorable silhouette; and modern interiors by none other than Philippe Starck. Its rooms, suites, and apartment are unfailingly stylish and bright, as is the photogenic pool deck.
La Guitoune
Pyla-sur-Mer, France
An hour’s drive from Bordeaux is Pyla-sur-Mer, home to La Guitoune, a well-known family-run hotel whose renovations have ensured it stays relevant for a new generation of travelers. Interior designer Bambi Sloan preserved the neo-Basque façade and turned the interiors into a vintage-inspired fantasy, one that wears its modern electronics and comforts lightly. It offers all the attractions you’d expect from a seaside hotel.
Hotel Des Dunes
Lège-Cap-Ferret, France
Hotel des Dunes is named for the beach of the same name, which is just down the road, and for the dunes that are characteristic of Cap Ferret. The hotel’s style is unpretentious, resembling first and foremost the oyster shacks that are common to the region — and, once you’re inside, displaying an affinity with California surf culture and with the laid-back but elegant atmosphere often found in the Hamptons.
Villa du Moulleau
Arcachon, France
At the opening of Arcachon Bay, looking straight across at Cap Ferret, is the village of Le Moulleau, and a small hotel with an unassuming name: the Villa du Moulleau. Here in the heart of the village, this classic Arcachon-style villa remains a perfect example of the characteristic local manner of building, while its rooms have been redesigned in a style that’s chic and contemporary without losing touch with its roots.
Ville d’Hiver
Arcachon, France
There’s something incredibly inviting about Ville d’Hiver, an old pump house in Arcachon that’s been lovingly restored to a state that belies its humble origins, and now, with its striped columns, archways and red tile roof, resembles some kind of whimsical mash-up between an Italian villa and the famous mosque at Córdoba. The restaurant, as is the case in a fair number of small French hotels, has a reputation of its own.
La Maison d’Estournel
Saint-Estèphe, France
Why shouldn’t every wine estate also be a luxury boutique hotel? They’ve got all the ingredients, and then some: gorgeous grounds, a mild climate, a habitual attention to wine and food, and, at least in the case of the Cos d’Estournel estate, a beautiful house that’s practically begging to be shared with overnight guests. This, of course, is where La Maison d’Estournel comes in.
Les Bois Flottais
Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré, France
In a place as ridiculously picturesque as Ile de Ré, it’s difficult to choose whether to stay on the beach or in the village. Hotel Les Bois Flottais offers a happy medium, located midway between the island’s golden beaches and Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré. White stucco and terracotta cottages encircle a pair of outdoor swimming pools, housing guest rooms with vaulted wood ceilings and rustic-chic beach decor. Each is unique.
Villa Clarisse
Saint-Martin-de-Ré, France
A world away from the opulence of the Riviera, the town of Saint-Martin sits on the island of Île de Ré, just off the Atlantic coast of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It’s here just on the edge of the compact town center, that you’ll find Villa Clarisse, a perfectly tranquil escape that’s elevated by 18th-century aesthetics, 21st-century comforts, and an approach to service that’s at once highly personalized and impeccably discreet.
La Baronnie
Saint-Martin-de-Ré, France
In 1785, King Louis XVI bought a gift for his wife, Marie-Antoinette: a mansion built on the ruins of a 13th-century castle on Île de Ré, an island off the west coast of France. Today, that mansion is La Baronnie Hôtel & Spa, a boutique hotel with all the elegance of days gone by, plus a sun-drenched Cinq Mondes spa and a cozy cocktail bar.
La Mission
L’Île-d’Yeu, France
An old army barracks later turned into a school is an unlikely setting for a luxury hotel, but Hotel La Mission pulls off the transformation with panache. It’s located on L’Île d’Yeu, a laid-back island just off the west coast of France, with seven low-lying buildings arranged like a cloister around a central garden — once a schoolyard — with a century-old plane tree and a heated swimming pool.
Mark Fedeli is the hotel marketing and editorial director for Tablet and Michelin Guide. He’s been with Tablet since 2006, and he thinks you should subscribe to our newsletter.