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French Basque area

marshajc

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We will have four nights to explore the area after arriving in Hondaribbia. I would appreciate recommendations for hotels and restaurants in St. Jean de Luz or nearby villages. We are thinking 2-3 nights in SJL and 1-2 nights elsewhere before returning to San Sebastian. Would renting a car to explore the area be preferable to taking the bus?
 
We stayed in St. Jean de Luz/Ciboure for 2 weeks mid-2016, and enjoyed it.

We did not hire a car (and never do), but used public transport: by bus to Biarritz and Hendaye (buying tickets on the bus), and by train to Bayonne. We also walked for several kilometres along the coastal footpath around Bidart, Guéthary & Socoa - the path was in a good state of repair (local village/town maps from the tourist information offices were helpful in locating access points).

However, car hire might offer greater flexibility and convenience for a short stay.

There was a good choice of restaurants (more so in St. Jean de Luz than Ciboure), and those that we enjoyed were: L'Ephémère (Quai Maurice Ravel, Ciboure), Zoko Moko (Rue Mazarin, St. Jean, twice), La Réserve (hotel, Rue Gaëtan de Bernoville, on the northern outskirts of St. Jean de Luz), La Vieille Auberge (Rue Tourasse, St. Jean, exceptional value), and, Le Xaya Restaurant (Rue Saint-Jean, St. Jean). The regional red wine that we tasted was very agreeable, e.g., Domaine Mourguy (Appellation Irouléguy), as was the Rioja.
 
The area you talk about is relatively small altough it straddles two countries.
Especially if you have a car, you can stay in one village as a base and visit not only the beautiful coastal plcaces that Dave123 mentioned but also the enchanting Navarre area south of St Etienne de Baïgorry in the Pyrenees.
My favorite spots for a base would be either Ciboure, or Sare. From either village, Hondarribia and all the other places mentioned can be very easy day-trips. I would stay in one place instead of 2 nights here and 2 nights there, but that's just moi. :)
Right outside Sare, the olhabidéa is a b&b (4 rooms) and a restaurant offering great food.
 
Parigi points the way to the BEST of all things (lodging, dining, sites, etc.). We stayed in Sare for two weeks in 2017 and are headed back this summer. St. Jean de Luz has a great market and one can swim there. This area is gorgeous!
 
I agree with Chachalaca that Parigi is the best. Based on her advice, we stayed at the Olhabidéa for a week years ago -- so long ago that it didn't have a restaurant -- and had a great time. Here's the link:
www.olhabidea.fr/. Like Parigi, I would stay there for 4 days and day-trip.
 

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