The Basque Country

Whenever we go back to Europe on holiday we land at Heathrow and the clock starts. I am now in an extended version of Countdown with the clock ticking. We want to see everyone…our families, our friends, shop, go to art galleries, museums, the theatre, the beach…you name it we want to do it. And we try to do it. All.

I love this craziness but I also love being able to leave my kids and go somewhere new. We wanted to surf and to hike in the Pyrenees and to eat and drink delicious food and wine. So we went to the Basque Country. To a small seaside town called Guéthary.

We stayed in the Hotel Madrid - a busy, chic and super fun brasserie-hotel where we didn’t mind feeling like the after-dinner band below were actually playing in our bedroom. It was the place everyone we met in this small town went to hang out. Such a cool place.  

But this was my favourite spot in the town.

A cafe/bar/restaurant where you could perch on the wall overlooking an awesome break and watch the long boarders and paddle boarders do their thing. You could look over the bay towards Spain and back up the French coast towards sprawling Biarritz. 

We hung out there post-morning surf for coffee and croissants. And then for pre-dinner negronis along with the rest of the town - enjoying the music and the people watching. Heavenly holidays.

And just as we’d planned we headed up for a hike in the Pyrenees.

If you love Spain and you adore France but you can’t decide where to go the Basque Country is a sure winner. 

And if, like us, every other word you try to speak in French comes out in some Spanish-French hybrid, it doesn’t matter. Because everyone is tri-lingual there anyway (French, Spanish & Basque).

Guéthary we’ll be back.