Self-Catering Holidays in Atlantic Aquitaine, South West France - Villas, Cottages & Apartments

Borde Arbona is a modern, spacious and attractive Basque house in beautiful surrounding countryside. The decor and furnishings are high quality and give a feeling of space and light.

Entrance & Ground Floor
On the main level are the double-height entrance hall (with coatroom and WC) which leads into an open-plan sitting room with fireplace (plus stereo with CD player) and dining area. Both halves of the room have huge patio doors which open onto a long terrace that runs the length of the house.room.

The sitting room has 2 huge white sofas as well as several chairs, a fire place and stereo. There is also a piano in the space between the sitting and dining areas. The dining room has a huge teak table that can seat 14 people and an attractive French country dresser housing all the crockery.

A door from the dining room leads into the kitchen which is a white and wood kitchen with table and chairs seating 6. The kitchen equipment is high-quality, and includes a semi-professional stove with one electric and four gas burners, dishwasher, two-door refrigerator, and microwave oven. In the laundry area off the kitchen are a washing machine and separate tumble dryer and a storage area with separate entrance for after shopping. The laundry also has a door back into the entrance hall.

A small covered terrace leads outside from the kitchen as well.

Bedroom One is on the ground floor level, with full ensuite bathroom, and a guest lavatory.

Upper Floor
On the upper level are a mezzanine area with library, and three further bedrooms:

Master bedroom (double), with en-suite bathroom, dressing room and its own terrace, plus an adjoining area with room for a single bed suitable for an infant (available on request)
Two twin bedrooms (which can both be made up as doubles as required), each with-en-suite bathroom and balconies

En-suites all include bath, overhead shower and WC. All rooms have full views of the surrounding countryside.

Garden Level
On the lower garden level is a games room with sofa (with two pull-out single beds), television (French channels only), DVD player, table-tennis. There’s also a bath with shower, WC and sauna, for the pool, and a storage room.

Garden
The garden is a good size, and slopes down from the terrace to the fields below. The swimming pool is off to the left and also has direct views of the fields and mountain. There is a small pool house for storing chairs etc.

The pool is 5.5 m X 11 m with a wide flagstone deck and is surrounded by lawns and gardens. The pool has safety cover and to retain heat. In summer the pool is normally around 25°C, and can be heated in early/late season (supplement applies).

Altogether Borde Arbona is a spacious, high quality rental with adaptable accommodation sleeping up to 10. The quality of surroundings, amount of space, games room, and proximity of beachs and places of interest alike means it is perfect for clients wanting to strike a balance between keeping adults, as well as children, happy.

» Check availability and prices for this property GO

Prices include linen and towels. Borde Arbona is not available for rental in August. The minimum rental period is 2 weeks from mid-June to end-July, 1 week at other times.

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Arbonne is a lovely Basque Country village and offers a gentle insight into rural life in these parts, life revolving as it does around the boulangerie, church and, most critically, the fronton. We thoroughly recommend you watch a game of Basque pelote during your stay and admire the speed and grace of this wonderful and decidedly lethal game.

Biarritz is back in fashion. Celebrities and sports stars are flooding back to live in the region, turning their back on the Côte d'Azur. Biarritz is an eclectic place; it somehow manages to mix an affluent elderly population with a steady flow of well-dressed surfers plus a sprinkling of super-rich jetsetters on top. A compact and stylish town, Biarritz really does have something for everyone...famous beaches, museums, fine restaurants, boutiques, casino, golf courses, horse-riding and the south west's famous spa and thalassotherapy centres.

The Basque Country is a little world all of its own. The regional cuisine and architecture provide character enough but more than that, this ‘country’ also has its own language. For a ‘formal’ introduction to Basque culture, try the Musée Basque at Bayonne. However, the best way to soak up the culture is to visit one of the many fêtes or ‘festivals of strength’ that take place in the high season, or, even better, watch a game of pelote. The fastest ball game in the world, this is perhaps the most vivid image of Basque country.

St Jean de Luz is also on your doorstep and whether its beaches, shops, restaurants or festivals you are looking for, both of these towns are hard to beat. Stylish but without the pretence of the Riviera, both are colourful and vibrant seaside towns with plenty of family evening entertainment. They are the sorts of places where you will see whole families sitting down to start dinner at 10.30pm! St Jean de Luz is recognised as the capital of Basque cuisine and is noted for its seafood (it is one of Rick Stein’s favourite places) and use of the spicy Basque staple pimento. For sampling pretty Basque villages on the coast, try Bidart and Guéthary.

Villa Campagne is a few kms from the local mountain pass into Spain, the Col d’Ibardin. This was formerly a smuggling route and today is still a place to buy cheap wine and spirits. These mountain pass towns exist all along the Pyrénées.

A great trip for the kids is a ride on Le Petit Train de la Rhune. Standing over 900m high, La Rhune is the distinct and symbolic peak of the western Pyrénées. It can be reached by foot – a lovely day’s walking – or by funicular train. The 360 degree views from the summit are spectacular.

There are great beaches all along the coast from the Spanish border at Hendaye, north into the Landes and Gironde départements. Because the Côte d’Argent is so vast, the beaches are less crowded than on the Mediterranean.

The area is totally under-visited for its golf despite the game’s rich history in this region and the presence of some wonderful courses: Chantaco, Nivelle, Biarritz Le Phare, Arcangues, Makila, Chiberta, Hossegor, Seignosse and Moliets are all within an hour’s drive. Arcangues and Makila are the closest - 5 minutes and 15 minutes drive respectively. Horse-riding, mountain-biking and fishing are also popular. Surfers will already be familiar with the Côte Basque, and there are plenty of surf schools for beginners.

Thalassotherapy and thermal spa are big attractions in this area – people come from all over France for sea and freshwater therapies; there are venues across the region including Hendaye, St Jean de Luz, Biarritz and Dax.

The countryside is a delight; the rolling green hills are popular with the few British visitors that the region receives. The foothills rise to the mountains of the Pyrénées which are home to dozens of hiking trails including the famous coast-to-coast GR10 track. Eagles, wild horses and the occasional brown bear make this one of Europe’s most exotic wildlife locations. Bird-watchers will be kept busy twitching. The Pyrénées also provide thrill-seekers with a range of extreme sports from white-water rafting to paragliding. The mountain landscapes are at their finest in the Haut-Béarn region.

Other suggestions for day-trips from Villa Campagne:

• A tour of Basque country villages: Ascain, Ainhoa, Sare, La Bastide Clairance Cambo-les-Bains, Espelette and St-Jean-Pied-de-Port

• A visit to Bayonne, the under-rated ‘capital’ of the Pays Basque

• Wine-tasting in the vineyards of Irouleguy

• A visit to the city of Pau for sight-seeing, boutique shopping and café-crawling

• Crossing the border into Spain for a visit to San Sebastian, Pamplona or the Guggenheim museum at Bilbao

For further information try the links below. Please note that we cannot be held responsible for the content of third party sites.

Alternative Aquitaine's Biarritz Guide
Biarritz Office de Tourisme
Saint-Jean-de-Luz Office de Tourisme
Pyrénées-Atlantique Tourism
Guide to Wines of the South West
Introduction to the Basque Country
UK Tourist Office for France