Mr & Mrs Smith

Hotel was superb! Beautiful surroundings and very stylishly decorated.

St Jean de Luz, Bidart and Guethary.

My partner was very keen to stay here; I thought, however, that the various colours of the interior would make my head spin. I was wrong. This place is truly unique, with a calmness and chill factor to it that seems completely connected to the owners and their eclectic choices in art furniture, literature and colour. Both tanned, hip and friendly Frenchies – it was the closest we came to feeling like we had called into a friend’s place on the way through our travels. It was Bastille Day and we had a sensational seafood meal at Le Madrid followed by relaxing in the Arguibel lounge, listening to music and drinking local wine. Only an hour’s drive from here when we left the next day is Getaria, birthplace of Cristabal Balenciaga and the Balenciaga Museo, well worth the visit. A blissful couple of days on the border.

Cote Basque and 38 degrees: it's too hot to be shadeless on the beach so Arguibel is the answer. No-one in when we rolled up roasted at 3pm but a note on the door with a phone number (they had to take the cat to the vet and they just gave us the entrypad key code and said to help ourselves to a drink from the bar we did  – water). Our room, L'Infante, was on the ground floor with a lovely terrace, mad lime-green feather lampshades – really comfy and spacious and they had put in a large freestanding fan – no AC – which was wonderful. We finally went down to the loungers at 6pm but gave up and retreated to our terrace's two chairs, table, brolly, two loungers, two coffee chairs and a table. We had been eating for 10 days by this stage so just popped up to Bidart to a very decent creperie which was just what we wanted. Breakfast outside was excellent: nothing cooked but a good range and a super tea list served in Japanese tea pots. We will go back for a few days because it is so quiet and peaceful (except when the thunder and lightening set off, Basque style).