In this upmarket little town near the Spanish border, Roger Larralde and Richard Pérodeau”s white, late 19th-century mansion (Relais & Châteaux) stands quietly near the broad sandy beach and pedestrianised shopping streets. 

South-west of Pau, in a tiny village on the edge of the Pays Basque, this old inn has been turned into a restaurant-with-rooms by owner/chef Pierre Chilo and his wife Martine.

Near the Spanish border, in the remote Aldudes valley, this village is a key Basque folklore centre. Here, Pascal and Christine Arcé”s “beautiful country hotel”, by a trout river, is much admired.