Ryanair flies daily from Stansted to Biarritz airport, a couple of miles from the city centre. There is a regular bus service from the airport, but a cab will only cost around £8.

WAYS TO STAY

Atlantic glitz
Follow in the footsteps of Frank Sinatra and Ernest Hemingway, and indulge in old-school French glamour at the Hôtel du Palais, all glistening chandeliers and brocaded chaise longues. The hotel was originally built as Napoleon's beachfront villa, a gloriously over-the-top concoction painted raspberry and cream, which dwarfs the northern end of the beach; lounge by the seawater pool, gorge on the mammoth lunchtime buffets and sip cocktails in the Bar Imperial while the ivories are gently tinkled.
Doubles from £230 (www.hotel-du-palais.com)

Central chic
The Hotel Tonic lies a couple of minutes' walk from the beach and offers pared-down, sleek bedrooms with all the usual mod cons. The added bonus is the restaurant, La Maison Blanche, all cream-tableclothed elegance and beautifully presented fresh fish dishes. The freshly squeezed orange juice and fresh pastries for breakfast are pretty good too.
Doubles from £85 (www.tonichotelbiarritz.com)

Surf bum
The Hotel Au Saint James is a clean, jolly two-star affair, with lots of seaside-themed pictures and accessories - housed in a charming three-storey town house, and with a history as a hotel dating back to 1824. There's a good bistro on the ground floor, serving fresh fish suppers.
Doubles from £32 (www.ausaintjames.fr)

EATING OUT

Romantic Atlantic
Stay somewhere cheap, but splurge on one seriously indulgent evening at La Rotonde, the Hotel-du-Palais' ocean view restaurant, with outdoor tables on a terrace that overlooks the moonlit water. Truffles, seafood, polished candelabras, starched white tablecloths - le works (www.hotel-du-palais.com)

Local classic
For tasty, authentic Pyrenean dishes follow the local clientele to Bistro des Halles, where the local catch is served up with rich tomato sauces, and a meaty cassoulet can chase away the Atlantic chill.
(1 rue de Centre, 24 21 22).

Hang Ten hangout
Le Surfing is a place of pilgrimage for surfers; the walls are festooned with antique boards and the restaurant has close links with the annual surfing festival. Good hearty plates of grilled meats and frites; the beachfront terrace is a great spot for lunch.
(Plâge de la Côte des Basques, 24 78 72).

DON'T MISS

The chance to play among the waves; whether it's body boarding for beginners, or riding the eight-feet tubes that crash onto the beach. The Ecole du Surf (www.surftraining.com) has lessons for every level, from £18 for one hour, up to full residential weeks.

SEE AND DO

Biarritz is dominated and defined by the Atlantic waters that roar up its beaches, but there are plenty of different ways to experience them. The best views are from the Phare de Biarritz (open Sat/Sun 3-7pm), the 73-metre lighthouse to the north of the beach; the 248 steps are wearying but worth it for the fantastic sight of golden beaches and the burly Pyrenees. At the other end of the beach lies Rocher de la Vierge, a stone island reached by a footbridge which boasts views stretching down to Spain.

For a different view, head to the Musée de la Mer (www.museedelamer.com, open daily, adults £5, kids £3) which, until December, has an exhibition on the deepest, darkest corners of the ocean, between 800 and 2,500 metres deep. Mysteries of the Abyssal Zones reveals the secrets and creatures that dwell in the darkness.

If the surf gets too strenuous, restore tired bones with a thalasso treatment; Biarritz is a centre for thalassotherapy and the Thermes Marins Thalasso Centre (23 01 22, www.biarritz-thalasso.com) has all manner of rejeuvenating therapies. A weekend package (no accommodation) costs from £51 including treatments and access to the thalasso pools.

NEED TO KNOW

Biarritz Tourism (22 37 00, www.biarritz.fr) is at 1 Square d'Ixelles, right in the centre of town, open daily from 9am (10am on Sundays).

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