Cultural Connections – Around the World by Luxury Private Jet – Biarritz, FRANCE and San Sebastian, SPAIN

OCTOBER 26 -30, 2010  BIARRITZ, FRANCE and SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN

We arrived into Biarritz in the early evening…a beautiful balmy October evening.  As with so many of our arrivals, we stepped off our jet and swiftly into our waiting coaches for the short  transfer through this historic beach town (at the “end” of the Pyrenees Mountains) on the Atlantic.  Our arrival at majestic Hotel du Palais was impressive with this stunning palace hotel fully lit at night.  This hotel was built as the seaside beach palace of Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, built during the mid-1800s.  It is an impressive place right on the beach overlooking a beautiful bay…today a surfer’s paradise.

Our initial day included a leisurely morning for our guests to enjoy the sumptuous dining room, La Rotunde, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.  We have glorious weather here.  Cool and chilly – which most enjoy after the Fall heat of India and Abu Dhabi –and with bright sunny days.  We started our day with a crisp, brisk walk along the promenade from the hotel, following the beach and through the old town.  We visited highlights of ‘old’ Biarritz…the old fishing harbour, the madonna on the rock, the maritime memorial, the seafront church, and the historically registered lighthouse.  (Among the ‘new’ highlights of Biarritz our guests later discovered fabulous stores such as Hermes and Gucci).  We glimpsed the house-factory of Coco Chanel.  We headed north along the coast road through residential Anglet set along 3 miles of sandy beaches.  We arrived at the medieval river port town of Bayonne – steeped in history and owned through time by the French, the English, and the Spanish.  Bayonne is at the confluence of two large rivers coming down from the Pyrenees Mountains.

After a brief tour of the town we were serenaded by a Basque Mens Choir at their private club.  This was a highlight…exceptional award-winning singers singing enthusiastically for us while we enjoyed sampling delicious parma hams and local rose wines.  From here we walked around the corner to a small, exclusive Michelin star restaurant (L’Auberge Cheval Blanc).  Our lunch was absolutely delicious and memorable…including local hake (fish) and beef dishes.  After such a feast many members elected to return back to our ‘palace’ for the remainder of the afternoon at leisure.  A few of us elected to ‘walk off’ our gastronomique excesses with a walking tour through historic Bayonne…it was a gorgeous sunny afternoon…featuring the river walk, the restored cathedral, the Hotel de Ville (town hall), and the renowned chocolate stores.

In the early evening, with Heidi Lakani, we hosted a champagne sunset reception on the terrace of the hotel.  It was picture perfect…and a superb gathering event was enjoyed by all.  We raised our Laurent Perrier bubbly glasses to the sun dipping down into the remarkably calm Atlantic.  We were happy…but the surfers not so.  Dinner was as usual ‘dine by choice’ with many of our guests enjoying the exceptional a la carte dining room of this palace hotel, and some others exploring excellent restaurants of this town and region.

Our second day of touring involved getting ‘out & about’ further afield…specifically across to the “other side” meaning from France into Spain.  Thanks to the EC there is no longer any border crossing…and here in Basque country, the Basque know no borders.  In our small groups, we left from the hotel in three separate intimate groups.  This day we headed south along the coast…initially in France…to the tiny seaside hamlet of St. Jean du Luc that suddenly gained great fame and notoriety when King Louis IV of France was securing his treaty alignment with the King of Spain, in marrying his daughter the “Infanta”, Maria Theresa.

This was a political marriage of its time and not one that Louis IV cherished.  The Spanish royal family kept King Louis waiting a month at this little seaside St. Jean du Luc.  The townspeople of St. Jean were overwhelmed in trying to keep the king busy and entertained for such a time.  We visited the church where these royals were married and we saw their manor homes…two separate mansion homes specifically built for their brief stay in this seaside hamlet.  We walked the town to its picturesque bay…and we also made time for a quick visit to the old ‘Maison Adam’ renowned for decades as makers of the very best macaroons in the country.  We continued in the sunshine along the beautiful coast through medieval towns, one of which was the film set of “Papillion”, and into seaside San Sebastian in Spain.

After a brief hilltop stop for photographs of the magnificent ‘La Concha’ beach bay – around which the town of San Sebastian has grown up – we headed into the ‘old town’ for a walking lunch tour along narrow cobbled streets.  Along our way we stopped in at several authentic tapas bars to enjoy tastes of Spain.  This was a unique way to dine…in our small groups we each visited at least three different tapas restaurants, staying for upto 20-30 minutes at each,  and sampling delicious tapas traditions and local Spanish wines (white, rose, & red).  This was a whole new variation on ‘dine around’ and much enjoyed by all of our members.  There was plenty of ‘siesta’ on tour coach journeys back to Biarritz.  Arriving back in the mid-afternoon many of our guests elected to wander around through Biarritz and enjoy all the ‘modern marvels’ of excellent shopping…as well as some beachside surf competition viewing.  The day departed with another dramatic orange ball sunset into the Atlantic.

Today’s Choose Your Day gave our guests the opportunity to follow their passion.  Some clients journeyed to France’s interior countryside along the Nive River Valley to St. Jean Pied de Port, where they were welcomed at Domain Abotia by the owner, Peio Errecart, for a tasting of the local wine and cheese with wine expert Antoine Vignac.    Our culinary clients enjoyed a cooking class with Chef Alain Briant…quite renowned in these parts.  They shopped for fresh produce and meats in the local market and later enjoyed the fruits of their “labor” at lunchtime.   A few of our adventurous clients took a 4wheel-drive safari into the Pyrenees Mountains, where they visited local villages and enjoyed lunch at a charming Basque Inn.   Our art aficionados journeyed to Bilbao, Spain and not only enjoyed a privately escorted tour with a specialty Guggenheim Museum guide…but also a fantastic lunch at their excellent river view restaurant.  The Guggenheim is truly a modern ‘wonder of the world’ and Frank Gehry’s design is almost immortal in its concept.

This evening we all reconvened in the gorgeous ballroom of the Hotel du Palais at an elegant farewell reception and dinner party.  What a grand finale to our Private Jet Around the World journey…  with delectable cuisine and a fantastic band that kept us dancing well into the evening.    Tomorrow we depart on the final leg of our tour to Boston, MA.   We’ve made many new friends and look forward to traveling together again soon on our next Lakani Private Jet tour.

Click here to view more photos of Biarritz, Bayonne, and San Sebastian in the France & Spain Photo Gallery.