Brindos Lac & Chateau

Style

Basque master

Setting

Lacustrine lazing

When it comes to sink or swim, waterside hideaway Brindos Lac & Château has resplendently surfaced to become a siren of peace and play in the Basque countryside. Beside one of France’s largest lakes and many hectares of greenery, its Hispano-Moresque mansion is a vision of vintage glamour; built in the 1930s, party mode has been reactivated here with its new look of crystal-dripping chandeliers, reed-shaped lamps and golden-bamboo furnishings. But likely you’ll spend your time floating about, whether you’re taking cocktails on the pontoon, yoga on the deck, a massage in the over-water spa or a snooze amid waterlilies in the lake lodges.

Facilities

客房

39, including seven suites and 10 floating lake lodges.

Checkout

12 noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 4pm.

查看詳情

Rates don’t usually include the Continental breakfast spread (€36 a guest, €18 for four- to 11-year-olds, free for under-fours).

Also

Two of the hotel’s hideaways (one Deluxe room, one Prestige room) are specially adapted for guests with mobility issues. And there’s an elevator too.

健身中心

免費上網

洗衣服務

寵物友好

游泳池

酒店餐廳

客房送餐服務

水療中心

At the Hotel

Private lake and electric boats (manned by staff only), leafy grounds, pontoon, spa and fitness room, concierge, charged laundry service, free WiFi. In rooms: Flatscreen TV, air-conditioning, coffee machine with Lavazza coffee, kettle and Mariage Frères teas, minibar with free bottled water, air-conditioning (except in lodges), Gemology bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

That ‘floating on air’ feel might be even more ecstatic on water – the best way to find out is to book one of the 10 lodges that rest on platforms over the lake. They’re a little simpler in style than the rooms in the main house, where waterfall chandeliers, floor lamps shaped like reeds, golden-bamboo furnishings and fabrics and finery evoke the house’s vintage and the great outdoors. But the pin-drop seclusion, panoramic views and the fact that they can only be reached by boat give them the romantic edge. Up the ante by booking the one with an alfresco Nordic bath.

Poolside

The spa has four lake-view hot tubs to soak in, which resemble designer craters. And, come summer, the huge outdoor heated pool opens (from 7am to 9pm), set aside from the lake in a picturesque patch of the grounds.

Spa

There’s treatment rooms (some for couples) in the château, where semi-precious Gemology products are used in botanical-garden-scented massages (some with singing bowls), facials that leave you dazzling, body wraps and masks, mani-pedis and more. Plus, personal coaching, aquagym sessions and dance lessons: bolero, sacred spring dancing… However, come summer (from May to October), things get all the dreamier when the floating spa on the lake opens for drift-off rubdowns amid the waterlilies and yoga sessions on a view-blessed pontoon.

Packing Tips

Swimwear – most of the distractions here are water-based, and if you’re not frolicking in the lake, you might be front-crawling in one of two pools, or paddling in the sea. And, you can easily hire surf gear – after all, Biarritz’a Côte des Basques was where surfing was first introduced to Europeans – but you might want to bring your own wetsuits or rash vests if you have them.

Also

First built in 1438 and remodelled in the 1930s, the château has had a few notable owners, such as eccentric Englishman Sir Reginald Wright, known for his elaborate soirées, and later Serge Blanco, a fullback for the Biarritz Olympique rugby team.

兒童

There’s a dedicated family lodge floating on the lake, offering aquatic pastimes – as such it’s best for swim-confident kids. Babysitting can be arranged on request from €20 an hour. Breakfast is free for under-fours and there's some baby kit.

畫廊

Food & Drink

Top Table

Lake it till you make it.

服裝規定

Silks that flow, shades of blue, ice-queen jewels, and a serpentine silhouette.

Hotel Restaurant

Locavore in thought and deed, the hotel’s food is proudly Basque. Chef Hugo De La Barrière borrows influences from either side of the border, countryside and sea, serving up the likes of pata negra, ember-baked octopus with piquillo peppers and lemon caviar, foie gras with kiwi chutney, rosemary- and honey-infused roast pork with white beans and chorizo, or spider crab with smoked paprika and tomato-soaked bread, plus a selection of local cakes and pastries. Guests dine in a conservatory-style dining room, strung with trailing greenery and chandeliers, where a huge bank of arched windows frame painterly views. Or sit in the sun on the lakeside terrace. A second, more casual eatery by the pool serves light healthy dishes. Less healthy but enticing nonetheless is the Chocolaterie – a collaboration with emblematic local makers Cazenave – for sweet things, a savoury-sweet brunch and hot-chocolates – plus some live chocolate artistry at your table. It ties in nicely with Basque history, as not far from here, in Bayonne, chocolate was introduced to France to celebrate the wedding of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria.

Hotel Bar

A piano in the corner, a restored stone fireplace with a storeys-high chimney, and yet more chandeliers cascading glamorously from above: the indoor bar, close to the lobby, makes an elegant space for convivial cocktail hours in the cooler months. In summer, servers board the hotel’s pontoon to serve chilled txakoli wine and cider, plus a selection of border-straddling snacks (platters of Bellota and Bayonne ham, rillettes and terrines, smoked trout, madeleines and Basque cheesecake). And, the hotel's cocktail game is strong, with signature sippers such as the Beltza with armagnac, Cazenave chocolate-infused black-tea liqueur, and cherry bitters; or the Morea with tequila, raspberry eau de vie, hibiscus-infused rosé vermouth, elderflower liqueur, Verjus and pink lemonade.

Last Orders

Lunch from 12 noon to 5pm and take dinner from 7pm till 9:30pm. Drinks run till midnight.

Room Service

Perfectly timed for early-flight breakfasts and late night munchies, room service runs from 7:30am to 10pm.

Planes

Biarritz Airport is just around the corner from the hotel. The hotel’s free shuttle (which sits up to six) takes just five minutes there and back. Flights arrive direct from several major cities in Europe.

Trains

Biarritz railway station is also just a five-minute drive from the hotel and the shuttle stops there too. From Paris, a TGV train will speed you here in around four hours, and there are direct links to Bordeaux, Tours and Toulouse, so if you’re coming from the UK, you can easily hop over on the Eurostar and change. The scenery along the way will put you in the mood for pastoral adventures.

Automobiles

There are plenty of plages to choose from – 11 in Anglet and six in Biarritz – so you’ll want some wheels for hopping between them, especially if you need to strap on a surfboard (and you really should – there are world-class breaks here). The hotel has free valet parking onsite.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

There’s a whole lotta lake here, with one of the largest private bodies of water in France at your disposal. So, halcyon days of cooling dips, Marco Polo-ing, zipping about in a staff-manned e-boat and making friends with the resident ducks await. That is, when you’re not getting soothed in the floating spa cabins, meditating or yoga-contorting on the deck, or stopping to enjoy the serenity, avec du vin, on the pontoon. But, there are also 12 hectares of Basque countryside flush with broom, mimosa, plane trees and sunflowers to hike and bike through, and a trail’s been gently cleared around the water. Then, take your pick of 17 beaches along the Atlantic coast. A touch wind-blustered and beloved by surfers, they’re also suited to sunbathing depending on the season. But, it’s de rigueur here to hop on a board and crest along the mountainous coast on the sizable breaks that roll in. Côte des Basques is where it all began (well, for the Europeans anyway), when writer Peter Viertel introduced the sport to France, so there’s no better place to learn how to ride those waves; volleyball tournaments are held on the sand too. Anglet’s coastline tends to be wilder and more remote, while Biarritz’s is more glamorous and lively. The ‘ritz’ part of its name has rung true since the 19th century when emperor Napoleon III and empress Eugénie holidayed here, inspiring a wave of Belle Époque buildings. Its sheen has been tarnished by some modernisation, but the Port Vieux neighbourhood has plenty of as-it-was charm, and it’s here you’ll find the exceedingly grand Villa Belza, placed dramatically atop a rocky outcrop. If lakes are a little too low-key for your liking, trek out to the Gorges of Kakuetta, where waters gush forth over the rocks and trickle merrily through woodland. Or dry off and head up into the Crêtes d'Iparla, undulating hills in the Pyrenees (the antique La Rhune train chugs into the mountains too if you’re le tired). And, further inland you can see the beautiful and traditionally Basque (i.e. red and white) residence of Edmond Rostand, better known as the lyrical penman of Cyrano de Bergerac. Or, as you’re so close to the Spanish border, give your tastebuds the time of their life with a gastro tour of world-leading gourmet hub San Sebastián, around a 45-minute drive away.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .