Need to know
Rooms
39, including seven suites and 10 floating lake lodges.
Check–Out
12 noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 4pm.
More details
Rates don’t usually include the Continental breakfast spread (€35 a guest, €18 for six to 11 year-olds, free for under-sixes).
Also
Two of the hotel’s hideaways (one Millésime, one Merveilleuse) are specially adapted for guests with mobility issues. And there’s an elevator too.
At the hotel
Private lake and electric boats (manned by staff only), leafy grounds, pontoon, spa with hammam and fitness room, concierge, charged laundry service, free WiFi. In rooms: Flatscreen TV, 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 a hammam and treatment rooms (some for couples) in the château, where semi-precious Gemology products and Millésime’s own plant-based brand ‘éc(h)o’ 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, steaming yourself in the hammam 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.
Pet‐friendly
Dogs – or cats, if that’s the way you lean – are very welcome at the hotel and can stay for an extra charge of €15 a pet, each day. And they'll get a mat and bowl to use during their stay. See more pet-friendly hotels in French Basque Country.
Children
There’s a dedicated family lodge (Intemporels) 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-6s and there's some baby kit..