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Lodging opinions-basque August 2022

Posted by on

I am struggling with where to stay. We have 2 nights (2 adults and 16 year old) Aug 2022. We have a car and will be coming from Bordeaux and then will be headed to Meze. I have a place booked in Bayonne through Booking.com but am nervous as they have not responded to a request confirm.

We like to be close to restaurants or cafes for dinner, we want to visit the coastal villages. This is an area of France I have not spent much time in, so feeling less confident of what to do, where to stay.

My ideal place would be a friendly table d'hote with a pool or ac, free or easy parking and easy access to public transportation. Price range under 450€ for 2 nights (excluding dinner).

Interested in input, recs and ideas.

One of my biggest question is what is rhe best way to see the region, in a couple days-car or train/bus? Is it better to find a place with central access to public transportation? If so, do these beautiful small villages inland from the coast offer frequent transportation? Do they have parking near the stations or do we need a place within walking distance?

Thanks for your opinions!

Posted by
11570 posts

Stay in St- Jean de Luz. You can easily visit the charming Basque villages in the foothills of the Pyrenees from there. Villages to visit: Saré, Ainhoa, Ascain, Espelette and more. We were renting a car which made it very easy to do. The villages are quite small and I doubt they offer many transportation choices but do not know for sure. Read Michael Kurlsnsky’s “The Basque History of the world “ before your trip to help you understand these people and their culture.

Posted by
821 posts

Did you not receive a confirmation of your booking in Bayonne directly from booking.com? They have always confirmed when I booked. Since you booked it through booking.com, communicate with the hotel through them. If you didn't receive a confirmation, click on the question mark on the home page for email and phone options.

Posted by
3 posts

I did receive it from booking.com but not from the business (an apartment, not hotel). The other reservations I have made through Booking.com I have received confirmation from the lodging and Booking.com says i should receive a confirmation email from the lodging site. I have reached out to the lodging twice, with no reply. I just don't want to scramble when I get there.

Posted by
1194 posts

Hello from Wisconsin,
Have you looked at the website Gites de France? Most of the time they want to rent out for a week at a time. I found the accommodations and prices so good I have rented for the week and stayed four nights. It was still quite the bargain. I informed them in advance that we would be exiting early.

Gites de France as a website is a bit clunky. Still it rewards your time. August might be a hard time to book. Last time I looked, a map will appear on the site and you click on the department you want to stay within. Then you can browse to your heart's content. What I found is these are real rentals by owners or their proxies. It is for rent when they aren't using it. A warning: it is designed for French vacationers. So make sure sheets and towels are supplied. Locals throw their sheets/towels into their car and drive to the rental. And then take their linens home when they leave.

We have yet to have a clunker of a rental. We still talk about a cottage we rented seven years ago. I think Snow White was a previous owner. (no sign of the little guys)

wayne iNWI

Posted by
3 posts

Thank you everyone! I now have 2 reservations- a 2 bedroom apt in old quarter of bayonne, and a hotel room a block from the beach in st. Jean de luz.

I keep going back and forth. Both will be wonderful.

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