But where to stop? I went out with the rough plan to surf along the coast that turned out to be the perfect way to explore the beaches and towns from Moliets south.
12 Best Things To Do on the Cote d’Argent
1. Base yourself in Moliets-et-Maa
There are more surf schools than you can imagine but I’d recommend Ecole de Surf du Golf. This one runs down on the slightly farther, wilder beach Plage des Chenes Lieges. It’s the only surf school to play in the area, so there’s no fighting for waves. The beach is part of a nature reserve and is a raw beaut – my landmark was a battered piece of old drift wood, the only spot on the shore.
Bayonne is somewhere I almost missed but I’m so glad I didn’t. It’s a medieval city in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques, where the ocean and mountains converge. It is at the exact point where the Nive and Adour rivers meet, making for a beautiful setting separating Grand and Petit Bayonne. Narrow streets characterise the old town, with its Gothic-style cathedral and Château Vieux castle. It’s quiet, almost sleepy, after the hubbub of Hossegor and Biarritz but on each long street you’ll likely stumble upon a packed bar or tempting restaurant.
We can’t forget the Basque culture when it comes to food, and for the best pure Basque food experience, head into Hossegor’s inner food market. Tables litter the roofless market with busy waiters dashing round taking beer and wine orders.
Now golf really isn’t my thing, though I am finding it harder and harder to avoid. However, I do like a good lunch and a drink in a nice setting. And I don’t mind swiping at a few balls on the driving range to earn the lunch. Luckily, the Moliets-et-Maa lets holidayers do just this, offering free lessons as an introduction to golf on Saturdays. It’s not a stuffy golf club and there is a complete mix of players around.
Second is the Snack de la Plage on the dunes overlooking Messanges Beach. You can’t get a better location for a restaurant and the food is much more than café food. The setting is rustic, but you know it’s the place to be on a beautiful evening for sundown. Locals are sipping wine looking over the shimmering sea with surfers, perhaps their children, catching waves into the twilight hours.
I best stop now as I’m already looking at flights back here for Autumn. In short, eat lots – discover more food & water holes and let me know – relax in Moliets, bike your way around, and get in the ocean daily to unwind.
How to do it:
Hossegor Market is one of the best French markets in my memory, selling baskets, clothes, jewellery and most other things regional you’d like. Even better, this outdoor square leads to an inner food market (see below).
2. Hire a bike to get around
Hire a car and take a day trip or two from your tranquil base at Moliets along the coastline south of Biarritz.
You can pretty much yoga however you want to – yoga on the beach, yoga in your garden – I took a private session outside on the deck of my villa with Laetitia Lacaze from Yoga-Nature to stretch out some surfing stiffness and take a beat.
How to do it:
So, that’s my guide to the 12 best things to do in Cote d’Argent. Got any questions? Let me know in the comments below.
So, that’s my guide to the 12 best things to do in Cote d’Argent. Got any questions? Let me know in the comments below.
So, that’s my guide to the 12 best things to do in Cote d’Argent. Got any questions? Let me know in the comments below.
So, that’s my guide to the 12 best things to do in Cote d’Argent. Got any questions? Let me know in the comments below.
So, that’s my guide to the 12 best things to do in Cote d’Argent. Got any questions? Let me know in the comments below.
So, that’s my guide to the 12 best things to do in Cote d’Argent. Got any questions? Let me know in the comments below.
So, that’s my guide to the 12 best things to do in Cote d’Argent. Got any questions? Let me know in the comments below.
So, that’s my guide to the 12 best things to do in Cote d’Argent. Got any questions? Let me know in the comments below.
Trying the local wine (or spirit, even) wherever you’re on holiday is a must in my books. Some of my fondest French memories are of sipping €2 local orange-coloured rose in a remote village square waiting for shops to reopen after the long lunch hours, or ordering carafe upon carafe extra of red, not having to worry about the cost but willing evening meals to go on forever. So I was delighted to find out about Tursan and the rustic barn nearby village Messanges for wine tasting. La Cave des Vignerons de Tursan has been in Landes since 1958, but the first evidence of winemaking dates back to the 12th Century. Produced are AOP Tursan wines, IGP Landes and Chalosse, and a very unique wine grown in the sand.
11. Eat all of the French food
How to do it:
How to do it:
As mentioned above, there is a train that runs to Biarritz. Otherwise, hiring a car for a day or two is a good option for exploring.
Surfing: The reason I came to this wonderful coast line. The waves during the summer months around Moliets-et-Maa are small – perfect for learners and intermediates.
It’s perhaps a controversial thing to promote, but the foie gras from the region is simply sensational.
12. Hit up Hossegor’s inner food market
Biking is the way to get around here, with forest trails leading the 2km to the beach or to the strip of restaurants, coffee shops, bars and shops on Avenue de l’Ocean. It’s a natural area, not built up and honestly I was surprised at the hipster cafes – try AmaZone – beach bars and quality of restaurants that look so unassuming as you pull up.
How to do it:
South of Biarritz is Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a fishing town at the mouth of the Nivelle river that homes the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church, where Louis XIV married Marie-Therese of Spain in 1660.
Summer France premium villas cost £100 pp for a week in a 3-bedroom villa, sleeping up to 8 people (£801 total), in May.
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