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Key
Facts :
| Nearest
town : |
Hossegor
town centre 1km but other bars, restaurants & shops 250m |
| Type
of location : |
Seaside apartments just a few yards from the sand |
| No.
of bedrooms : |
Studio bedroom with double sofa-bed, bunks beds and additional single too |
| Sleeping
capacity : |
up to 4 |
| No.
of bathrooms : |
1x shower room with WC
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| Style
of property : |
Les Terrasses de l'Ocean is a typical seaside apartment block seen in many resorts in France. It's a 1970s design so not particularly pleasing on the eye, although it is scheduled for a re-paint in 2009! But, once inside, the apartment finish is tasteful and modern. |
| Quality
guide : |
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Prices : |
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» Check availability & prices for this property GO
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» Rental
price includes bed linen (beds made for arrival) bathroom towels, heating, electricity, gas, water.
Optional extras:
-Mid-stay clean (80 EUR) - please pre-book and pay locally
-Exit cleaning service (80 EUR) - please pre-book and pay locally
-Babysitting is usually possible too - c.15 EUR per hour
-Central heating, if required, is 75 EUR per week - pay locally
» Security deposit is held by Alternative Aquitaine on the owner's behalf and returned to you within 14 days
of departure assuming no breakages, damages or extra cleaning
required.
» Read important information
about security
deposits and insurance |
| Linen
Arrangements : |
Bed
linen and bathroom towels provided with the rental. Spare bedding is available in the flat |
| Cleaning
Arrangements : |
The flat will be cleaned prior to you arrival and must be left in a similar condition on departure. You can pre-book cleaning services if you wish.
» Read important information about cleaning
|
| Arrival
& Departure : |
Arrive 5pm Saturday. Depart by 10am Saturday. Flexible
changeover in mid and low season.
»
Read important information about arrivals
& departures |
| Nearest
beach : |
Hossegor
Plage Notre Dame 50metres |
| Nearest
boulangerie : |
1km in the town centre (NB local cafes will serve breakfast - 250m). There are many varied restaurants within a few minutes' stroll of the apartment, plus cafes too |
| Nearest
airport : |
Biarritz
40 mins; Bilbao, Bordeaux & Pau 2 hrs (approx) |
| Nearest
ferry port : |
Bilbao
2 hrs; Santander 4 hrs; St Malo 8 hrs (approx) |
| Swimming
pool : |
No |
| Facilities
& Equipment : |
> dvd player with projector screen
> internet access
> washing machine, dishwasher, fridge, cooker, microwave, BBQ, cot |
| Suitability
for children : |
With it's cool, surf vibe, Hossegor is perfect for teenagers. The flat, though, is best suited to a young family with 1 or 2 kids who can use the bunk beds and be sleeping in the same room as the parents. The beach is just a few steps away which is a real treat for kids |
| Suitability
for infants : |
Cot
provided for infants. Small patio terrace is enclosed and at ground level
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| Things
to see & do : |
Do: Beaches,
surfing, tennis, lakes, golf, cycling, horse-riding.
See: Bayonne, Biarritz, Basque Country, Pyrénées,
Spain |
| House
'rules' : |
No
pets and no smoking please |
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Location
: Map
Ref B5
Hossegor (pronounced "oz-gor")
is in the Sud Landes area of south west France, not far from Biarritz.
The area is dominated by its landscape of ocean, lakes and pine
forests, creating one big outdoor playground!
The apartment is in the Les Terrasses de l'Océan - a collection of mostly holiday apartments situated at the Plage Notre Dames, the southern-most stretch of beach at Hossegor. The marina entrance here separates Hossegor from neighbouring Capbreton.
Technically, the address is actually Capbreton, yet the location is on the Hossegor side of the marina. It's just a minute's walk to reach the sand, less than 5 minutes to the bars, cafes and nightlife at Place du Landais (Plage Centrale) and 10 minutes walk to the heart of Hossegor (lagoon and town centre shops).
You can stroll along the marina walkway (or cycle) as an alternative route into town. In fact, from the flat, you can walk out of the door and follow the marina to the lagoon without having to cross a road. Hossegor town centre has some very tasteful shops, good cafés, lots of restaurants and a good sprinkling of surf boutiques too.
Hossegor benefits from good transport links - the autoroute is 8
kms and this provides easy access north to Bordeaux and south to
Biarritz and Spain. There is a good choice of regional airports
with Biarritz (40 mins) being the closest.
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Accommodation
:
We have been in touch with the owners - Rob and Megan - of Studio de l'Océan for 18 months or so. They first contacted us when they began looking to buy a holiday flat in the area. We helped advise them on location, and gave guidance on what rents well, as well as the things to avoid.
In fact, we don't normally take on studio apartments. But we decided to do so in this case because the owners have made such a good job of renovating it, and of course because the location is so appealing.
Throughout the apartment you will see examples of Rob's hand-carved oak furnishings - wood that he has felled, milled and turned himself. The oak, sycamore and cedar furniture really help to set this apartment aside from the rest.
Originally a 1-bedroomed flat, the decision was taken to remove
several walls in order to make the apartment more light and spacious
- it has to be said that many French apartments that we visit (and invariably
reject) are simply too dark and miserable to consider! At 40m2 in total (interior space), this studio flat is the size of many 2 bedroom French
apartments. The entire flat was re-decorated in Spring 2008.
The living room has a sofa, a separate 140cm double bed, a 90cm single bed (stowed underneat the double) plus bunk beds. However, the top bed is narrow (75cm) and more useful as a bit of storage. For comfort, we recommend no more than 3-4 people share the apartment.
The room also features a dvd player with 8'x6' projector screen plus wireless internet access. Note there is no TV in the flat as so far it's proved impossible to get a decent reception.
The flat has a large shower room which has been newly fitted with shower and large sink plus WC.
Most of the kitchenette has been gutted and contains: washing machine, dishwasher, fridge, cooker, microwave.
Outside, the flat benefits from a large (32m2) patio area made private by a surrounding hedge. On the patio is a hand-carved picnic table and bench.
A BBQ is provided. A travel cot is also available.
N.B. Just a word of caution so there are no surprises when you arrive: the main entrance to the apartment is via a communal stairwell - it's a little dark and uninspiring (typical of French seaside apartment blocks), but it's only one flight of stairs to the apartment and once inside, it's a completely different story. The owners are investigating direct access to their flat from the patio (which is at ground level) but at this stage we are not certain if that will be successful.
There is no dedicated car parking space but the large car park that serves the apartment is only a minute away and usually has spaces even in the height of the season.
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Guide
:
Hossegor is one of those seaside towns whose population swells exponentially
in the high season. It is a town that has a lot to offer: boutique
shopping, great bars and restaurants, world-famous surfing beaches,
a lovely golf course ranked in the Top 50 in France and a beautiful
lake for safe bathing. It’s little wonder, therefore, that
the town is busy. The remarkable thing is that it's something of
a French (and Spanish) secret; unless you're a dedicated surfer,
the chances are you won't have heard of Hossegor.
In the 1930s, Hossegor attracted an avant-garde fraternity and the
area around the lake became something of an artists’ community.
Plush villas and grand houses were built on the lakeside and in
the forests. Today, Hossegor is best-known for its legendary waves,
good enough to warrant the hosting of World Pro surf tournament
each year, in August. In actual fact, the best time to surf here
is in the Autumn.
Like most of the south west coast, Hossegor is something of an outdoor
playground. Take your pick from surfing, canoeing, sailing,
cycling, tennis, horse-riding and golf
to name a few. Golfers will enjoy the area.
There is a cracking 1930s-built golf course (with lovely, traditional clubhouse) in Hossegor itself - expect to pay 60 EUR for a round. There's an even better course just a couple of kms up the road - Golf de Seignosse. The green fee is similar and it's a wonderful course - a 'must' for golf-lovers staying in this area. Please take a look at our Aquitaine Golf page for more info. There are
other great courses within 45 minutes drive including Moliets and
Biarritz le Phare.
Cyclists can enjoy the many safe forest tracks that connect between
the towns along the coast. Sailing enthusiasts should head for the
Capbreton Marina - 5 kms south of Hossegor. Being so close to the
Pays Basque border, sporting life also includes the legendary game
of pelota. You can watch a game at the fronton
in Hossegor.
Close to the casino in Hossegor, there's a heated outdoor public swimming pool (seasonal opening dates - please check with the Hossegor Tourist Office for details).
We wouldn’t blame you for refusing to step foot out of Hossegor
for your entire holiday. However, the area is rich in attractions
so here are just a few suggestions for day-trips:
• Biarritz and St Jean de Luz.
Less than an hour’s drive south are the sophisticated resorts
of Biarritz and St Jean de Luz, the south Atlantic’s
competition to the Côte d’Azur. Both provide excellent
beaches, cuisine and up-market shopping as well as a
good introduction to the Spanish-influenced Pays Basque.
If you have time, drop into the regional capital, Bayonne.
Famed for its ham and its chocolates, Bayonne was under
English rule for 300 years. It is much under-rated and worth a trip
to see its cathedral and walk its ancient streets.
• Spa and thalassotherapy.
In France, the south west is known for its rejuvenating waters,
both salt and fresh varieties. Dax is the official spa capital of France and is a 40 minute drive from
Hossegor Lac. The Côte Basque – Hendaye,
St Jean de Luz and Biarritz - is home
to numerous thalassotherapy centres.
• Lakes. The freshwater lakes that punctuate
the forest provide a great alternative to the ocean and safer
bathing for children. Rather like the Lake District in England,
each lake, or étang, has its own atmosphere.
Apart from the local Lac d’Hossegor, there are others nearby
to try: étangs Blanc, Soutsons and Léon; at the latter you can canoe from
the lake along the serene Courant d’Huchet to the
ocean’s edge.
• Chalosse Country. To the south of
Dax and Mont-de-Marsan you start to enter rural Gascony,
which means several things: foie gras, floc de Gascogne
(sherry) and a pleasantly slow pace of life. The food is
marvellous, the towns are half asleep except for market days, and
the countryside is entirely relaxing. Montfort-en-Chalosse, Mugron and St. Sever are good
stopping points.
• Basque Country. The delightful rolling
green hills and picture-perfect villages of the Pays Basque are
a must. Ainhoa, Sare, Espelette and Ascain all perfectly demonstrate Basque village
life. A little further south and you can hike in the
mountain air of the Pyrénées.
• Spain. It’s about 75 minutes to the
border and only a short distance further to the majestic seaside
city of San Sebastian, the Spanish
Basque country’s equivalent of Biarritz. The more adventurous
could drive another hour or so further along the
northern coast to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim.
For further information try the links below. There is an excellent
tourist office in Hossegor too. Please note that we cannot be held
responsible for the content of third party sites.
Hossegor
Tourist Office
Les
Landes Tourist Office
Learn
About the Basque Country
UK
Tourist Office for France
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| Last
updated : 25.11.08 ja |
