102 - Villa Senix  St Jean de Luz

In our opinion

What makes Villa Senix a great holiday rental

Villa Senix is one of three very high quality villas (along with Villa Akotz and Villa Myarco) built in a large residential plot 300m from Lafitenia beach, and is a superb example of contemporary luxury. It has four bedrooms, each with an en-suite shower room, sauna, very generously proportioned living areas, lovely terrace, deck & pool area with ocean views. Great local beach, excellent neighbourhood restaurant, surf school, plus St Jean de Luz a short drive away. A superb way to holiday in the French Basque coast in style.

Best for:
One or two families not wanting to compromise on the quality of the accommodation, nor the attractiveness of the views outside.

Suitability for:

Toddlers - cot & high chair available; pool is secured by an alarm. St Jean de Luz bay has beaches with same bathing for small children.
Teenagers - older kids can enjoy the independence of walking to the beach, or catching a bus to St Jean de Luz. Plenty of activities in the bay to enjoy.
Reduced mobility - the villa is located sloping grounds; there is a bedroom suite at ground-floor level; this level opens directly onto the rear terrace.

Anything to watch out for?
The property grounds are spacious (2500m2), however they are not fenced from the neighbouring properties. We do not consider this an issue as the properties have been positioned so as not to overlook one another, and there are natural boundaries which make the separate plots obvious.

Why St Jean de Luz?
St Jean de Luz is a charming, very attractive sea-side town and Basque fishing port, known for a lovely town-centre beach and a superb choice of restaurants. The Côte Basque is a wonderful, warm and vibrant coastline of south west France, a genuine mix of Spanish and French culture and a great alternative to the more famous Côte d'Azur.

Accommodation

Superb, spacious, contemporary villa with ocean views, lovely, natural local beach just 300m away

The interior throughout is high quality, neutral, stylish, as are all equipment and furnishings - it is like walking into your own contemporary luxury boutique hotel.

Inside: downstairs
A spacious entrance hall leads into an attractively furnished open-plan living area with fireplace, with views onto the rear terrace & pool area.

The sitting area includes two stylish settees, giant flat-screen TV (130 cm) and DVD player.

Adjacent to this area is a large dining area which also overlooks the rear terrace & pool, with a smart, modern table seating eight. Next to the dining area is beautifully-finished, fully-equipped semi-pro kitchen, including American-style fridge-freezer, gas range, dishwasher.

The master bedroom suite is downstairs - a luxury 40m2 room with: 160 cm double bed, terrace with ocean views, dressing room, toilet, spa-style shower room and sauna.

Separately there is a laundry room (with washing machine & dryer), and guest's toilet.

Inside: upstairs

Upstairs is a luxury family suite (60m2) comprising: 160 cm double bed, reading area, bathroom & shower plus dressing room which, with its 130 cm bed, doubles as an adjoining bedroom for 1 or 2 children.

There are two further high quality double bedrooms upstairs, each with 160cm double beds, dressing area with extensive storage, en-suite shower room & toilet.

Outside:

Large sliding windows downstairs open onto a covered rear terrace with plancha (electric barbecue); stone steps lead down to the deck, lovely pool and with ocean views beyond.

The pool is a good size - 12m x 6m - and is protected by an alarm. An electric cover keeps the heat in at night.

For groups of more than 12 people, a lovely neighbouring property, Villa Myarco, can be also rented as a 'maison d'amis' for up to 8 guests.

Pictures speak louder than words and hopefully the photos of this property speak for themselves. It is truly one of the smartest holiday rental properties we have visited.

Prices & Availability

Location

GPS: (43.4145640092299, -1.62497878074645)

We endeavour to be as accurate as possible using Google maps but some error is possible.

Things to Do & See

Nearby Activities
Surfing · Kitesurfing · Windsurfing · Sailing · Water-skiing · Jet-skiing · Golf · Cycling · Horse-riding · Fishing · Spa & thalassotherapy · Pelote Basque · Course Landaise · Degustation ·

Day-trip Ideas

• Tour Basque Country villages: Ascain, Ainhoa, Sare, Espelette
• Visit Bayonne, the under-rated ‘capital’ of the Pays Basque
• Cross the border into Spain - San Sebastian, Pamplona & the Guggenheim
• Explore the Pyreneees National Park for its wildlife, walks & scenery
• Taste the glitz & glamour of 'Belle-Epoque' Biarritz

Our Personal Highlights

• An evening stroll of St Jean de Luz's bustling streets, before drinks & supper!
• Sampling the pintxos - Basque tapas - in St Jean de Luz or Ciboure old town
• Catching a game of Basque pelote at one of the village frontons
• A visit to Ainhoa or Sare - both 'picture perfect' Basque Country villages
• An early-evening apéritif watching the Lafitenia surfers, followed by an alfresco seafood dinner at Ostalamer

The Local Area: St Jean de Luz

Whether its beaches, boutiques, culture, restaurants or festivals you are looking for, this town is hard to beat. Stylish but without the pretence of the Riviera, St Jean is an authentic and colourful seaside town and working fishing port. It has plenty to offer discerning visitors of all ages. In particular, this is a great place to eat out - St Jean de Luz is recognised as the capital of Basque cuisine and is noted for its seafood (it is one of Rick Stein’s favourite places).

To the French, St Jean de Luz is one of the nation’s coastal jewels. Beyond France however, this delightful holiday resort and fishing port is known by surprisingly few people – but it is adored by those that do.

With the more famous resort of Biarritz just a few kms up the coast, St Jean de Luz has lived – contentedly – in the shadows of its more illustrious neighbour. To the Basques of St Jean de Luz, Biarritz is practically a foreign land!

In fact, arriving in St Jean de Luz you might well wonder if you are in France at all. This is where France meets Spain and the mix on this side of the Pyrénées creates a distinctly different ambience. This is French Basque Country.

The relative secrecy of this far south western corner of France has served St Jean de Luz well. Whilst it is an ever-popular French holiday destination, the town is also a working port and bustling shopping centre and consequently it is alive and vibrant all year round.

St Jean de Luz suits the discerning traveller: whilst the sandy beaches are excellent for families, this is not a “bucket and spade” resort - the Basques and the fishermen would never allow this! It’s for those who want to experience active and varied days and relax in the evening and enjoy a meal in one of the many brasseries and bistrots which line the town’s enchanting back streets.

The location is enviable, set in a horse-shoe bay with a beautiful sandy beach and a backdrop of the western Pyrénées, peaked by La Rhune, the mythical Basque mountain. This combination of ocean and mountain landscapes is a unique draw and also helps to keep St Jean de Luz surprisingly mild in winter.

More than that, the landscape and vibrant Basque architecture produce a combination of light and colour that gives St Jean de Luz a special, intangible, quality that is matched in only a few other places in France. Little wonder it’s one of our favourite resorts.

The local beaches - Erromardie, Lafitenia, Mayarkoenia and Cenitz (Senix) are all better known as surfing beaches. Erromardie is the best of these for families, but for young ones, le Grande Plage in St Jean de Luz is the one to head for.

Several golf courses, fishing, sailing, tennis, several spas and horse-riding are also available nearby.

Customer Reviews

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Mr Murphy, stayed in 2011