Essentially
Translate Hortensia du Lac into English and you have ‘Hydrangeas by the Sea’, a name that evokes a twee BnB, not a hotel that those seeking a cool factor were desperate to book this Summer. Call it climate change or escaping crowds but the Atlantic Coast of Southern France is becoming increasingly more popular than it was over a century ago and the hotel embodies this moment. A converted historic Basque-style villa turned stylish surf lodge that straddles a unique position between a beach and ‘lake’ in the nostalgic but newly alluring beach town of Hossegor (45 mins from Biarritz and 2 hours from Bordeaux).
The Back Story
Much like the town and surrounding historic beach homes, the original building was built in the 1930s and it operated as a hotel before the hotel group Les Domaines de Fontenille bought the property in 2019. The owners cleverly anticipated the new moment for this languid and, until very recently, less fashionable family vacation town. They have created a seriously good hotel under the guise of a ‘surf lodge’ that is faithful to the entirely unique local vernacular and captures the contemporary cool of ‘le surf’.
The Design
The look of the hotel reflects traditional Basque and Landes architecture with white, thick concrete and pine needle green painted wood beams and then blends them with a mod aesthetic. The louche public spaces are decorated with surf ephemera that could be a touch too millennial try-hard and then the gardens full of hydrangeas convey a history of proper poshness. It should not work but with a deft mix of the timely and the timelessness, it only gives a chilled sophistication. Most of the rooms overlook the ‘lake’ and instead of being overdressed and overwrought, they focus on simple white-on-white comforts that make the traditional arched windows the star.
The Surroundings
A temperate, green environment where families can enjoy as much an energetic atmosphere as a languid one. The hotel is set amongst beach houses under pine forests, the dunes and established gardens. The historic Basque-style houses are incredibly exotic for those who haven't seen them before and riding bikes through the quiet lanes and house peeping is a worthwhile endeavor. Rather than being perched on the beach (3 mins away by bike) or in the dunes, the hotel and surrounding enclave sit on a thin peninsula between Lac d'Hossegor and the bay of Biscay. The hotel overlooks the tidal “lake” - technically an estuary at the mouth of the Le Bouret River - and is most easily accessed by a bridge. The town of Hossegor itself has a mix of restaurants, small shops and typically joyful summer stops like ice cream vendors and teenage surfer shops. In terms of the star reason to visit the beach, they are wide, dramatic beaches reminiscent of Cape Cod but more lively (and less frigid). Come here for the food too - with its culture of wooden surf shacks shucking oysters and serving fries.
The Scene
Not quite ‘barefoot luxury’ but about as close to that as you’ll find in France. The immediate impression is that guests come from a Parisian pool of repeat visitors who return for a real break. It is a very different crowd from the Cote D’Azur, very low-key, very understated and very, very French. The ‘scene’ is that there is no ‘scene’.
The Food & Drink
There is a phenomenon in the food world that has arisen in the last decade in beach towns around the world, great chefs who have done a surfing-inspired sea change. That has transformed food scenes from Byron Bay to Bali and now to Biarritz. Many fled Paris in the pandemic and coastal towns are all the better for it. Here, you get the feeling that the ‘gastronomic’ restaurant on the grounds is a beneficiary. Typically in France, five-star hotels attach fine dining aimed squarely at Michelin but here it feels less so. The food is contemporary and elevated and there is a streak of ambitious creativity there but the restaurant is also housed in what looks like a shed with tables on a wooden deck so it is not going for haute. Hooray! However, breakfast at Hortensia is better than it needs to be and welcome after an early morning surf or fuel for a long day at the beach. The Continental breakfast is always such a marker of care and here the bread is warm, the products are local and the coffee is great (no doubt thanks to the surfers).
The Rooms
We showed up at the door of the hotel on perhaps the busiest day of the year without a booking. The only room available (this hotel books out well in advance) was one vacated because the AC had petered out and was above the car park, but we were thrilled to get a room even so. The hotel team couldn’t have been nicer or managed expectations better around our situation, and in the end, it served to be a bonus. We opened the windows and felt the almost-misty Atlantic breeze and were reminded why, before the advent of AC, this was the holiday place to escape the heat of the city. We woke up feeling refreshed and as part of the place, not in an icy chamber. Of course, no other rooms had that hiccup and have a simplicity that belies their sophistication. Everything worked and was high quality and the white on white was serene. When we return (and we will) we’ll make sure to book rooms in the more historic section with a view of the namesake ‘lake’ and blooming Atlantic blue hydrangeas.
The Wellness
It has a spa, but the wellness here is the natural way that summer activities are part of its DNA. Surfing and swimming obviously, but also paddleboards at the ready and charming bikes that are everyone’s preferred mode of getting to the beach and the village.
