To simply be

Hotel Indarra (Arbonne)

GETAWAYS • Basque Country

In the green folds of the Basque countryside, a stone’s throw from the surf and sunsets of Guéthary and Biarritz, Indarra stands like a vast, serene holiday home.

The house feels lived in and loved. Communal rooms hum softly with the sound of quiet work or shared laughter. In the living room, a homemade cake waits for the afternoon goûter. Art books are stacked high, board games ready for long evenings by the fire. Every surface speaks of calm: beige linens, pale woods, touches of coco-fiber that are soft on the eyes, soft on the skin.

The bedding is a small miracle. Sinking into it feels like diving into a cappuccino, all warmth and foam.

Mornings begin simply but perfectly: fresh fruit, local cheese and charcuterie, good bread, and homemade juices and infusions. Throughout the day, tea and coffee are always available, as if the house itself wants you to linger.

The service is impeccable, light-handed. The young team is dynamic, kind, and thoughtful, always there when needed, never overstepping. It’s hospitality with intuition. The buanderie, a laundry and steaming space open to guests, adds to the feeling of freedom, of being at home but better.

Step outside and the landscape unfolds in all directions: the ocean to the west, the Pyrenean foothills to the east, La Rhune watching from above. You’re 10 minutes from the airport and barely 15 from anywhere worth being: Biarritz, Bidart, Guéthary.

The pool stretches wide and dark beneath tall trees, flanked by a yoga room where stillness is the main treatment. The spa completes the experience: massages, sauna, hammam, and ice bath that invite both vigor and surrender.

Indarra isn’t about excess or spectacle. It’s about intention, in design, in rhythm, in the way it invites you to simply be. A place suspended between land and sea, work and rest, community and solitude — the Basque art of balance, lived beautifully, and in the present moment. –Candice Chemel

→ Hotel Indarra (Arbonne) • 1 route de Saint-Pée • rooms from 166 €/wknd night.