Latest news with #Biarritz
Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Surf, style, sun: the ultra chic French town just a short flight away
To me, Biarritz has always represented a certain faded French glamour. A favourite with the rich and famous since Napoleon first took to the waters in 1808, it's the sort of place an elderly Parisian might escape to with her poodle. The city has welcomed Coco Chanel, Ernest Hemingway and Charlie Chaplin, while Victor Hugo wrote he had never visited anywhere 'more pleasant and perfect'. Now you too can join the list of visitors, thanks to a twice weekly flight from Edinburgh to the tiny airport on the outskirts of the town. When it comes to places to stay, there is only really one address. Built by Napoleon III as a summer house for his wife, Empress Eugénie, Hôtel du Palais has been lavishly rebuilt and remodelled as one of Europe's grandest hotels. • 8 of the best beaches in Europe for summer 2025 Today it stands overlooking Biarritz's Grand Place like a beautiful clifftop wedding cake, its rooftop Tricolore fluttering on breezes blown in by the Atlantic. If you want to walk corridors frequented by Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, this is the place for you. The hotel is a short walk along the promenade from Biarritz itself. Passing the ice cream sellers you end up in the narrow cobbled streets of the old town where chic restaurants and designer shops sit alongside turreted villas and Basque style townhouses. We had dinner in Bouillon Hortense, a popular bistro just back from the beach, French classics with a real sense of generosity (our rum baba was served with a bottle of rum for topping up). Surfing is a big part of Biarritz's identity — people here are fluent in 'dude'. Seventy years ago an American screenwriter arrived to make a movie and looked out to sea. He immediately had his board shipped over from Los Angeles — and European surfing was born. This stretch of coast brims with cool cafés, bars and surfshops catering for the armies of wave-seekers who flock here from Australia and California. If barrels, backwash and reef breaks aren't your thing, there are good swimming spots too, patrolled by lifeguards. Plage du Port Vieux right in the centre of town is particularly serene and has a great bar called Eden Rock for sunset drinks. Those sunsets are not guaranteed, however: Atlantic coastal weather is notoriously fickle. Although cloudy weather provides a good excuse to walk the coastal path, as we did, from the lighthouse to the old fishing port, lined with great fish restaurants. From here we visited the Halles des Biarritz food market, bursting with oysters, prawns, cheese, patisserie and lucky locals doing their daily shopping. This is a tourist town that still manages to feel utterly authentic. In a tiny store called Art of Soule the owner explained, with great passion, his mission to revive traditional espadrille making while supporting local surfwear brands. He also recommended Bistrot Du Haou on Rue Gambetta where we found an excellent two-course lunch for €20 and an exuberant crowd enjoying bottles of red and delicious local steaks. Next day, we rented electric bikes and set off south on the corniche coastal path. It was an easy cycle to the splendidly named Plage de la Milady and then on to Guéthary with its great choice of village restaurants and splendid views along the rocky coast. It's also a stop on the rail line if you don't fancy the cycle back. Bikes returned, rest earned, we hit the stunning Hôtel du Palais pool with its clifftop views of the waves. Reading the latest Robert Harris novel, I nearly fell off my sunlounger. In the book, the author recounts what happened when Herbert Asquith won the 1910 General Election. Since Edward VII was once again at his favourite holiday spot in France, the new prime minister had to catch the boat train so he could travel to kiss the hand of the monarch. That took place in a salon, you guessed it, at the Hôtel du Palais. Good enough for all the big names of the past hundred years — and definitely good enough for us. Stephen Jardine was a guest of Hôtel du Palais (B&B doubles from £388, Fly to Biarritz from Paris from about £90 return (
The 42
5 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
New Munster jersey pays tribute to breakthrough European Cup triumph
MUNSTER HAVE REVEALED a major throwback look as they released their new home jersey for the next two seasons. The new kit celebrates the 20th anniversary of the province's first European Cup triumph over Biarritz in the 2005/06 season. Advertisement The jersey will debut on Sunday as the Munster Women's team wear it in their Interprovincial Championship opener against Connacht at Virgin Media Park (4.15pm kick-off). A player-fit jersey costs €125, a regular replica retails for €95, and a kids' jersey is available for €70. The navy shorts cost €45. The jersey will be available in-store and online from Thursday, August 21.
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
In pictures: Munster release new '20th anniversary' kit for next two seasons
Munster Rugby have released their new home jersey for the next two seasons, and it bears a certain similarity to a previous favourite. The latest Adidas-branded kit celebrates the 20th anniversary of Munster's first European Cup triumph in the 2005/06 campaign. It's an old-school design - featuring a retro-style full collar on the men's jersey - that will provide a nostalgic look back at times gone by for fans of the province. Munster scrum-half Craig Casey sporting the new threads. Pic: Munster Rugby The new threads consist of a red jersey paired with navy shorts, matching the collar and detailing across the shoulders and arms, which was present on the kit worn by the Declan Kidney-coached side that beat Biarritz in the 2006 Heineken Cup final. Denis Leamy - current Munster coach under new boss Clayton McMillan - and member of that 2006 side, had this to say upon first viewing: "Retro.. Old-school, isn't it? It looks very familiar, actually." Former Munster back Barry Murphy has fairly impressed with the design, too. "Woah, that's emotional," he said. "That is a throwback and a half!" Munster out-half Jack Crowley in the new home kit. Pic: Munster Rugby The Munster women's team will sport the new jersey for the first time in their Interprovincial Championship opener against Connacht at Virgin Media Park on Sunday, and supporters can pre-order their own from 9am on Thursday, August 7, or purchase at Lifestyle Sports from Thursday, August 21. The new Munster Rugby home jersey 😍#SUAF 🔴 | @adidas — Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) August 7, 2025
The Sun
29-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Ryder Cup star, 35, refuses prize money as he wins first tournament after coming out of shock retirement
GOLF star Victor Dubuisson was victorious as he played his first event since retiring two years ago. The former Ryder Cup star, 35, hung up his clubs after growing disillusioned with the travel involved at the top of the game. 2 2 Dubuisson has spent much of the last two years coaching at a golf resort in Tenerife. But he showed that he's still got it over the weekend as he entered the Biarritz Cup on the Alps Tour. Dubuisson overcame Jorge Maicas to triumph in a play-off round. Following his win, the Frenchman said: "Those putts are never easy – especially uphill ones, which I don't particularly like – and I had a few more than usual today. "But once you hit a good putt, it's out of your hands whether it drops or not. That last one was an excellent putt to finish with." Dubuisson earned £6,600 in prize money for his Biarritz triumph. But amazingly he decided not to take up his winnings. Having been invited to take part in the event by a sponsor, Dubuisson felt it was only right to waive his prize money. So runner-up Maicas collected the £6,600 instead. It remains to be seen whether this win could tempt Dubuisson away from his cushy job at the Abama Golf Resort. Dubuisson previously played to a high level, helping Europe win the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in 2014 and earning four professional wins. Eventually, however, the rigours of life on tour prompted him to stop. Opening up on retirement, Dubuisson revealed last year: "I was feeling good with my game but I was just feeling bad with all the travelling and I felt like I wanted to do something else. "I was not mentally in a good place. After 13 years I was tired of it and wanted to have a different life."
Yahoo
27-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Victor Dubuisson returns! Frenchman wins on Alps Tour, refuses paycheck
Victor Dubuisson, a former DP World Tour champion and 2014 European Ryder Cup star who retired at age 33, played his first competitive golf since September 2023 and made it look as easy as riding a bicycle. The 35-year-old Frenchman returned to the Alps Tour, a developmental circuit, and carded rounds of 62-65-61 at Golf de Biarritz Le Phare in his homeland. Then he birdied the second playoff hole to edge Spain's Jorge Maicas and win the Biarritz Cup. But according to Dubuisson declined to accept his winner's share of the €47,500 prize purse after being in the field as a sponsor's exemption. Calling it 'a gesture of personal principle, Dubuisson refused his €7,600 winner's check, which went to Maicas. Dubuisson was the No. 1 amateur in 2009 before turning pro and had the potential to do the same in the pay-for-play ranks but the life of a touring pro wasn't for him. 'I feel like I've reached my limits and I know I can find pleasure elsewhere, I'm convinced of that,' the enigmatic Dubuisson said during an interview in December 2023 with France's L'Equipe. 'I spent 15 years alone on the Tour, curled up on myself. I missed contact with people. So it's just simple human relationships around golf that I want to have.' It appears his game has little rust and time will tell if this Alps Tour victory kickstarts a full-fledged comeback bid. 'It is unclear at this stage whether Dubuisson plans to build on this success and target a full comeback,' reported, noting that for the past 18 months he has been running clinics for holiday makers in Tenerife at the Abama Golf Resort. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Victor Dubuisson returns, wins on Alps Tour, refuses prize money
