Bordeaux and Beyond

Bordeaux has become the best rated place to visit in 2017 by The Lonely Planet and The Los Angeles Times. The region boast a variety of beautiful sceneries.

Bordeaux

Discover Bordeaux and beyond with Greens & Grapes! The region of Aquitaine is vast and offers a diverse range of scenery, from mountains to beaches. From Bordeaux, the capital of the region, you can climb the top of the Dune Du Pylat, play golf in the Medoc and ski in the Pyrenees all in one day!

From the grand facades of neo-classical 18th-century buildings and the wide and winding Garonne River to its cutesy boutiques and fine dining bistros and contemporary cafes, you will be spoilt for choice for places to visit. After twenty years of transformation, the city now dazzles: it has been granted World Heritage status and voted ‘The Best’.

Cité du Vin

One of the must-see attractions is the spectacular Cité du Vin, opened in June 2016, a cultural centre and museum dedicated to wine, offering tourists new interactive experiences.

Saint-Emilion

About 35 kilometres East of Bordeaux is the picturesque area of Saint-Emilion, one of the principal red wine areas of Bordeaux. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, narrow hilly streets lead you to fascinating Romanesque churches and ruins via underground catacombs dug into the hilly limestone.

Visit the medieval Saint-Emilion is a must! Dive into the history of the medieval city of Saint-Émilion by visiting one of its most picturesque monuments: the Cordeliers’ cloister. Listed as a Historical Monument, this relic of architecture presenting styles from the Romanesque, Gothic and Modern periods is full of history. Go down the galleries to the 17 meter deep underground caves to understand the traditional method of preparation of the Cordeliers’ sparkling wines.

Follow the tour by visiting the Monolithic church and suck the atmosphere by walking the town beautiful cobbled streets. If you have little time, we highly recommend you book a guided tour by going to the Tourist Board in the heart of the town.

Arcachon Bay

Less than an hour southwest from Bordeaux is the stunning bay of Arcachon, one of the largest natural bays in France with Pilat the biggest dune in Europe. Voted the second most beautiful beach in the World by the Guardian in February 2016, the bay is famous for its preserved natural beauty, charming villages, oyster farms and eateries.

Take a boat ride from Arcachon town to Cap-Ferret. There, you can visit the famous lighthouse and stop for a glass of wine and some oysters. Cap-Ferret is one of the most visited beaches in Arcachon and gives you the most beautiful view of Dune du Pylat.

A boat trip on the Arcachon bay eating oysters and drinking entre-deux-mers white wine!

Les Landes and Hossegor

Traveling south of Arcachon, you can discover the many attractions of the Landes; a plethora of long, uncrowded sandy beaches and pretty pine forests perfect for walking and cycling await. On this coast there is the town of Hossegor, an ideal place to relax for those who like golfing and surfing. The beaches have a very fine sand, the pine forests stretch for miles. The village is very quaint with basque-landais houses, and a casino built to reflect the 1920’s style. It’s become one of the best spots for surf with famous international competitions. The Golf d’Hossegor is a great stop-over for golfers.

Visit the Lighthouse of Contis near Mimizan to get on one hand the immensity of the ocean, and on the other the vast Landes forest. With its tower of 38 meters, it is the only lighthouse of the Landes hoisting it’s lantern 50 metres above sea level. Once in Hossegor, we recommend you go and see the the lake of Hossegor with its beautiful fauna and unspoiled nature. We recommend you hire bikes from Hossegor town and ride amongst the pine forest to the lake. Fancy a great lunch over-looking the lake, just contact us we’ll be delighted to book you our favourite place.

Whether you’re based in Bordeaux or Biarritz, great golf courses and great beaches are within easy reach of each other to ensure rest and relaxation at every stage of your holiday in south west France. And Les Landes is one of the best regions halfway to enjoy the best surf and turf holiday. We advise you book yourself a one-hour surf course in Soorts-Hossegor the thriving surf spot with an international reputation for its great waves and competitions. See more.

Biarritz and the Basque Country

The best way to discover the Basque Country on either side of the Pyrenees along slide the Atlantic coast is to spend the time to visit the French and Spanish towns and beautiful countryside. Everything invites you to discover its history, nature and its unique culture. And all of this, accompanied by its incomparable wine and gastronomy.

The contrasting styles of Bayonne and Biarritz are worth discovering if you come and visit the French Basque Country. The seaside resort of Biarritz is an elegant getaway ever since Napoléon III and his wife Eugénie arrived during the mid-19th century. The elegant villas and listed art-deco residences are worth visiting. Further North only ten minutes away from Biarritz is Bayonne a fortified city with great history you can discover at the museum of Basque History.

If you only have a day to spend to visit The Basque Country, we recommend you spend the morning in Saint-Jean-De-Luz and Biarritz and have lunch in San Sebastian. Walk around the old town and try the famous local tapas Pintxos going from bar to bar.

Dordogne

Inland just one hour away from Bordeaux is the vast region of Dordogne reputed for its variety and beauty: with the most picturesque villages in France (Rocamadour, Sarlat, Bergerac to name a few), discover the heart of French heritage and charm.

The Dordogne features an impressive built heritage: Romanesque churches, farms, wine estates, manors and of course the ‘1001 castles’ that the Dordogne is known for. Perched high above the Dordogne Valley, Beynac castle conceals splendid fortified dwellings that face off with Castelnaud castle’s stout towers. Don’t miss Hautefort castle, surrounded by classical French-style gardens; Monbazillac castle, in the heart of the vineyards… And the list goes on.

We highy recommend you visit the prehistorical cave of Lascaux in Perigord. The copy of Lascaux is situated 200m away from the original cave, up a hill overlooking Montignac, in the heart of the Vézère Valley and is listed as World heritage by UNESCO thanks to its many prehistoric sites.

San Sebastian

There are so many reasons why San Sebastián is becoming the most popular city to visit in our region. Called Donastia in Basque, its circular bay with the fine white urban sandy beach of La Concha, and beautiful long promenades with buildings from La Belle Epoque era. The historical part known as La Parte viaja is walking distance from the small port, also a great attraction.

In the old town we recommend you visit the San Telmo museum dedicated to Basque culture and history, not forgetting also to visit the many restaurants and pintxos bars The architecture of the place is also worth a visit with the old part of the museum hosted in a 16^th century Dominican convent and the new part finished 2 years ago in a very contemporary and vanguardist architecture.

In recent years San Sebastián has become the capital for foodies with 16 Michelin star restaurants. Its famous for pintxos, the small bar-bite dishes, known also as tapas, made from local food presented on a piece of bread to give a miniature culinary dish.

La Rioja & Logroño

Santander

Welcome to the home town of Sylvie’s mother, where she spent most of her summers. Here the beaches are beautiful and still preserved from the hoards of tourists. You’re in the heart of Castilla with tradition and style. Discover the elegant city and bay where the royals used to spend their holidays. Use it as your base to discover the province of Cantabria: play Golf at Severiano Ballesteros’s home club Pedrena, visit the quaint traditional fishermen’s villages and the stunning mountains of Los Picos de Europa and of course, get to relax on the coastlines fine-sandy beaches.

East of Santander is the famous village of Santillana Del Mar. This 12^th century little town is so typical with beautiful golden sandstone buildings and the famous monastery of La Colegiata. After a visit of Santillana we recommend you have lunch at Comillas, an unusual town with its Modernista architecture. In the afternoon a visit of the replica of the Caves of Altamira is a great way to end the day. This Unesco World Heritage centre is set in look alike caves with reproductions of the rupestre painting.

Half way between Santander and Bilbao is the small fishermen’s village of Santoña. Nested between a sheltered bay and a natural reserve, it’s a great place to visit or if you really want to experience a truly Spanish holiday. Great bars, beautiful beaches and great outdoor sports can be enjoyed here, from surfing, sailing, hiking and cycling. This small harbour has a worldwide fame for its anchovies. In fact, there are a large number of factories in Santoña, where you can taste and buy this delicatessen.

Bilbao and the Basque Country

Bilbao is set along the river Nervion and near the Atlantic shores. This industrial city has undertaken a great transformation over the last 15 years with the arrival of the Guggenheim Museum. The old town is very charming with a real traditional culture with bars, restaurants, busy with locals. Less crowded with tourists, Bilbao is the perfect alternative to San Sebastian to understand the Basque culture and gastronomy.

Only 20 minutes away from Bilbao is the small village of Gernika. This place is well known for an incident in 1937 when Gernika suffered horrifying aerial bombings by the Nazis. It inspired the famous painting by Pablo Picasso which can be seen in Madrid. Today Gernika has a small replica of the painting, but more interestingly a museum The Guernica Peace Museum Foundation. Combine the visit with a stop over at a game of Jai alai (cesta-punta), the traditional basque game played against a wall (frontis) with a ball and a racket, a wooden bat or a basket.

Cognac

The town is located on the banks of the Charente, about 1 hour from the Atlantic Ocean, Royan and La Rochelle. Discover the historic quarters along the Charente river. The historic centre, also known as Vieux Cognac, has a rich heritage and there are many cognac production houses: Hennessy, Martell or the famous Château de Cognac where the cognac house of Baron Otard is located.

Nestled in the heart of the Charente vineyards, Jarnac is a village not to be missed, where the greatest Cognacs are born. The Cognac trade is at the origin of the beauty of its architecture of the white facades. A land of great men, such as François Mitterrand, French President from 1981 to 1995, this village is famous for many events throughout the year, including the truffle market.

We recommend that you stay or simply have lunch at the Chai Monnet, the 5* hotel complex in the centre of Cognac, which has been refurbished in former Cognac cellars.Come and enjoy the local gastronomy in the brasserie or the gastronomic restaurant (1* Michelin in 2021) Les Foudres or enjoy a Cognac or Pineau des Charentes cocktail on the rooftop, after a treatment in the spa.

Lacanau

A famous seaside resort on the Atlantic coast, 50 minutes from Bordeaux, Lacanau is also an internationally renowned surfing spot. It is a very popular holiday destination and has been able to renew itself with cycle paths that offer multiple nature walks. Its preserved lake is ideal for sailing, windsurfing, fishing and canoeing. Not forgetting of course golf with the Lacanau International Golf Club, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2021.

For surfing fanatics, August hosts the Lacanau Pro, a professional world golf championship. In September, the Lacanau golf course organises an amateur golf and surfing championship to bring together many enthusiasts and different generations.

We invite you to discover more confidential places, off the beaten track. Why not enjoy a spa day with a swimming pool and lunch on the terrace after a round of golf?