In the city of Biarritz, on southwestern France’s Basque coast

 “The French air cleans up the brain and does good – a world of good.”

— Vincent Van Gogh
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(In the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department of the  Nouvelle-Aquitaine région, in southwestern France) Swimming in turquoise waters, sipping rosé at sunset, breathing in scents of lavender: The South of France is the embodiment of French glamour and sophistication. The area includes idyllic locations such as Biarritz (featured here), which is a resort town whose wild beaches are hugely popular with surfers, royals, and celebrities (you might also recognize it from Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises).

+ The region’s mild climate, the variety of beaches and scenery, and the town’s luxurious tourist accommodations continue to draw an international clientele, but the exclusive upmarket image of Biarritz has changed in recent times. Tourism is more diversified, with the organization of festivals, conference facilities, and a center for thalassotherapy (the use of seawater, algae, mud, and other marine items as therapeutic treatment). A promenade runs between the sandy beaches of the Grand Plage, facing northwest, and the Côte des Basques. The beaches are split by a rocky promontory, and the town is a popular resort for windsurfers and surfers, who descend on Biarritz in July when it conducts a surfing festival and hosts the European longboard championships. The folklore and traditions of the Basques of the district are an added attraction.

+ Featured here is Biarritz, a beautiful town by by the sea where guests love feeling the cool sea breeze as they stroll around. (It lies along the Bay of Biscay, adjacent to Bayonne and Anglet and 11 miles [18 km] from the Spanish border.) They can also visit the Biarritz Aquarium, which features an Art Deco architecture while housing several engaging exhibits. Aside from this, the town also has an iconic rock formation called Rocher de La Vierge.

+ Once a small fishing village, Biarritz was made fashionable after 1854 by Napoleon III and his Spanish empress, Eugénie. The British are largely responsible for its growth as a winter residence. Visited by Queen Victoria, Edward VII, and Alfonso XIII of Spain, Biarritz began to call itself “the queen of resorts and the resort of kings.”