Regions of France : Aquitaine 

Undoubtedly these three attractions are the crown jewels of the region but other gems such as the Basque country and the Landes regional park shouldn’t be dismissed too quickly.

This region doesn’t lend itself well to a daily touring holiday, as if you don’t want to stay in the countryside, the sights are too spread out to zip round in 24 hour chunks with overnight stops.

If you wish to tour, try and narrow your choices to two or possibly three areas, choose a base in each and stay a couple of days.

The rivers in the region are all reasonably safe for older families and novices to try a variety of water based sports under proper professional supervision.

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Dordogne - Hotels Dordogne

• A perennial favourite for the Brits but big enough not to feel crowded
• Bergerac is a wine centre and caters well for tourists. (Hotels Bergerac)
• Architectural jewel Sarlat is busy in summer but worth the queues for its unspoilt centre. (Hotels Sarlat-la-Canéda)

Airport Dordogne - Hotels near Roumanière airport (EGC)

Gironde - Hotels Gironde

• Mythical wine names including Pomerol and Margaux (Hotels Margaux) are all here by the river.
• Picturesque St Emilion gets the crowds but out of season it is quiet and unhurried
• Sauternes and Graves to the south of the grand city of Bordeaux

Hotels Bordeaux
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Airport Gironde - Hotels near Mérignac (BOD) airport
Hotels with FREE airport shuttle

Landes - Hotels Landes

• Silver sand and Atlantic waves bring surfers and families in the summer months
• The giant pine forest hides friendly towns like Castets in this once marshy département (Hotels Castets)
• Dax has a been a thermal spa town since Roman times

Facing the open Atlantic, the 100 kilometres of Landes beaches contain the largest reservoir of surf spots in Europe. Some waves enjoy worldwide fame, others, protected by the dunes and the forest, are more confidential.

• CAPBRETON - (Hotels Capbreton) The only port on the Landes coast that is really well known in the surfing world. For more than ten years, Capbreton has hosted the prestigious Quiksilver Pro Junior, in which most of today's top surfers have participated. La Piste, the emblematic wave of Landes surfing, is known the world over, particularly as the major magazines are constantly vying with each other to find water shots of this spot with the best surfers in action.
• HOSSEGOR - (Hotels Hossegor) Europe's surfing Mecca, Hossegor owes much of its fame to the Rip Curl Pro - the professional competition that takes place every year from August 18 to 27. Hossegor is the home of some of surfing's major businesses and an incredible number of surf shops.
• SEIGNOSSE - Seignosse is a district with the town set 5 kilometres inland. The extension towards the sea, Seignosse-Plage, is full of spots. It's impossible to list them all, but 3 of them are really outstanding.
• VIEUX-BOUCAU - A superb Landes-style village built round a lake, Vieux-Boucau is a stronghold of Landes surfing. There are quality waves on all of the beaches and the spots are a lot less crowded than those around Hossegor. From Vieux-Boucau, you can get to Messanges and Moliets, further north.
• MIMIZAN - The home of great French champions like Didier Piter or Nicolas Capdeville (world bodyboard champion, 1992), Mimizan is divided into 4 beaches: Remember, Les Ailes, La Sud and Lespecier beach. Like most beaches on this part of the Landes coast, there are no regularly defined breaking points - you have to move about a bit to find the best spot.

Down the Leyre in a canoe

It's the same every year. From July onwards, holidaymakers rush to the huge and magnificent Landes beaches at Biscarosse, Mimizan and Capbreton. After 3 days, burned by the sun and exhausted by the currents, some of them take refuge in the forest shade where they discover the Leyre - a clean, wild and refreshing river over 100 kilometres long.

The Leyre used to be a highway for floating logs. The rafts took several days to float down to the Arcachon basin. Today the Leyre is a protected river, used mainly for leisure activities.

For half- or full-day trips or week-long excursions, the descent of the Leyre is open to everyone who can swim. There are 12 bases strung out along the river and each has a forest gîte. You may choose to bivouac with a tent. The extremely well-equipped base at Saugnacq is run by a group of young enthusiasts who want to preserve the beauty of the Landes de Gascogne Regional Nature Park. Family groups can go down the river in a 10-seat canoe (please note the minimum age of 8). These boats are very stable, allowing you the time to fully enjoy the scenery and the fauna. Before setting out, you have to follow a short lesson on the basics. A state-qualified 'river guide' will accompany you and advise on difficult maneuvers (when the river is blocked by a tree, for example).

Lot-et-Garonne - Hotels Lot-et-Garonne

• Agen, famous for its prunes has a good collection of Goyas in its art museum
• Market days in 13th century Villeneuve sur Lot are still held in the central square
• Barbaste has a fortified mill and gothic bridge

Pyrénées-Atlantiques - Hotels Pyrénées-Atlantiques

• Biarritz may have lost some glitz but is popular for day trippers from Spain. The city of Biarritz offers a choice of quality golf courses and other outdoor activites, such as surfing, horse riding, scuba diving, white-water rafting, tours of the Basque countryside, four-wheel drive expeditions and trips to nearby Spain.
  Throughout the year, there are many festivals and cultural events (dance, film, art) - with open air concerts in summer.
• Basque traditions are proudly maintained among the foothills of the Pyrénées
• Historic British links with Pau created the first golf course on the continent

Hotel Du Palais Biarritz  
Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, this elegant and historical hotel sits proudly atop the Biarritz coastline, and proposes a well-designed blend of optimum comforts and facilities.
Allow the hotel's distinct charm to provide you with special holiday memories. For relaxation and exclusive moments of leisure, visit the hotels spa, where you can be pampered with soothing treatments and indulgent beauty therapies.
Stretch out in the large, outdoor swimming pool, and gaze across the sea and wide beaches before you.
Explore the local surroundings to find 18-hole golf courses, and Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Biarritz town centre. Being close to Spain, you have the perfect opportunity to travel further south across the border.
Book now!

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Gastronomy

When you meet a chef you discover a style, in other words a manner of giving form to matter. Great chefs are therefore characterised less by the use of superb and rare products than by their capacity to bring together various flavours in an unusual and tasty whole. 'The local land doesn't interest me!' exclaims Michel Portos. 'I feel that cuisine must be creative and explore new avenues. That's why I'm an absolute fan of Pierre Gagnaire'.

When you go to his restaurant, the Saint-James, 5 miles from Bordeaux, you therefore won't find lamprey à la bordelaise nor grilled rib of beef on vine shoots! No saltcellars or pepperpots are on the table either: seasoning is done in the kitchen to the quarter of a milligramme. Served in a large dining room overlooking the vineyards of Bouliac, above the River Garonne and the nearby Landes, Michel Portos' cuisine is a pleasure to taste and see.

Michel Portos is no ordinary chef but a taste adventurer who does not belong to any school. This Marseillais, born in a humble background, dreamt already as a youth of entering the select circle of Michelin-starred chefs. So, once he had passed his A-levels, he rose through the ranks and learnt the basics of the job at a few renowned chefs: Dominique Toulouzy, in Toulouse, taught him strictness; Pierre and Michel Troisgros, in Roanne, showed him the role of an acidic component in balancing a dish; Mr Nishi, in Tokyo, who could weigh a dish's content by merely looking at it, made him fanatical about lightness and refined simplicity...