This is the south of France, in a technical sense, but Biarritz isn’t what most people are talking about when they talk about The South of France. It’s on the wild Atlantic, for one, not the tame Mediterranean, and sits at the edge of the truly strange Basque country, rather than the vanilla pan-global Yachtistan that is the present-day Riviera. It’s here, five minutes from the Grand Plage, in the middle of the leafy Parc d’Hiver, that you’ll find the Hôtel Beaumanoir, a restored 19th-century manor house that’s now an eight-room manor-house hotel.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the Beaumanoir, in spite of its modest size, is among the most lavish accommodations in town. The four standard rooms are not quite extravagant, but they’re getting close — they’re stocked with king beds, modern electronics, marble baths and Bulgari products. The suites, Master and Family, skip right over all those junior-suite and executive-suite half-measures and land quite close to Presidential territory; but the Apartments, one presumes, is where the actual Présidents come to stay. It’s that sort of place — from the arrival via Rolls-Royce to the dining experience, which is more country-house dining-room than casual-terrace-al-fresco, it’s clear that the Beaumanoir is not your ordinary coastal holiday hotel.

Please note: Hotel Beaumanoir is closed seasonally from mid-November through early April.