Hotel du Fronton

La situation, la vue, la terrasse

La chambre, très propre, confortable, le restaurant, deux fois que j’y mange très bon, copieux.

La situación en el centro del pueblo

El acceso, que era por el restaurante y las escaleras, que eran estrechas y te encontrabas con los camareros con las bandejas que bajaban de la cocina.

The hotel came highly recommended as a place where we could experience a taste of Basque culture and architecture. It was in the centre of a small town and very handy for the Sentier du Littoral coast walk and the beaches (my husband is a surf nut). The coast is very beautiful. The food at the hotel was good but not exceptional.

The staff were surly and unfriendly. We were made to feel we were imposing on them the whole time we were there. On arrival, reception was closed so we were taken to our room by a young man from the front of house who obviously had no desire to be pleasant and whose manners were perfunctory. He made us feel he was doing us a favour by checking us in! He gave us basic instructions (but not check-out time). The next morning we had a late breakfast (usual French fare) and the staff at the bar were sour and unfriendly, in particular the woman who seemed to be in charge. Not a good example to set staff. Again they made me feel unwelcome and that they were doing me a favour by deigning to serve me. I can speak French well and people are almost always friendly but I was made to feel like a complete idiot. I was left feeling it wasn’t worth trying and that I should have reverted to bad English with a very thick accent just to have some fun with them. I don’t like writing negative reviews, but these staff need a wake-up call.