Hôtel Bonnet

“Wonderful, wonderful Hotel Bonnet”

I just cannot understand the negative review I have just read about Hotel Bonnet. I have now been back eight times to this hotel, which my partner and her late husband first discovered nearly 30 years ago. Firstly, I never - but never - go around any hotel (or, indeed, person's house) with a magni… lisää

I just cannot understand the negative review I have just read about Hotel Bonnet. I have now been back eight times to this hotel, which my partner and her late husband first discovered nearly 30 years ago. Firstly, I never - but never - go around any hotel (or, indeed, person's house) with a magnifying glass looking for things that will put me off. If they leap out at me all well and good but nothing at all leaps at you from Hotel Bonnet. I have never seen the lift 'caked in grease' and when I reported a light fitting which didn't work it was dealt with immediately. This is a country area in the foothills of the Pyrenees so there will always be some dust but that is dealt with daily by an excellent team of house keepers. Breakfast in a work's canteen in the 50s??? The person who wrote that has obviously never had breakfast in a French hotel otherwise they would know that the breakfast at Hotel Bonnet far surpasses anything that can be experienced during French travels. An endless choice of breads, pain-au-chocolate, pain-au-raisin, croissants, ham, cheese, yoghourt, dried fruits, a fruit bowl, hot chocolate, tea, coffee etc, etc, etc. What more could you need? No, you couldn't use the term 'Waitress' for the member of staff working there at breakfast time because it is SELF-SERVICE. That means you have to serve yourself! That part of the building is not unattractive - it is just different from the rest of the hotel. As for not having breakfast because of the lift - there are stairs! When the hotel was first established in 1900 there was no main road going past so it's a little unfair, to say the least, to blame them for the traffic noise. What must they do, move the building back a couple of hundred metres? I don't like traffic noise but I put up with it because I love this hotel and I am one of the most critical persons I know. A long programme of improvements to rooms and communal areas is taking place at this very moment. It is ongoing and each year when I return I see the fruits of those improvements. The bar area (Where else can you find a French hotel with a huge bar like Bonnet's?) has had a facelift and very pleasant it is too. Entertainment is often laid on and to take part in the dancing with Etienne playing his accordion is a delight. Go during the time of Fete D'Ibarron (normally last weekend in September/first in October) and experience the warmth of the Basque people with their spontaneous singing and dancing. The food in the restaurant is beautiful and a large choice is available including many local recipes. Try the Toro (Seafood soup) or the Moules Farcies (Stuffed mussels) to whet your appetite before experiencing the delights cooked by Dominique the head chef. You will not be disappointed. Sample some of the fine wines, aperitifs and digestifs available. Rooms are average size for a French hotel and are clean and comfortable. Some are being updated on a rolling programme which obviously takes time and money but is ongoing. Luxury bathrooms have been installed in some - again a rolling programme for all the rooms. The facilities are second to none. The pool area is fantastic - a haven after a hard day's eating and drinking at St Jean de Luz or St Pée sur Nivelle (The local main town about 20 minutes walk away). I have mentioned the bar which is by far the largest I have come across in France. Across the road is 'La Ferme' - an ancient huge farmhouse and barn converted to a concert hall and conference centre. Sometimes a Basque celebrity, Michel Etcheverry, performs here and it's a privilege to be invited to these special occasions. Therese and Theo Bonnet, their family and staff run THE best hotel in France. That is what I feel and if I was told I could only ever go on one holiday per year, this is where I would be heading. I am so grateful to my partner for introducing me to it and, indeed, the Pays Basque area in which it sits.

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