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OSTAPE |
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FRENCH BASQUE COUNTRY, FRANCE
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It takes about 45 minutes to drive from Biarritz airport to Alain Ducasse's new auberge, unless you get caught in sheep traffic: these woolly characters rule the road in this enchantingly rural part of France. Ostapé is a 45-hectare estate with a converted 18th-century manor house and outbuildings, plus five new whitewashed Basque farmhouses with red window frames, all built according to ancient traditions. Meals, overseen by Alain Souliac, are chosen from a daily-changing menu of hearty regional fare such as coddled eggs with chanterelle mushrooms or free-range pork with blood sausage (wild game and stews are cooked over an open fire). But Ducasse couldn't resist injecting a touch of glamour into this rural hideaway: the 22 bedrooms, distributed among the various farmhouses and main house, are spacious and beautifully furnished with antiques. During the day, most guests slip into thick white robes and recline by the heated outdoor pool to enjoy the expansive views; as an added bonus, you will also find Ducasse's charming café-restaurant Iparla in the nearby village of Bidarray.
WHEN TO GO
June, before the Biarritz high season (closed November-March)
ROOM TO BOOK
One of two suites in the main house
CONTACT
Ostapé, Domaine de Chahatoa, Bidarray, France (00 33 5 59 37 91 91; fax: 59 37 91 92; www.ostape.com). Suites from euro 220 |
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