Biarritz, the grande dame of French beach towns, is suddenly feeling rather sprightly, and that’s a good thing. Nouvelles Vagues - Biarritz International Film Festival, which showcased next-gen filmmakers, was a hit when it debuted, in June 2023, and the storied Regina Experimental Biarritz hotel, which opened as Le Regina Hotel & Spa in 1907, recently received a sexy makeover by interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon.
What a difference 85 years makes! After Cannes beat out Biarritz to become the venue of France’s best-known film festival, in 1939, the Basque Country resort settled into being a mannered bourgeois getaway. Think bridge parties, cashmere cardigans, golf dates, and gossipy tête-à-têtes in fancy tearooms.
