Maisons Dominos Guéthary

Fresh Air, Basque Country Blue and Vintage Surf Culture, Walking Distance to Legendary Waves

One of the free-spirited, easygoing homes in the Maisons Dominos collection by Audrey and Antoine Colombani, this Basque country beauty was created for surfing, socializing and disconnecting along the sought-after coastline between Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Walking distance to the center of Guéthary village and the beach, the house displays classic Basque architecture, dressed up by new additions in wood, glass, and stone. A leisurely, parasol-lined poolscape stretches out behind the property, and iconic designer furnishings and vintage finds emphasize the home's Surf’s Up! culture.

There’s dining both indoors and out, and the well-equipped kitchen opens to the living area with a wood-burning fireplace. It comes stocked with simple starter groceries—milk, eggs, jam, pasta, tomato sauce—for a week.

Layout

Bedrooms vary. Room one is a queen bedroom with three twin beds included, and an in-room workspace. Room two is a queen room with an en-suite bathroom, while rooms three and four are queen rooms with TVs. Room five is also a queen room, but without a TV or extras. There are three shared bathrooms.

Additional information

The pool is heated, and lined with sun loungers, and there’s a barbecue and pizza oven outdoors, plus a sauna.

The house is air-conditioned and stocked with baby equipment, games, books, TVs and a chimney. Mid-week cleaning and linen change is provided.

Around

Located walking distance from the center of the town of Guéthary, the house’s prime location makes walking to cafés and local bars easy. The Plage de Parlementia is five minutes on foot, and the ocean here is home to legendary surf breaks. Parlementia is a famed big Basque right rolling wave that’s on par with Hawaiian waves. Located offshore, it can easily reach five meters high, a hotspot break for skilled surfers. Guéthary has long drawn an international surf crowd who come to catch Parlementia and also “Avalanche,” a left rolling wave accessed on Alcyons beach that’s reserved for experts and surf pros who can maneuver the water level coastal rocks.

Traditionally a village of fishermen and farmers, Guéthary rose to fame in the 19th century, drawing international aristocrats and socialites. Equidistant from Biarrittz and Saint Jean de Luz, the town’s prestigious neighbors are larger cities offering all the seaside glitz and glamour you’ll need, plus a wealth of restaurants, tapas bars, waterfront cafes and cocktail outposts overlooking scenic coves and sands. Guéthary’s old port is a must see, a modest dry dock fishing port where colorful boats are hoisted out of the water and moored on land and the town’s Terrace (with an uppercase “T”) offers ocean views stretching from Mount Jaizkibel in Spain to the lighthouse in Biarritz. Surfers come here to watch the waves, and sunset hour is sublime. Three natural beaches stretch around the community, sometimes made inaccessible by the tides. Alcyons and Cenitz beaches are set on the cove side of the coast, family beaches where marine life flourishes at low tide and sightings of sea urchins, crabs, shrimp and other creatures fill the tide pools. For walkers, the 15.5-mile Coastal Path passes here, stretching from Bidart to Hendaye.

Location

Guéthary, Pays Basque, France. Nearest airports: Biarritz (5 miles), San Sebastian, Spain (11 miles), Pau (60 miles), Bilbao, Spain (68 miles)

Best time to visit

Year round