Hôtel du Palais Biarritz - The Unbound Collection by Hyatt — Hotel in Bayonne

Overall a very good experience, but not quite the five stars it bills itself as. We stayed one night, at the end of a week in Basque Country. We were brought here by a recommendation from family who had enjoyed a stay the previous year.

The location cannot be better. Picture a seaside French palace. Beautiful beaches, rolling surf, beautiful grounds, astounding architecture. The pool especially was well appreciated after a long period of being on the go.

The room itself—137–was nice enough. We had a lovely north facing view of a beach and light house, and falling asleep to the sound of the surf was wonderful. However the room felt a bit small; the layout featured a rather large dressing area that mostly felt like empty space. Similarly, the bathroom felt a bit small, with the shower in particular being especially cramped. Once again this was mainly due to layout, there was plenty of space it was simply inefficiently used.

Our experience of service was mostly good, with a few hiccups. I feel like I’m being a bit whiny and entitled at this point, what follows are all minor quibbles…. But part of a five star experience (one that will cost you at least $1,000 per night) is attention to detail, so these little things matter. we booked via Amex travel, which entitled us to an early check in. The hotel contacted us a few days prior to inquire about such, and I replied a day before with our intended arrival time of between 1100 and 1200. Despite this a room was not ready. This is not a big deal, we were still able to sit by the pool. upon receiving our room keys around 1700, I found our baggage had not yet been delivered. It arrived a few minutes later. we called the concierge desk to make a reservation for dinner at the Terrace restaurant. We were transferred to a phone that rang endlessly; we had to walk down to the restaurant to make the reservation. at dinner I was mistakenly served the filet of steak, after ordering steak tartare. I opted not to make a fuss; it was 2130 and I didn’t want to wait longer to eat. And the filet was delicious! But it was not what I’d wanted. after spending a morning lounging by the pool I want back to my room, only to discover my keycard did not work. The previous day while checking in I had been informed that as an Amex member I could have a late checkout. We indicated we would take advantage of this benefit. I gather there should have been some follow through to confirm our departure time.

All of these are very minor things and individually they did not substantially detract from our experience. But summed they indicate a lack of attention to detail that I wouldn’t expect in such an establishment, at such a price.

Overall it was a lovely stay, the poolside rest was just what we needed. But the room layout and service hiccups prevent me from rating this as a five...

Had a perfect experience here during a stay in May 2023. Greeting outside the hotel, baggage is taken straight to the room, seamless check-in followed by a brief tour of the grounds and the room. Beautiful rooms and awesome hotel in general, truly historic and luxurious with great attention to detail. I had the feeling everything was meticulously maintained, from the gardens and public spaces of the hotel to the room. It was my birthday trip and staff were aware of this, wished me well and the hotel went above and beyond to make it special for me. And they succeeded in making it an unforgettable experience. The spa facilities are incredible. Almost everything you could wish for, and it always felt very private, not at all crowded. The collaboration with Guerlain is great but I would like it if some Guerlain amenities were provided to use while at the spa (e.g. shower gel, shampoo). There is a lovely outdoor pool with warm salty water, which is unique and very relaxing (no chlorine smell etc.). It is just great to spend some time here right next to the ocean. There is also direct beach access. The location is perfect, right next to the beach and very close to many of Biarritz’s attractions.

The only improvement I would suggest would be the opening hours of the facilities. The pool area and gate to the beach closes at 7pm and the spa closes at 8pm.

I cannot comment on the restaurant, bar or gastronomic offerings, apart from that it looks beautiful with amazing views. I did not have breakfast and would consider booking a package including breakfast next time, as it is rather steep to add on at the hotel (50€ per person per day).

I give this hotel my strongest possible...

We spent 5 nights at this Hyatt branded hotel in June. Overall, we enjoyed our stay.||Location: The hotel is walking distance to the main sections of Biarritz.||Property: The grounds are beautiful.||Check-in/Reception: Our rooms were ready by check-in time. The process was smooth and easy.||Staff: Everyone was very friendly and attentive to us. They tried very hard over my stay to make the Chromecast work in my room. Nesma and Emma were amazing.||Rooms: We had 2 Deluxe Ocean Rooms and 1 Junior Suite City View. The rooms were nice but they are all somewhat different so it's hard to know what you will get. The Jr. Suite is above the Deluxe room, yet the Deluxe bathroom was much larger the the Jr. bathrooms and included bathtubs. The shower was small and felt like a plastic inset so easy to slip when soap was on the floor. The room stayed cool despite the summer heat, but the blackout shades let in a lot of light so it was hard to sleep after sunrise.||Food/Room Service: The food at the hotel was all good. We ate in the restaurant and bar a couple times during our stay. We had breakfast delivered to the room and it arrived quick and hot.||Pool: They have a large pool overlooking the ocean which is lovely and surrounded on one side by many cabanas. The cabanas are nice with their own private bathrooms. The only issue is they get very hot with no air circulating in them so fans would make a big difference. The pool is also extremely warm and felt closer to a hot tub. They have an ice cream shop on property near the pool which the kids loved.||Spa/Gym: They have a gym and a spa but I didn't visit them on this trip.||We would stay here again on...