Saint Jean de Luz, Pyrenees Atlantiques, Aquitaine, South France

St Jean de Luz has a welcoming smile. There is a warmth in this fishing village and resort. The people, the homes, the sea, the beaches, the rocks, the cliffs, vibrate with a positive energy.

It comes as no surprise perhaps that the warm tones, the pleasant melodies of Ravel were born here. Visit his birthplace at the port of Ciboure.

Place Louis XIV is the place for concerts, artist exhibitions, a square that remembers the time when St Jean de Luz was a "Little Paris" - a fashionable resort.

Visit the church of Saint Jean-Baptiste dating from the 15th Century, where Louis XIV and the Infanta Marie Thérèse were married - the interior is quite spectacular - with 3 levels of galleries and a 17th century organ - providing good accoustics for a number of concerts through out the year.

Whats to do? There are an incredible 10 golf courses within 20 kms of St Jean de Luz - (the Saint-Jean-de-Luz golf course - opened in 1892).

Enjoy yourselves on a Thalassotherapy weekend with Helianthal. Come for the Young Film Directors festival. Come to the International Festival of Surf Films.

Enjoy the sea, the beach, the fishing. Dive into the gastronomy of St Jean de Luz from Basque specialties from Squid with ink, to Piperade; local confections of Macarons, Mouchous, and Kanougas. Visit some great St Jean De Luz Restaurants

Its just a short distance to Spain, or the glorious landscapes of the Pyrenees.

See photos from a previous week