Fodor's Expert Review Ostapé

Alain Ducasse may no longer be here, but his taste and touch are palpable in the style, the ultracontemporary equipment and accoutrements, and, especially, in the regional Basque cuisine with international accents at this hotel in a 100-acre park around a 17th-century farmhouse. Although some of the complex is modern and cold, various rooms and suites remain lovely settings for Basque woodwork, regional textiles, and sleek sculptures. The landscape is superlatively Basque and the nearby Iparla Ridge hike, one of the greatest in the Pyrénées, will keep appetites primed for fine dining. As an optional extra, you can be brought here from Biarritz airport by helicopter. Ostapé also has a private museum of Porsche cars.