"The main beach of Biarritz is my favorite spot to surf. It gets quite crowded but you’ve kind of got to know your way around a bit. But especially at sunset, there’s beautiful light and you see the whole city behind you with the sun reflecting off it and all the old buildings. It looks absolutely beautiful."

Alexei OBOLENSKY

"The old port beach. It’s a great swimming spot, there’s a little bar tucked into the cliff and below there’s a diving board and this stone area where you can chill. And in high summer I love it because you really feel like you’re in the Mediterranean. It’s beautiful clear water, a little bar there to get drinks and stuff."

Alexei OBOLENSKY

"For hiking, the obvious one is La Rhune which is the highest mountain in the Basque country. I actually prefer a mountain just across the border into Spain, I think it’s called Les Trois Couronnes. It’s quite rugged, you have to scramble a bit but you can see into San Sebastian, into Biarritz and all the mountains that dot the border."

Alexei OBOLENSKY

"It’s super not that well known and off the grid a little bit and quite hard to find. We always call it the ‘mustard wall place’ and it’s got a lot of 1920s old prints on the walls. It’s just the waitress and the owner, and it’s always the same. It’s very hearty, traditional Basque food."

Alexei OBOLENSKY

"The market is amazing, it’s open every day from 7-2 pm. It’s got a section with meats and breads and cheeses and then a whole separate building which is just seafood which is really popular on the weekends to have breakfast with oysters and white wine and everyone spills onto the street. In summer, they open up the market in the evenings so there’s a whole scene that goes around that."

Alexei OBOLENSKY