A design hotel between forest, golf, and world-class beach breaks
A design hotel between forest, golf, and world-class beach breaks
Seignosse and Hossegor share the same stretch of Atlantic coastline, home to world-class beach breaks and a regular stop on the WSL tour. But the crowds feel very far away.
THE SURF HIDEAWAYS ADVANTAGE
Book with code HIDEWAY26 and enjoy complimentary bicycle rental for the duration of your stay (valued at €40 per guest per day).
Seignosse and Hossegor share the same stretch of Atlantic coastline, home to world-class beach breaks and a regular stop on the WSL tour. But the crowds feel very far away.
THE SURF HIDEAWAYS ADVANTAGE
Book with code HIDEWAY26 and enjoy complimentary bicycle rental for the duration of your stay (valued at €40 per guest per day).
70 Hectares … et l’Océan’s name is literal, a nod to its exceptional setting: within the seventy hectares of golf courses, with the Atlantic a short ride away.
The former Hôtel du Golf sat empty for nearly a decade before Frédéric Biousse and Guillaume Foucher of the Fontenille Collection saw its potential. Working with design agency 44 Avril and a team of Basque architects, they reimagined the hotel by opening up the façades with large arched windows and extending the living space outdoors.
Inside, Fontenille’s refined, warm design throughout, grounded in a strong sense of place. Surfboards, paletas, and chisteras sit alongside Faye Toogood chairs and Muller Van Severen lamps.
It suits design-minded travellers and anyone who likes their surf trip with world-class waves and a little room to breathe.
70 Hectares … et l’Océan’s name is literal, a nod to its exceptional setting: within the seventy hectares of golf courses, with the Atlantic a short ride away.
The former Hôtel du Golf sat empty for nearly a decade before Frédéric Biousse and Guillaume Foucher of the Fontenille Collection saw its potential. Working with design agency 44 Avril and a team of Basque architects, they reimagined the hotel by opening up the façades with large arched windows and extending the living space outdoors.
Inside, Fontenille’s refined, warm design throughout, grounded in a strong sense of place. Surfboards, paletas, and chisteras sit alongside Faye Toogood chairs and Muller Van Severen lamps.
It suits design-minded travellers and anyone who likes their surf trip with world-class waves and a little room to breathe.
Rooms
Thirty-two rooms spread across the upper floors, ranging from Classique to Suites, with balcony and terrace options.
The rooms keep the same light touch as the rest of the hotel: colour-forward, design-literate, and comfortable. The palette is green and blonde wood, drawing from the surroundings. The views split between forest canopy or golf fairways. Open-plan bathrooms amplify the sense of space. Contemporary photography and original artworks throughout.
The standouts are the Terrasse Océan Suites, with their private terraces, and the best forest-to-ocean views in the house.
Thirty-two rooms spread across the upper floors, ranging from Classique to Suites, with balcony and terrace options.
The rooms keep the same light touch as the rest of the hotel: colour-forward, design-literate, and comfortable. The palette is green and blonde wood, drawing from the surroundings. The views split between forest canopy or golf fairways. Open-plan bathrooms amplify the sense of space. Contemporary photography and original artworks throughout.
The standouts are the Terrasse Océan Suites, with their private terraces, and the best forest-to-ocean views in the house.
Food & Drinks
SEI, the hotel restaurant, marries Japanese technique with Landes produce, rather than defaulting to the expected South-West bistro playbook. The interior reflects the mood: noren curtains, lanterns and koinobori flags nod to Hokusai's Great Wave.
Lunch is easy and polished: gyozas, karaage, tonkatsu sando and Landes-inspired baos. Dinner is more substantial, whether ordered à la carte or as a seven-course tasting menu. Brunch extends the idea, with wasabi vinegar oysters, croissants filled with pandan jam, sushi, ceviche, and a brasero of duck magret and chipirons.
At the bar, Matcha Sours and Asia Dubliners sit alongside sake, Nikka whisky and wines from Domaine de Fontenille in Provence. From May, Tuesday aperitif concerts bring the terraces to life beneath the pines.
SEI, the hotel restaurant, marries Japanese technique with Landes produce, rather than defaulting to the expected South-West bistro playbook. The interior reflects the mood: noren curtains, lanterns and koinobori flags nod to Hokusai's Great Wave.
Lunch is easy and polished: gyozas, karaage, tonkatsu sando and Landes-inspired baos. Dinner is more substantial, whether ordered à la carte or as a seven-course tasting menu. Brunch extends the idea, with wasabi vinegar oysters, croissants filled with pandan jam, sushi, ceviche, and a brasero of duck magret and chipirons.
At the bar, Matcha Sours and Asia Dubliners sit alongside sake, Nikka whisky and wines from Domaine de Fontenille in Provence. From May, Tuesday aperitif concerts bring the terraces to life beneath the pines.
Surfing
The hotel is a 7-minute drive to La Gravière, the beach break that draws the WSL Championship Tour to Hossegor. The break is a sand-bottom A-frame that can produce heavy, hollow barrels that rival some of the best reef breaks anywhere in the world.
Other nearby spots include La Sud, La Centrale, Les Culs Nus and Les Bourdaines. More broadly, Seignosse and Hossegor sit on the Côte d’Argent, a 230-kilometre stretch of sandy coastline where you can still find uncrowded peaks. To the south, within thirty minutes, is the Basque coast, with reef breaks such as Guéthary, Lafitenia and Parlementia, and the long, more forgiving lines of Côte des Basques.
Autumn is the best period, with consistent swells, favourable winds and relatively mild water. Winter can bring real size, while summer tends to be smaller and busier.
The hotel arranges private lessons with certified coaches from ESCF Seignosse, who collect guests at the property and choose the day’s best spot along the coast. Boards can be rented through Surfin Estate, a local shaper, with a wide range of longboards, retro fish and shortboards. You can even get your own board shaped, if your holiday shopping list includes something less forgettable than a tote bag.
The hotel is a 7-minute drive to La Gravière, the beach break that draws the WSL Championship Tour to Hossegor. The break is a sand-bottom A-frame that can produce heavy, hollow barrels that rival some of the best reef breaks anywhere in the world.
Other nearby spots include La Sud, La Centrale, Les Culs Nus and Les Bourdaines. More broadly, Seignosse and Hossegor sit on the Côte d’Argent, a 230-kilometre stretch of sandy coastline where you can still find uncrowded peaks. To the south, within thirty minutes, is the Basque coast, with reef breaks such as Guéthary, Lafitenia and Parlementia, and the long, more forgiving lines of Côte des Basques.
Autumn is the best period, with consistent swells, favourable winds and relatively mild water. Winter can bring real size, while summer tends to be smaller and busier.
The hotel arranges private lessons with certified coaches from ESCF Seignosse, who collect guests at the property and choose the day’s best spot along the coast. Boards can be rented through Surfin Estate, a local shaper, with a wide range of longboards, retro fish and shortboards. You can even get your own board shaped, if your holiday shopping list includes something less forgettable than a tote bag.
Photo: Marie Dehayes, IG: @mariedehayes
Activities
Wellness centres on an Alaena residency, with face and body treatments that combine Japanese-inspired protocols with clinical skincare. Techniques such as Kobido and Tui Na sit alongside more advanced treatments like LED masks.
Yoga and pilates complete the programme, with classes led by local studios. Guests also have access to the 450 sqm myBlend spa at sister property Les Hortensias du Lac in Hossegor, with a pool, sauna, hammam, cold bath and Nordic bath.
Beyond wellness, the experiences make the most of the location. The hotel sits directly on the Golf de Seignosse. Designed by Robert Von Hagge, it is one of France’s finest courses and priority green fees can be arranged for guests. Guests can also sail with a skipper, ride fat-bikes on the beach paths, or simply play pétanque.
Wellness centres on an Alaena residency, with face and body treatments that combine Japanese-inspired protocols with clinical skincare. Techniques such as Kobido and Tui Na sit alongside more advanced treatments like LED masks.
Yoga and pilates complete the programme, with classes led by local studios. Guests also have access to the 450 sqm myBlend spa at sister property Les Hortensias du Lac in Hossegor, with a pool, sauna, hammam, cold bath and Nordic bath.
Beyond wellness, the experiences make the most of the location. The hotel sits directly on the Golf de Seignosse. Designed by Robert Von Hagge, it is one of France’s finest courses and priority green fees can be arranged for guests. Guests can also sail with a skipper, ride fat-bikes on the beach paths, or simply play pétanque.
The People Behind
Fontenille Collection was founded by Frédéric Biousse and Guillaume Foucher. Biousse is the former CEO who scaled SMCP (Sandro, Maje, Claudie Pierlot). Foucher is an art historian and gallerist. They opened their first property, Domaine de Fontenille in the Luberon in 2016. The collection has since grown to more than a dozen addresses across France, Italy, and Spain.
70 hectares... & l'Océan joined the Collection in 2021. They describe it as "hôtellerie d'auteur": a hotel that reflects a personal vision rather than a hospitality formula. The approach is consistent across the Fontenille portfolio: find properties with architectural character, and shape the hotel around it, not imposed upon it. The philosophy is disarmingly simple: build the hotel you would want to stay in.
Fontenille Collection was founded by Frédéric Biousse and Guillaume Foucher. Biousse is the former CEO who scaled SMCP (Sandro, Maje, Claudie Pierlot). Foucher is an art historian and gallerist. They opened their first property, Domaine de Fontenille in the Luberon in 2016. The collection has since grown to more than a dozen addresses across France, Italy, and Spain.
70 hectares... & l'Océan joined the Collection in 2021. They describe it as "hôtellerie d'auteur": a hotel that reflects a personal vision rather than a hospitality formula. The approach is consistent across the Fontenille portfolio: find properties with architectural character, and shape the hotel around it, not imposed upon it. The philosophy is disarmingly simple: build the hotel you would want to stay in.
Booking
FROM
€128
EUR
per night
THE SURF HIDEAWAYS ADVANTAGE
Book with code HIDEWAY26 and enjoy complimentary bicycle rental for the duration of your stay (valued at €40 per guest per day).
FROM
€128
EUR
per night
THE SURF HIDEAWAYS ADVANTAGE
Book with code HIDEWAY26 and enjoy complimentary bicycle rental for the duration of your stay (valued at €40 per guest per day).