Crédits : Lina Tchalabi & Charlène Campos. Translation: Jill Harry. Pictures: GettyImages, DR.
Hotel
For almost two centuries it has proudly faced the Atlantic Ocean. Capturing shards of early morning sunlight, its powdery rose facade is reflected in the blue waves. Dazzling for its sumptuousness, imposing for its size, adjectives are not lacking to describe Hôtel du Palais whose beauty is only equalled by its amazing destiny. At its feet, Biarritz, pearl of the Côte Basque, whose rise to fame is closely linked.
Empress Eugénie of Montijo, youngest daughter of the Count and Countess of Teba, wife of Napoleon III, discovered the charm of the Côte Basque as a child. After marrying the Emperor, she dreamt of a peaceful place in which to relax overlooking the deep blue sea, as in her souvenirs. In 1854, Napoleon acquired almost 50 acres of sand dunes behind the Grande Plage in Biarritz. A year later, the Villa Eugénie, in classic Second Empire style, became the imperial court's summer residence.
Impressed by the residence's splendour, illustrious personalities began to arrive: the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Queen Isabelle of Spain, the King of Wurtemberg, Leopold II of Belgium, Edward VII, Sissi… Exalting luxury and refinement, Biarritz became a hotbed for high society events, drawing the aristocracy from all over the world. The Empress inherited the Villa Eugénie when the Emperor died in 1873, parting ways with it in 1881. It was then transformed into a casino, then an hotel, becoming Hôtel du Palais in 1893. After a tragic fire in 1903, it was rebuilt in "E" shape in the Empress's honour, by the famous "Belle Époque" architect, Édouard-Jean Niermans.
After the Second World War, royal opulence made way for glamour. Celebrities in literature, the arts and fashion such as Victor Hugo, Coco Chanel, Ernest Hemingway, Frank Sinatra, Gary Cooper, and Barbra Streisand arrived in grand style at Hôtel du Palais, simply to stay there, but also to enjoy the seaside resort. Ranked as a "Palace de France" in 2011, the hotel then joined the Unbound Collection by Hyatt before being renovated with the greatest respect for traditional codes of the Napoleonic era. The start of a new chapter for the historic residence of she who was the last sovereign of the French.
Hôtel du Palais and Guerlain share the same emblem: the imperial bee. In 1853, Guerlain created its "Eau de Cologne Impériale" specially for Empress Eugénie on her marriage to Napoleon III. Its elegant bottle adorned with 69 bees was meticulously hand-gilded. The oldest emblem of French sovereigns, bees were chosen by the Emperor for his coat-of-arms to reconnect his dynasty with France's origins and set it apart from the fleur-de-lys then associated with the Old Regime. Today, his famous golden bees can be found in the lobby of Hôtel du Palais, decorating the carpet on the majestic central staircase leading to the Rooms and Suites.
To contact Reception or make a reservation, please click on the bell.
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