Review: Hotel Du Palais Biarritz, Hyatt Unbound Collection

I recently spent a couple of nights at Hotel du Palais Biarritz, a Hyatt Unbound Collection property. Let me say this upfront — this might be the most luxurious and impressive Hyatt property that (seemingly) no one talks about. In miles & points circles, we tend to create certain “bucket list” experiences, yet this hotel seems to have flown under the radar… at least until now.

The 142-room Hotel du Palais is a stunning historic property in the charming seaside town of Biarritz. The hotel has a central location, a (mostly) gorgeous design, lots of amenities, and an incredible restaurant and bar. It’s also one of France’s famous “Palace” hotels, which is the highest distinction for hotels in France.

By the way, we paired this stay with a few nights at Hotel Maria Cristina, a Marriott Luxury Collection property, in San Sebastian, Spain. San Sebastian and Biarritz are roughly a 45-minute drive apart, so I highly recommend this combination.

Booking Hotel du Palais Biarritz

Hotel du Palais Biarritz is open year-round, though rates very drastically depending on the time of year you’re staying. In winter, rates sometimes start at well under €400 per night, while in summer, rates often start at well over €900 per night.

When it comes to redeeming World of Hyatt points, Hotel du Palais Biarritz is a Category 8 World of Hyatt property, meaning that a free night award costs anywhere from 35,000 to 45,000 points per night. Since we were staying in peak season, the highest pricing applied, so we paid 45,000 points per night for our stay. For what it’s worth, I value World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents each.

Even if you’re not a Hyatt loyalist, earning World of Hyatt points can be pretty easy. In addition to being able to earn World of Hyatt points with the World of Hyatt Credit Card (review) and World of Hyatt Business Credit Card (review), you can also transfer over points from Chase Ultimate Rewards.

If you’re gong to book a cash stay at Hotel du Palais, I’d recommend doing so through the Hyatt Privé program. Hyatt Privé rates cost the same as standard flexible rates (not member rates, advance purchase rates, AAA rates, etc.), and include additional perks, like daily breakfast, a $100 property credit, a room upgrade, a welcome gift, and more. Ford and his team can help with these bookings, and can be reached at [email protected].

Hotel du Palais Biarritz history & location

Hotel du Palais is a property with an incredible amount of history. It was initially built back in 1855 by Napoleon III, as a summer villa for Empress Eugenie, and that’s what put Biarritz on the map as a destination.

In 1880, the property was sold and converted into a hotel and casino. However, it suffered a fire in 1903, and was then rebuilt and expanded, and again opened as a hotel. It stayed popular for some time, before closing again in the 1950s. It then reopened and operated independently, before joining Hyatt’s portfolio in 2019.

As far as the hotel’s location goes, Hotel du Palais is located right in the heart of Biarritz, so the location can’t be beat. The hotel is without a doubt the most prominent landmark in the entire city, so it’s pretty cool to get to stay in this.

In terms of getting to the hotel, you can either fly into Biarritz Airport (BIQ), around a 15-minute drive from the hotel. Alternatively, you can fly into Spain, into San Sebastian Airport (EAS) or Bilbao Airport (BIO), which are about a 45-minute drive and 105-minute drive, respectively.

So, what is there to actually do in Biarritz? I wouldn’t view this as a beach destination, but rather it’s a really pretty seaside town with cute shops and cafes, lots of walking opportunities, and plenty of nature. Yes, you can absolutely go to the beach and lounge by the pool, but as someone who enjoys being a bit more active, I loved walking through just about every corner of town.

Hotel du Palais Biarritz lobby & check-in

One of the highlights of Hotel du Palais Biarritz is the lobby, which is breathtaking. It’s grand and historic, while still feeling well maintained.

There’s even a plaque commemorating the history of the property.

Reception was located inside the entrance to the hotel and to the right. The check-in process was friendly and efficient. I was thanked for being a World of Hyatt Globalist member, and the associate went over the perks we’d receive. I had redeemed a Suite Upgrade Award to confirm an upgrade for our two night stay, so that’s the room we received.

Soon enough, we were escorted up to our room. The hotel has several different wings, and we were staying in the one closest to reception. Our room was located on the top floor (level five), which could be reached via a staircase, or via a single (really, really, really slow) elevator.

Hotel du Palais Biarritz suite

Before I talk about the specific suite we were assigned, let me talk more broadly about the accommodations at the hotel. A majority of the rooms at this property have what I’d consider to be more “traditional” design for a historic luxury property. For example, below is a picture from Hyatt’s website of what a suite looks like.

However, the hotel’s fifth floor is known as the “cruise liner” floor, and it has a completely different design. I think the inspiration here is that the top floor mainly has porthole-style windows, so the hotel fully embraced that theme with the design, to make it feel like you’re on a ship.

When you go to apply a Suite Upgrade Award, the hotel has two standard suites — the Ambassador Suite (pictured above), and the Ambassador Cruise Liner Suite (which we stayed in, pictured below). I ended up confirming into the latter, since the former wasn’t available for the dates we were staying.

Let me just say that based on my personal preference, I would avoid these cruise liner rooms in the future. The design is bizarre, and they’re quite dark. So of course that’s what I can judge the accommodations based on, though this isn’t what a majority of the rooms look like.

With that out of the way, we were assigned room 506, located just outside the elevator and to the right. This room category is marketed as being 70 square meters, or around 754 square feet.

The suite featured an entryway, with the living room straight ahead, and the bedroom to the left.

The living room was spacious, with a living area that had a couch and a chair, a dining table with four chairs, and a desk with a chair. It’s a nicely appointed space, though the lack of natural light is apparent, as there are only two small windows.

The living room also had the minibar setup, with a Nespresso machine, a kettle, and a variety of drinks and snacks for purchase.

The living room also had a lovely welcome amenity, consisting of a bottle of Thienot Champagne, plus some fresh fruit, and a bottle of water.

The bedroom could be accessed via double doors near the entrance, and consisted of a firm king size bed, plus a sitting area with two chairs.

There was also a closet area off the bedroom.

Then there was the bathroom, boasting double sinks, a soaking tub, a walk-in shower, and a toilet.

Toiletries were from Guerlain, and were in individual bottles.

The highlight of the room was the view of the beach and sea, though admittedly the small porthole windows made it kind of challenging to enjoy this view. I did love opening the windows and hearing the sound of the waves crashing.

From some angles, you really felt like you were on a cruise ship…

Just to hit on a couple of other points about the hotel, daily housekeeping and turndown service were provided, and turndown service also included some tasty chocolates.

My biggest issue with the room was the Wi-Fi, which was intermittent at best. I had no issues with the Wi-Fi in the public areas of the hotel, so I can’t help but wonder if the suite’s location in the corner of the top floor contributed to those problems.

All-in-all, I appreciated having such a spacious suite, though personally I’d rather be in the non-cruise liner section of the hotel next time, even if it means not being in a suite.

Hotel du Palais Biarritz spa, gym, indoor pool

Hotel du Palais Biarritz has an expansive three-story spa complex, open daily from 8AM until 8PM. To get to the spa, you just have to go to the lobby level, and then walk down a long hall. At the end of the hall, you’ll find the elevator leading to the spa entrance.

Hotel du Palais has a Guerlain Spa, which is about as high-end as it gets, in terms of branding partnerships. For example, this is the same spa partner you’ll find at Cheval Blanc Maldives Randheli. We didn’t get any spa treatments, but you can find the spa menu here.

As far as the spa’s amenities go, there was a very nice juice bar and relaxation area.

The hotel also had a respectable gym, at least for a historic property. My major frustration with the gym was that it was only open from 8AM until 8PM, so couldn’t be accessed 24/7. What made this especially frustrating is that there was then a mad rush to use the gym at 8AM, so it was super crowded until around 10AM.

I really think this is something the hotel should work on. Would it kill the hotel to pay someone to be present in the area starting at least an hour or two earlier, for those who want to work out before breakfast, without eating super late?

The hotel also has an indoor pool and hot tub. It was a pretty nice space, but did get crowded.

The spa area also has a steam room, sauna, and cold tub, so the facilities are impressive.

Hotel du Palais Biarritz outdoor pool

Hotel du Palais Biarritz has an outdoor saltwater pool. Even if you’re not going to swim, the deck the pool is on is gorgeous, as it overlooks the beach and sea.

The pool area has plenty of seating, though personally I found the water to be a bit too cold for my liking (in fairness, I’m not aquatic, and am sort of an indoor cat, despite being a dog lover). Admittedly we didn’t have ideal weather during our visit, so maybe it would have felt a bit different if it were sunny.

On the pool deck you’ll also find Le Sunset, which is open seasonally, serving lunch and dinner. We didn’t eat here during our stay.

Hotel du Palais Biarritz food & drinks

Hotel du Palais Biarritz places a heavy emphasis on dining, as you’d expect for a French Palace hotel. If you go to the hotel’s website, you’ll see reference to La Rotonde, La Terrasse, Le Salon, and Le Bar Napoleon III. In reality, these are all basically in the same area, so I wouldn’t even necessarily view these as separate entities.

You’ll find all of these outlets right off the lobby, in what has to be one of the most gorgeous dining spaces I’ve seen in any hotel in the world. The room has incredibly high ceilings and massive windows, so you really feel like you’re on a ship.

For some context, below is La Rotonde, the hotel’s signature restaurant, serving breakfast and dinner daily.

Then near the entrance to La Rotonde, you’ll fine Le Salon, which is the more casual all-day place where you can grab a drink or snack.

Then next to Le Salon is Le Bar Napoleon III, which is open in the afternoons and evenings. However, this is actually where all drinks come from for all the dining venues.

Lastly, outside this space is La Terrasse. The food and drink menu is essentially the same as you’ll find in Le Salon and Le Bar Napoleon III, except you can enjoy sitting outside.

With that out of the way, let me share some of the meals and drinks we had here.

Hotel du Palais Biarritz La Rotonde breakfast

Hotel du Palais serves breakfast daily from 7AM until 10:30AM in La Rotonde. What a treat it is to enjoy breakfast with this kind of a view.

Breakfast consists of a buffet, plus the ability to order additional items off an a la carte selection. The breakfast buffet was small but high quality, and had all kinds of pastries, bread, cake, yogurt, fresh fruit, cold cuts, cheese, veggies, fresh juice, sparkling wine, and more.

There was a menu at each table with the drink selection, plus a variety of hot dishes that could be ordered (all included with breakfast).

I had a cappuccino one morning, which was underwhelming, as it was obviously out of a machine, and quite watery-tasting.

We also ordered a few dishes, including avocado toast, eggs florentine, and crepes, all of which were scrumptious.

Hotel du Palais Biarritz Le Salon drinks & dinner

On our first evening, we landed in Biarritz late, so we decided to have dinner and drinks at Le Salon, the hotel’s more casual lounge (you can find the menu here). We started with some excellent drinks (a martini and a bellini), served with nuts and olives.

Then to eat, I ordered the niçoise salad, while Ford had the steak tartare. The food was excellent.

Hotel du Palais Biarritz La Rotonde dinner

While I hate eating at a hotel restaurant two nights in a row, La Rotonde is one of the most well-regarded restaurants in the city, and is quite the fine dining scene, so I figured we had to check it out.

By the way, you might be familiar with the story of this restaurant without even knowing it. In late 2023, the executive chef resigned over an alleged hazing ritual, whereby newbies in the kitchen were tied up naked, and had carrots and apples placed in certain parts of their bodies (I’ll let you use your imagination).

You can find the La Rotonde dinner menu below.

Our meal began some delicious cheese puffs, plus freshly baked bread.

To start, I had the zucchini flower with mayonnaise, spider crab, and borage flowers, while Ford had the confit foie gras with strawberries.

Then for our main courses, I had the grilled sea bass fillet with “Monsieur Garbage” seasonal vegetables, while Ford had the peas and chanterelles with almond praline and mushroom caramel.

The meal was excellent, and we were full at this point, so we skipped dessert. We were still offered some petit fours at the conclusion of the meal.

Bottom line

I really enjoyed our stay at Hotel du Palais Biarritz, and can’t believe how little attention this property gets, given that it’s a Hyatt. This is a breathtakingly beautiful seaside property with incredible history and charm, and extensive amenities.

The hotel has a beautiful spa, excellent dining, and generally good service. Beyond that, Biarritz is a destination I’d recommend visiting, if you like the vibe of European seaside towns, without necessarily wanting a beach vacation.

Now, the hotel did have some quirks. For example, I don’t love the cruise liner room concept, and would avoid that in the future. Furthermore, while the lobby and restaurant feel super high-end, otherwise the hotel doesn’t quite feel on the same level as some of France’s other Palace hotels. I also was frustrated by the Wi-Fi, and didn’t like how the gym only opened at 8AM. However, those are all minor points in the scheme of things.

What’s your take on Hotel du Palais Biarritz?