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An easy 5:30h drive from Madrid and you arrive at this gem of a town and surfing mecca on La Côte d’Argent, the longest uninterrupted stretch of sandy beach in Europe. Hossegor is located on the Southwest of France in the Landes Coast, renowned for its beaches and Pine Forest.
While at Hossegor, you can easily grab a car and visit these nearby places: Seignosse, Capbreton, Biarritz, San Jean de Luz, and San Sebastián.
Hossegor is very wellness oriented and you can find a variety of activities to make the most out of your experience there and the breathtaking landscapes, including: Surf, Golf, Paddle board, Kitesurf, Windsurf, Biking, Trekking, Horseback riding. It’s a place where there is “stoke”, a word surfers use to explain feelings of incomprehensible happiness or excitement; a state of bliss when you catch a perfect, cruising wave. Combine this feeling with the French’s ‘Joie De Vivre’, meaning joy for living or zest for life, and you find some of the happiest people on earth. Who wouldn’t want to visit Hossegor?!
WHAT TO DO: Surfing is the main attraction for locals and tourists, but you can also enjoy the active lifestyle and beautiful landscapes by biking, trekking, wind/kite surf, horseback riding, golf, exploring the food and shopping scene.
SURF: Les Landes offer more than 100 km of nearly inexhaustible white sandy beaches with endless beach breaks, perfect swell, and deserted spots all different from one another. Everyone can pick their spot according to their level, experience and preferences. Beginners should head to Les Bourdaines or Les Estagnots for easy-access waves and plenty of surf-hire places, or La Sud (at low to mid tide). More experienced surfers looking for bigger waves could check out La Nord or even the legendary board-snapping barrels at La Gravière.
PADDLEBOARD AND WIND SURFING: No waves? Try your hand at windsurfing on the shallow waters of Lac d’Hossegor, where equipment is available to rent right on the shore. No wind? Pick up a stand-up paddleboard instead.
GOLF: For golf enthusiasts, the courses in Hossegor, Seignosse, Moliets but also Soustons-Pinsolle and Mont-de-Marsan are very close by. The sandy ground which lays the foundation for each of these, allows them to be played all year round.
BIKING / RUNNING / WALKING: Not only is the town and its surroundings super bike friendly and full of bike paths to move around, you can also find mountain biking tracks for all levels in the surrounding forests. Even if you don’t run, the small inlet lake is perfect for walks at sunset. The northern beaches of Les Landes are fringed by peaceful pine forests that are perfect for walking and picnicking.
TREKKING: You will find exceptional trekking paths of southern Aquitaine. Short, to enjoy as a family or more challenging for experienced trekkers; these will enable you to discover the green hills of the Pyrenees, the cliffs over ocean in the Basque Country, the endless sandy beaches and the valleys of Chalosse, Bearn or Gers.
YOGA: Audine Farm, where clothing brand Yogasearcher hosts regular retreats and workshops in a peaceful setting in the beautiful Landes countryside. Don’t miss the Roxy Fitness Event in October, which includes a 6km run around the lake, followed by a stand-up paddle race on the water and a group yoga session on the sand.
WHERE TO EAT: After all that activity you’ll need to refuel, and during the summer season you’re spoilt for choice, with cute cafés and trendy hang-outs dotted around the town centre, the beaches and beyond. There’s a wide variety of healthy, ecological and nourishing options. It’s easy to eat healthily while enjoying a mix of flavors and colors.
Slow: This little cafe is our first stop everytime we come. It's inside our favorite Bio Supermarket (L’éaü vive Green), so we go straight here to buy our favorite snacks for the trip, for the beach and for the road when we are heading out. Love everything they have, they have one “lunchbox” a week so I have never repeated. They always surprise me with their super clean, flavorful and colorful mixes. My favorite: Charcoal latte and Holly green with extra superfood. What I love most about them is that they are fully committed to recycling, they don't invest much in packaging for their drinks, so you will be drinking a smoothie out of a recycled glass jar!
L’eau vive Green organic supermarket: As I said above, it's a MUST for us. We find everything we like from fresh organic fruits and vegetables to snacks, the best rice and lentil mixes, teas, superfoods, locally grown hemp oils, organic beauty products and you can make your own nut butter to take home.
Louvine: Best pokes in town! The chicken wrap is my favorite, as well as any of the bowls with a rice and lentils mix.
CJ Sushis: Amazing Sushi, you better go early because they sell out pretty fast. When you go, you can see on the wall pictures of all the pro surfers that have gone and eaten there.
Le Mango Tree: Nutritious and delicious goodness on the go, or pull up a chair or sit on the grass in front of the Lac d’Hossegor and enjoy a smoothie bowl and fresh-pressed juice. The açaí bowl is insane!
Tante Jeanne: Well-known for its artisan ice cream, but we prefer to go for their amazing vegan burgers and my all time favorite: Lisa Vegan Bowl.
Green Cantine: In dining or take away! Perfect for grabbing something fast and easy to go to the beach. Love their pancakes and sandwiches. Ginger, lemon, turmeric and pepper shot is a favorite to start the day.
Waxed coffee: Healthy food and good coffee inside the Wasted Talent concept store. Perfect for pre-surf caffeine fix and a brunch of local produce.
Jack's Burgers: One of our favorites for organic french beef from local farmers. You can tell they are a hit because of the long lines to order.
Orgánico: Great organic food and desserts!
Sunset Bowls: Grab your açaí and go surfing! Great açaí bowls and smoothies. Perfect to go with kids as they have toys and coloring books for them to play.
Amazon Café: They have a very cool “picnic experience”. If you call the day before, they will set everything up for you to take to the beach, trekking or any adventure. Great vegan options!
Le Surfing at Les Estagnots: After-surf hangout great for drinks and bites near the beach. It has a diverse menu of global cuisine: everything from mussels and chips to pad thai and, my favorite: nasi goreng.
Lou Cabana: Beach restaurant with great food options to enjoy overlooking the ocean: Ceviche, Tuna, Calamari...
Xamp Artisan Glacier: Artisanal Ice cream made in their very own lab at home. Highest quality and local product. Free of artificial coloring, smells, gluten, and lactose free sorbets.
WHERE TO STAY:
Other alternatives to stay: Lake Loft, Morning Star, Ocean Shelter, Villa Seren. Hossegor is also RV friendly and has different camping sites.
WHERE TO SHOP: La zone Pédebert provides for all your surfing needs, with outlets and concept stores selling everything from boards and wetsuits to organic hemp clothing and art. Abundance of surf shops like Vissla, RVCA, Volcom, Quicksilver, Roxy, Ripcurl, Billabong, Hurley, Patagonia, and O'neill, as well as the numerous outlet stores of these same brands. It’s evident here that surfing is on everyone’s mind. For a surfer, it’s pretty cool to be somewhere with all these stores, not only for obvious reasons (shopping) but more that these brands create an awesome vibe that runs through the town, especially during the pro tour when they throw signing parties for the Pro Surfers.
The Stoke House Hossegor: Carries one of our favorite brands Vissla (available at LAB). They have special collaborations each year designed specially for this location.
RVCA Hossegor.
Vans Hossegor.
Globe: Small skate brand that we LOVE.
Wasted talent: Very cool concept store with Waxed Coffee café inside.
South Central: They have Lost, Allmerick, Christenson surfboards, which are hand made in California. They also carry the best wetsuits: Xcel.
Arsene et les pipelettes: Sustainable kids clothing store from St. Jean de Luz.
Artiga Magescq: Old espadrille house.
StepArt: Concept store.
Woodstache: Handmade, natural and sustainable gadgets for everyday use.
Chipiron: Surf concept store.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
With just a 5 - 6 hour drive from Madrid, you are in one of the most beautiful coasts and forests in Europe! It's a surf Mecca (and we LOVE surf). The nature and the surf vibe is what keeps us coming back so much. We also love to kite and if you are lucky to get some wind you can have an amazing kite surfing experience with great waves. The beaches are so long that even with a lot of people, you get to have your space to just lay and chill on the beach for hours. We love that everywhere you go you either see ocean, lake or green. You can have great walks in nature, bike rides and even horse rides.
The beach culture brings together so much awareness and consciousness for nature and health, there are so many amazing options to eat healthy and plant based, and everytime I come I discover a new flavor, a new ingredient to be used in a different way from all of the variety of small cafes and restaurants that we love to go. The quality of the food is also incredible as you see so many organic and locally raised options. We also love to do some shopping in the surf outlets, the special Vissla collabs and we can always find the best brands of surfboards and gear. We have never gone on a high season, surf competition or festival, but we are pretty sure that it must be quite an experience.
My favorite place to stay: Les Echasses - Sustainable Luxury Eco Lodge in Saubion. It’s not walking distance from the beach, but it's surrounded by forest. Perfect for immersing in nature and quiet time with the family, plus the owners are super nice. You can go on a run in the forest! Or if you are staying closer to town, it's beautiful to go for a run or a walk around the Lac d’ Hossegor. What I love most, is that Hossegor is not a one place destination. If you grab a car, there are so many places you can visit while you’re there or on your way and back.
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