Hotel Florida

We arrived in Biarritz with our 10 Week Old and called to ask whether the hotel was baby friendly. We were assured it was, but told we had to book online rather than by phone, so we did that five minutes before arriving. Once there, our buggy wouldn’t fit in the tiny lift. Staff suggested the stairs, which were impossible with it too. It took three trips to get our things upstairs, and the hallways were so narrow we couldn’t get the buggy into the room, where we needed it for the baby to sleep. We went back to reception and asked for a refund on the booking we’d just made, but they refused. They offered another room, but it also wasn’t accessible by lift or stairs with our baby. We had to book somewhere else and got no refund. Management never replied to my emails asking for our money back. An absolute disgrace, especially if you’re travelling with kids. Stay away.

The location is very central and the suite was quite a suite. I didn’t get to try breakfast, though, because my husband was outside with our dog. If you’re bringing a pet, watch out: booking on Booking.com might make you think Florida is pet friendly, but after paying for a non-refundable suite, we found out they only accept mini dogs. Quite tricky, isn’t it? They don’t have private parking either. Their Booking page says “parking,” but, as the lady at reception told me, it means public parking. I believe you, madame.

The hotel is dated and the rooms are small, but ours was clean and comfortable with a good shower. It was surprisingly quiet given the location, which is great. The beach, shops and restaurants are all close by.

The location is perfect and the facilities are acceptable, but room choice matters. Make sure to book one facing the front with a balcony. The first room I was given had high windows that showed only sky. The second faced the back, had no balcony, and smelled like a dog bed. The hotel accepts pets.