BIARRITZ – whitewater weekend – rafting and surfing initiation in the Basque Country
An intensive 3 day/2 night sporting break for corporate team-building or reward programme.
Base: Biarritz
Accommodation: central hotel near beach
Activities:
white water rafting
Ocean surfing instruction
Extras: possibility of golfing, casino evening, seminar/meeting facilities
Access: direct flights into Biarritz airport (15 mins hotel) from London-Stansted and Dublin
Biarritz has been France's surfing capital since the late Deborah Kerr's husband brought a Californian longboard over in his baggage in the fifties. While she was filming torrid scenes on the beach he was taming the Atlantic rollers.
Since then surfing has become an integral part of Biarritz's charm and culture: as the crowds throng the promenade on la Grande Plage between the Empress Eugénie's Grand Palais and the Art Déco casino, the waves thundering in from the Bay of Biscay are topped with surfers from all over the world.
This, then, is the setting for our Biarritz water sports programme: Biarritz on the Basque coast with a surfing beach right in the town ... and a magnificent backdrop of rugged mountains as the Pyrenean mountain range plunges into the sea. It's in one of the rivers running off the Pyrenees that we place our second sporting activity of the programme: whitewater rafting.
The programme usually runs like this: First day: Arrival Biarritz airport, transfer to hotel for check in and exploration of immediate surroundings. The Grand Plage, old town and fishing port are all within a few minutes of the hotel. Dinner and overnight at hotel (possibility of dining in Biarritz Casino with privileged access to the tables).
On the second day the serious action begins with a transfer to the white water base in the Pyrenean foothills where a qualified instructor takes charge of the group, equips everyone with wetsuit, helmet and paddle before explaining how exactly rafting works. It is a team sport par excellence with every one of the 8 crew members working in unison to control the craft in treacherous waters.
The afternoon is more relaxed with either a round of golf or a seminar at the hotel.
Day three and Surf's up! After breakfast the group walks down to the beach for a morning's surfing initiation. A qualified instructor will equip each participant with wetsuit and board before explaining the rudiments of the sport. It's all a question of balance! By the end of the morning a champion will emerge.
Return to airport and flight home in late afternoon.
As with all our programmes we have packed as much activity as possible into a short time-frame. A lot depends on flight times. This programme can be extended by one or two nights giving more time for the surfing and/or other activities.
Price range:2 nights - €360 - €450 per person
3 nights - €435 - €500 per person
Included:
- 3 nights (base double or twin sharing) in 3* hotel
- Breakfasts included
- 1 Dinner
- Return transfer from Biarritz Airport to hotel and from hotel to rafting base
- Activities:
- ½ a day of rafting
- ½ a day of surfing
- 1 picnic of Basque products
- Activities with experienced English-speaking instructor
Not Included:
- Personal expenses and tips
- Insurance
All enquiries and reservations to:
+33 561 120 794
Biarritz - surfing 'n' rafting.
