Arcangues, the charm of the Basque countryside

In the Basque province of Le Labourd and the greater urban area of Bayonne, Arcangues, first mentioned in the 12th century AD, is home to 3,110 residents. Crossed by the coastal river Uhabia, it beckons to fans of peaceful rural areas.

Built in 1900, the Château d’Arcangues was listed as an Historic Monument in 1992, thus joining the 16th-C. church tower. The commune also plays host to Mariano ko Borda, home of singer Luis Mariano. Among its facilities, one finds a primary school, doctors, a pharmacy and shops with basic necessities. On gently undulating land, Arcangues also boasts a golf-course, a 173-acre facility which surrounds the commune and adds the village to the list of golfers’ destinations. Every year in June, Basque traditions are celebrated.

“Less than 10 minutes from the beaches, the geographic location of Arcangues is a real advantage,” says Olivier Brégeon of the Agence Globe, “together with that of generous plots of land facing towards the mountains”. Clients are looking for space, tranquillity, Basque architecture and contemporary appointments. Exceptions aside, transactions range from 450,000 € - bringing a villa of 140 m2 in need of refurbishment, in 1,000 m2 of grounds - to 1.5 million euros - the sum required for a home of 300 m2 in perfect condition, in grounds of at least 4,000 m2 with a view of natural greenery. More lively since April, the property market mainly consists of year-round homes, of interest to an exclusively French clientele. It is in no way a fall-back solution for Biarritz, with fans of the coastal town giving priority to the “everything on foot” factor, even if they have to sacrifice privacy.

“The term “biarrote countryside” is more appropriate,” comments Patricia Biondi of Biarritz Sotheby’s International Realty. Ten minutes from the bustle on the Atlantic shore, Arcangues offers picture-postcard scenery with the Pyrenees in the background. The village is certainly not lacking in charm and the golf-course enjoys a sound reputation, backed up by the quality of its club-house. Buyers benefit from a certain guarantee regarding preservation of the surrounding area. To build a house, one must have a plot of at least 2,000 m2, a surface area entitling the owner to building rights of 400 m2. The choice of Basque architecture is encouraged, even if the site seems appropriate for a contemporary home. Building plots range from 400,000 to 450,000 € as soon as they have a view of the mountains. There is a trend for second homes to get closer to urban centres, an approach not followed by the locals who get a lot of pleasure out of their gardens.

In the past six months, Philippe Thomine-Desmazures of Barnes Côte Basque handled the sale of a neo-Basque property of 450 m2 with a spa, indoor and outdoor pools, in grounds of 5,300 m2, priced at 2.2 M € and to the liking of a financier from western France, wanting to move to the area with his family year-round. The property is in the part of Arcangues close to Biarritz, more highly-prized, precisely due to its proximity to this town in the “BAB” region (Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz), than the village or the part between the latter and Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle. Recently, a holiday resident treated himself to a 17th-C. farmhouse with 300 m2 already rehabilitated and a further 300 m2 awaiting renov­ation, for 1.5 million euros. 18 months earlier, the agency had estimated the property at 2 million euros. The owner had then yielded to the sirens’ song from competing agencies, putting the farmhouse on the market at 2.8 million euros. His first visitors arrived when he dropped the price to 2.3 million euros. Two offers, of 1.9 and 1.7 million euros, were successively refused. In the meantime, the market for the inland area had fallen by 20 %, stocks had begun to swell, and the deeds were finally signed at 1.5 million euros. An ultra-rational approach to the value-for-money factor allows for savings in time, energy and money.

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