Guéthary, unfeigned success

The reputation of this Basque village situated between Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz has travelled well beyond the borders of its 350-acre territory. Its fashionable status has not spoilt its authenticity, and its beaches form a lovely backdrop for its typically Basque buildings.

The tale of Guéthary begins with the construction of a fish processing plant above the harbour way back in the Roman era. Closer to our day, the use of bathing establishments near the harbour area marked the first inklings of the tourist industry in 1850. Hotels with restaurants rose from the ground, and lodgings prov­ided by the locals began to develop. The pace accelerated in 1864 and 1884, dates marking the arrival of the train and inauguration of the railway station. The first holiday homes began to be built. Today, Costa Aldia forms the centre of the village, which officially makes its living from tourism. Pleasure boating overtook fishing, while a few cultivated fields recall the site’s former agricultural vocation. The most recent census reported 1,374 residents, half of them not originally from the Basque country.

“Transactions are shared out equally between main and second homes,” say Chantal Marthan, Frederike Bellan and Franck Vignes of Guéthary Immobilier. Locals usually pay from 250,000 to 400,000 € for their homes. This client­ele is naturally well-informed and dead set on their choice of this commune just 6 km from Saint-Jean-de-Luz, 9 km from Biarritz and 17 km from Bayonne. Some opt for building plots of about 1,000 m2 in the country in the first ring around the village, in Ahetze or Bidart, costing around 250,000 €. Others prefer an apartment in the village, such as one of 85 m2 in perfect condition near the beach, giving onto a terrace of 15 m2 facing the ocean, which sold for 400,000 €, or another of 74 m2 higher up near the church, with a terrace of 30 m2 facing the mountains, priced at 346,000 €. 80 % of holiday home owners are French, from Paris and its surrounding region or the great south-west. The remaining 20 % are shared out between north Europeans and French ex-pats. Russian buyers are making a modest showing. The 750,000 to 800,000 € bracket is currently the most active. Parisian clients recently acquired a contemporary house of 160 m2 with a garden of 500 m2 for 780,000 €. Over and above 1 million d’euros, potential buyers clearly waiting to come across a bargain make audacious offers. One seller is currently asking 1,420,000 € for a typical Basque property of 220 m2 near the “fronton” on the sea side, and a 1920’s house of 200 m2 to renovate with a garden of 700 m2 in the centre, priced at 1,550,000 €, is about to be acquired by a couple of ex-pats working in Singapore. Fondness for the Basque country in general, and this seaside resort in particular, are often common denominators.

“Guéthary is a micro-market, like Sainte-Barbe or Chiberta, neighbourhoods in Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Anglet. Demand outstrips supply,” says Benoît Verdet of the Emile Garcin agency. Most of its clients come from abroad and initially buy a holiday home. Some are above all looking for a pleasant life-style, which will include being within walking distance of the beach and the heart of the village. Being close to surfing spots is a considerable asset. The centre still offers villas of 250-300 m2 with gardens of 1,000 to 3,000 m2, while the area above the church is characterized more by large properties. Two sales recently orchestrated by the Emile Garcin agency illustrate this polarisation : a village house of 180 m2 in a garden of 1,000 m2 a 5-minute walk from the beach, snapped up at 800,000 €, and a residence of 350 m2 in 3,000 m2 of grounds in an intimate environment at the upper end of Guéthary, offering a sea view, which sold for 2.5 million euros. Proving that Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Biarritz do not have an exclusive monopoly on luxury. Everyone ap­preciates the special character of the village, its friendly atmosphere, ultra-central location and its setting spared from rampant and unbridled urban development.

“Sales go through 10 to 15 % at most below their posted prices,” explains Philippe Thomine-Desmazures of Barnes International. “An over-priced property won’t even get a visit. An attractive price is a strong argument and personal attachment to the address no longer suffices to ignore it.” The market is experiencing a decline except, perhaps, in the case of outstanding properties, that’s to say, on the seafront, in impeccable condition with a total absence of defects or disturbances. Drawn by the promise of a quality life-style, the clientele is not in a hurry, preferring to rent for another season if they can’t unearth the object of their desires. A distinction should be drawn between the upper and lower ends of the village. Noisy in places, the area between the RN10 and the motorway does not offer the same advantages as that in immediate proximity to the beach, both trendy and highly-prized. The more rural enclave beyond the motorway does not obey the same rules either, being more comparable to Ahetze or Bidart. Quite expectedly, prices reflect these disparities. A real picture postcard, Guéthary flaunts the Basque identity, just like Bidart, in fact.