Villa Hortebise

We were NOT expecting this level of excellence at this point in our (1700 km Bordeaux to Lisbon) cycle trip. Salies-de-Bearn was basically going to be just a place to spend the night between points on our route. INSTEAD, we found a couple - Corinne and Cedric - who are running a lovely inn, who graciously accommodated us even though we arrived hours before our formal check-in time (tsk on us) and provided not only an incredibly beautiful and delicious dinner but an elegant breakfast, as well. Our bikes were safe. We slept like logs on the excellent bed and linens. The gardens were INCREDIBLE. I would choose a place like this over a larger hotel, ANYTIME.

Villa Hortebise is a lovely big house within easy walking distance of the town centre and it has ample on-site parking. Our deluxe double room was fabulous with a four poster bed and furniture that is very traditional, but done in a modern way. There is also a balcony overlooking the lovely garden but as we couldn’t check in until five o’clock, and were only staying for one night, we weren’t able to take full advantage of such lovely facilities. Breakfast was served in the beautiful living room and with the views over the lovely garden to the shuttered mansion across the street, it was the archetypical image of a French country manor scene. Although we were offered eggs cooked to order, we were both content to have a simple selection of fruit, cheeses, jams and wonderfully crusty rustic bread and pastries. This is a beautiful house owned by a lovely family. It is in a very scenic area and we would like to come back here for a lazy few days.