Salies-de-Béarn: French Property Location Guide

Just 45 minutes from the nearest beach and not much more from the ski slopes, spa town Salies-de-Béarn certainly has a lot going for it, writes Sophie Folley…

I had no idea how lucky I was when I arrived in Salies-de-Béarn in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in April 2005. The plan was to stay for two years to improve my French. Twenty years later, I’m still here, married to a Frenchman, with a beautiful French teenage daughter and my own estate agency business. Salies is easy to stumble across, but difficult to leave once you have fallen under its spell. It’s tucked away in the rural Béarnaise countryside of southwest France, yet is only 45 minutes from the Atlantic coast and just over an hour from the nearest ski resort. This medieval thermal spa town and its surrounding area offers the most charming architecture and countryside, against the backdrop of the Pyrénées mountain range, and an abundance of outdoor (and indoor) activities for all ages.

A small community (there were fewer than 5,000 inhabitants at the last census) with plenty of clubs and associations to join (bridge, art, sculpture, sewing, choral, theatre and walking to name but a few), Salies is a town that ‘lives’ all year round, and it is easy to meet people and feel settled quickly. There is an international English-speaking community too, which certainly helped me feel at home during the first few months after I arrived.

Famous for its natural salt, thermal spa town Salies attracts people from all over France for its healing qualities against arthritis and rheumatism. The spa facility is excellent. Open to the public seven days a week, you can benefit from the 33°C saltwater swimming pools with numerous jets to ease your aches and pains from your shoulders to your feet. With Monday to Friday aqua aerobic sessions, a fully equipped gym and many exercise classes to try, there is something for everyone and any age. Salies salt is also used for curing the world famous Jambon de Bayonne.

The town has many shops, restaurants, bars and services to cater to everyday needs. The Thursday morning market draws lots of people from the surrounding towns and villages who come to delight in the local produce on offer, and to enjoy the vibrant atmosphere emanating from the cafés -especially on the sunnier days. Outdoor activities on the doorstep include pelota (a traditional Basque racket sport), golf (Salies has a nine-hole golf course), cycling, tennis, swimming (in the heated open-air swimming pool open from June to October), football and rugby. Further afield, you can enjoy surfing (the world surfing championships are held in Hossegor in September) and sailing along the Atlantic coast (45 minutes away), salmon. or trout fishing in the local freshwater rivers (the nearby town of Navarrenx hosts the annual salmon fishing championships), horse-riding (Pau is home of the 5 Etoiles de Pau eventing competition every October), to hiking and skiing in the mountains (the nearest ski resort of La Pierre-St-Martin is just over an hour away).

Local gastronomy is celebrated all year round, with the Foire au Jambon in Bayonne in April, the Fête du Saumon in Navarrenx in May, the Fête de la Blonde d’Aquitaine in Sauveterre-de-Béarn in August, the Fête du Sel in Salies in September and the Fête du Piment in Espelette in October. I’m sure I’ve missed some out, but you get the idea: it’s an area that’s very proud of its produce. The above can be washed down with local wines, beers and ciders. Salies-de-Béarn has its own vineyard that produces excellent red wines. The weather is quite similar to the UK’s climate in that it can rain a lot, which makes for beautiful, lush countryside, but temperatures are generally 10 degrees warmer.

The average in winter is about 6°C, but it has been known to hit 20°C in December, which has meant we’ve been able to enjoy eating our Christmas dinner outside on the terrace. Summers can be hot, with temperatures generally sitting in the late 20s/early 30s, but can peak at 40°C. Thanks to the open-air pool in town, we can usually find a pleasurable way to cool down.

Access links are ideal, with Biarritz airport being just a 45-minute car ride away, and Lourdes (Tarbes) an hour and a quarter. Both airports are served by Ryanair to London Stansted and Dublin, and provide regular flights all year round. Further afield you’ll find the airports of Bordeaux, Toulouse and Bilbao, each just two hours away. And for those who prefer driving. why not try taking the ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao or Santander, and simply drive across the border? Otherwise, Calais ferry port is a 10-hour drive away. The local high-speed TGV rail service can get you to Paris in a little more than four hours.

Typical Béarnaise architecture features high-pitched roofs, traditionally designed to manage heavy rainfall. In addition, Salisien townhouses are often ‘decorated’ with pretty covered balconies and galleries, which overlook the town centre and rooftops. As for the types of property available, there really is something for everyone and all tastes, from lock-up-and-leave townhouses (ideal for a pied-à-terre holiday home), to edge-of-town houses with gardens and swimming pools, to rural farmhouses with outbuildings and hectares of land. There are also some stunning, more modern properties offering all the home comforts and requiring little maintenance, which shouldn’t be overlooked.

On the heights of Salies, you can find some beautiful homes with fabulous views of the Pyrénées mountains. Property prices are reasonable compared to the extortionate prices at the coast. In fact, many residents from Bayonne and Biarritz are choosing to move 45 minutes inland to benefit from the more affordable houses. The average price per square metre in Salies is €2,269, as opposed to €9,333 in Biarritz. What are you waiting for? Come and have a look around.. Whatever the time of year, you’ll enjoy the sights and activities this area has to offer.

Sophie Folley heads a multilingual team at Sophie Folley Immobilier.

Tel: 0033 (0)559 38 32 50.

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