Saint-Jean-de-Luz has not always been the elegant and family seaside resort of today. Back in 1851, the town only had two hotels. With the arrival of the train in 1864 and more importantly the construction over the following decades of its three dykes, Socoa, Artha and Sainte-Barbe, little by little the town was transformed into a holiday resort. Protected from the ravages of maritime storms, the inhabitants started to take possession of the seafront. Originally, the space was used for playing rugby or drying sheets on the dunes. Later, the beach was used for more popular activities which progressively attracted tourists. As of the beginning of the 20th century, parasols, beach clubs and ice-cream merchants began to appear on the shoreline while diving platforms bobbed on the waters just off the coast. 

Thus, Saint-Jean-de-Luz became a very popular seaside resort, without however turning its back on its past. Ideally located on the Basque coast, it hosted crowned heads such as Napoleon III and his wife Eugénie, and became the refuge for many intellectuals such as Stendhal, Flaubert and Victor Hugo. It was in this flourishing context the first version of the Grand Hôtel was born: the Hôtel Terminus, built in 1900, which later became the Hôtel de la Plage. Destroyed by fire, the building was renovated in 1909, renamed the Modern Hotel, a Belle Epoque gem, and featured a magnificent rotunda opening out on the sea. It wasn’t until 1982 that the Grand Hôtel saw the light of day. Thus named after the purchase by the Royal Monceau group, it underwent extensive renovation which announced its metamorphosis into a 5-star hotel. With 52 rooms and a listed façade, it aroused interest from its current owner, the SFH (Style Feeling Hotels) group, which acquired it in 2001.

It re-opened in 2015 after another large-scale renovation project, and today the Grand Hôtel Thalasso & Spa flaunts its Art Deco style majestically in the heart of the town and on the Ocean shoreline.