This is a very expensive hotel and worth it. They have thought through every detail and appear to have got it right. We knew that we wanted to stay on site for the three days of our stay, and I'm glad that we did, as the ten minute road journey to Bidarray in the valley below was quite tortuous. The hotel is set in about forty acres of sloping parkland, with traditional houses (providing rooms and suites) dotted around. Golf buggies are provided to guests for accessing the restaurant, pool and car park (at the main entrance) so the place is carless and very peaceful. The views are spectacular.
We had a beautifully appointed sitting room with mezzanine bedroom and bathroom, which was very spacious, with both bath and separate shower. There was also a toilet downstairs. There was a kettle and coffee machine.There were luxurious toiletries and bathrobes and slippers. One fault was that the drainage was not efficient, so that the shower tray flooded and the bath took ages to empty. This was not properly rectified during our stay.
The restaurant offers an excellent fine dining experience: the service is friendly and attentive, the dishes were exquisitely presented and flavoursome. On fine days, one can eat on the terrace with fantastic views over the hills. The breakfast buffet was superb and served until the civilised hour of 11am. There was a real pride in the quality and local provenance of the food - everything was fresh.
An added luxury was the evening maid service. Instead of a chocolate on the pillow, were were left tiny, freshly baked cakes and a story or poem related to the locality.
This was a lovely place in which to relax, walk and swim. The birdlife is also very interesting , with many different types of raptor flying past at eye-level.
In sum, an exclusive, away from it all experience which is costly and worth it. We would love to return.

After a stay in October 2009, I booked the entire hotel for a 2010 Tour de France trip. Where to begin? Ostape is a little hard to find tucked into a beautiful mountain valley just a short distance from the border with Spain. But it is well worth the effort. It's not a traditional hotel but rather a collection of luxury villas around a large central building which houses their gourmet restaurant. Once within the gates, guests are issued their own private golf carts as the grounds are extensive. Half of our group will be cyclists and the setting couldn't be more ideal with incredible views of the surrounding mountains. The rooms are a mix of traditional materials yet with with modern features. My room had an enormous bed and huge bathroom. The food and service were exquisite but I've rated the service "good" rather than "excellent" as there was a considerable delay in response time regarding our July 2010 reservations. Otherwise, heaven on Earth.

Wonderful in all respects - food, accommodation, location, ambience, silence. If you can afford it, go.

Amazing place with stunning setting.Drive down tiny road and the estate doesn't disappoint with beautiful villas spaced on hills around the grounds and surrounding this is a lush rolling countryside.
The villas are bright and spacious and with the distances between other buildings they feel really private.the is excellent as expected in this Alain Ducasse affiliated hotel.
Booked on short notice while travelling to biarritz and managed to get a good price well worth checking out