My stay, for eight nights, was, as on the last two occasions, really lovely. The original building was built as the Grand Hôtel Gassion towards the end of the
19thC, it is beautifully situated on the Promenade des Pyrénées, with a magnificent view of the mountains on the horizon.
At the end of the Promenade nearest the Gassion is the Chateau, well worth a visit, particularly for magnificent tapestries. The grounds are very attractive, a pleasant place to have a stroll. A leisurely walk of about thirty minutes along the length of the Promenade brings you to Beaumont Park, another good place to sit and enjoy life going by.
There are numerous bars, restaurants and cafés along the Promenade, lovely to have a coffee, beer or glass of wine and look at the peaks of the Pyrénées in the distance.
Pau, because it is not as accesible as some other French towns, remains exactly that; it is ‘French’ with relatively few tourists, the vast majority of those being French.
About three minutes from the entrance, there is a bus stop, situated outside the big church of St Jacques, where the little - free - bus, the ‘Navette’ goes on a circular route through the centre of Pau.
It runs every 10 minutes and is wonderful as it stops outside the Markets. The new indoor market has recently been opened, absolutely terrific; it is on two floors, escalators and lift, the selection of food amazing. The outdoor market just adjacent has smaller local suppliers with their own produce, cheese from sheep, ‘brebis’ which is delicious. The animals go to high pasture in June for three months, return in September.
The people in the market are very helpful and very kind and pleasant as are all the people I have met on my stays in Pau.
I arrive by train, if arriving by car do not forget to use Funicular that goes from a Promenade to near the station - great fun.
I finish by saying that André is a very, very, kind, friendly and helpful host, a lovely place and people.
