Close the entry door at the end of the hall at MADISON Saint Jean de Luz, and the rest of the hotel disappears. What’s left: two bedrooms, two walk-in showers, and two room doors that swing shut the second you let go. Step onto the wrap-around balcony at sunset, and the sun goes down over the city right in front of you.
Two small stools fixed the doors. The hotel calls the setup a Master Suite. If you book on Accor’s site, you have to book 2 separate rooms, then either call ahead, or ask at check-in, for connecting rooms.
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What’s in this post
- Location
- One Room or Two? The Family Setup
- Inside the Master Suite: Walk-In Showers and a City View
- The Pool: Open to Kids of All Ages
- Breakfast at the Brasserie: Kids Eat Free
- Is the Hotel Good for Families?
- The Bottom Line: What We Booked vs. What We Got
- Frequently Asked Questions
The MADISON Saint Jean de Luz Location
MADISON Saint Jean de Luz sits in the center of town. It’s about a 5-minute walk from the beach, 10 minutes to the train station, and an 8-minute walk to the market. Rooms and rates are on the hotel’s Accor page.
We wanted to explore the Basque coast, but Biarritz’s prices sent us looking at other nearby cities, so we ended up one town south.
The hotel belongs to Accor’s Handwritten Collection, a group of independently owned hotels with their own character. It books and earns points like any other Accor stay. We stay loyal to Accor and Marriott to keep our status.
Parking and the Elevator
We drove and parked on the street. Spots came easy in late October. Street parking was free overnight, but paid parking started in the morning, so plan on a trip downstairs to pay before breakfast. The hotel also lists a car park at €20 a day with limited spots a block down the street.
Some booking sites say the hotel has no elevator. It has one, it’s slow, but it works.
The hotel suits families who want to walk to the beach, the shops, and dinner. Families after an outdoor pool or a kids’ club should look elsewhere: the rooms are tight, the pool is indoors, and the hotel doesn’t have a kids’ club.
One Room or Two? The Family Setup at MADISON Saint Jean de Luz
Most European hotel rooms sleep two, and the Classic room here follows the rule: 16 m² for two guests. A family of four has three ways to stay:
- Family Suite: 32 m², a king bed and a sofa bed, for up to four.
- Master Suite: two bedrooms and two bathrooms behind one private entry, 32 to 57 m². This is where we stayed.
- Apartment: 70 m² or 100 m², for up to six.
How the Master Suite Works
The hotel’s own site calls our setup a Master Suite: two complete hotel rooms behind a shared private entry, at one end of the building.
When strangers book those two rooms separately, the entry door stays open. Book both, and your keys open the shared hall door. You can close it and prop both bedroom doors open for easy access between the two rooms while still maintaining privacy.
The catch? Our room doors didn’t want to stay open. We wedged small stools against them, and the stools held them open, mostly.
The hotel lists its Master Suites at 32 to 57 m². Even the smallest matches the Family Suite’s floor space, with a second bathroom and a door the kids (or parents) can close.
As of October 2026, Accor’s booking page doesn’t list the Master Suite as its own room, and the hotel’s site asks guests to get in touch about it. We booked two rooms on Accor’s Family & Co package, then asked for connecting rooms at check-in.
Quick Facts
How to get the same setup
Search for two rooms with your kids added. Booking more than one room often comes with a discount, though it isn’t always called Family & Co. Then call ahead, or ask at check-in, for connecting rooms. Pack a rubber doorstop, too.
What We Paid for Two Rooms
When we booked, the hotel offered Family & Co, a two-room package: the second room, for the kids, came at 50% off, with the discount taken from the Flexible rate. We paid €287.85 ($332.58) a night for both rooms.
That puts the Flexible rate at about €191.90 per room per night. Over two nights, the package saved us €191.90 ($221.72), or one free night in the boys’ room. The complete breakdown is at the end of this post.
Your discount may look different. When we searched two rooms again in October 2026, the multi-room discount showed up as 10% off.
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Inside the Master Suite: Walk-In Showers and a City View
One bedroom had a double bed, and the other had 2 twin beds. The rooms were tight but livable. Both rooms opened onto a wrap-around balcony with amazing views over the city. And the sunset was spectacular.
The bathrooms were equally small, with a single-sink vanity and almost no room to place your toiletries. Both bathrooms had a walk-in shower (there were no tubs).
If your kids still need a bath, know that Accor lists a bathtub only in the Deluxe room with a single bed, at 35 m². Probably not ideal for a family setup with young kids.
What This Meant for Us
Two bathrooms mean no morning shower line for a family of four. At 9, the boys had a room of their own, with our door open across the hall.
The Pool: Open to Kids of All Ages
The spa has an indoor pool with a counter-current, a large jacuzzi, and a sauna. The pool is open to kids of all ages, and we didn’t run into any limited family hours. And one of our boys spent much of the stay in the water.
I always bring a waterproof phone holder to ensure my phone doesn’t get wet, and it doubles as a place to store my key when I’m wearing a swimsuit. It’s on our list of things we pack on every trip; check out the other items we always take with us.
Breakfast at the Brasserie: Kids Eat Free
Breakfast at the Brasserie wasn’t part of our rate. Kids eat free, though: Accor’s family policy covers breakfast for children 0 to 11 at Handwritten Collection hotels when they eat with a paying adult. The boys were 9, so we paid for one adult, and our boys ate for free.
Booking sites list the adult buffet at about €21 (as of October 2026). Our own breakfast charge didn’t make it into our notes.
Is MADISON Saint Jean de Luz Good for Families?
Yes, for a short stay. The hotel works for a family of four, but the rooms are small and the amenities are minimal. The rooms run about the size of other European hotel rooms in a city center. Two nights worked for us; a week here would leave too little room to spread out.
It works for families with kids, not babies, and probably not toddlers either. It’s ideal for families whose kids are potty trained and sleep through the night.
Our verdict
Book it for: two bedrooms and two bathrooms behind one private door, the walk to the beach, the market, and dinner, a pool the kids can use, free breakfast for the kids, and the sunset from the balcony.
The catch: small rooms, an indoor pool and spa but not much else for kids, a slow elevator, and doors that won’t stay open without help.
Best for: kids who are potty trained and sleep through the night, on a short stop during a Basque coast trip, not a week-long base.
The Bottom Line: What We Booked vs. What We Got
We paid €590.66 ($682.45) at the hotel for two rooms, two nights, and taxes. Breakfast for one adult and the morning street parking were extra, and neither figure made it into our notes.
| Item | EUR | USD | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Classic rooms, Family & Co (2 nights, Oct 26–28, 2025) | €575.70 | $665.16 | €287.85 a night for both; we got a Master Suite |
| Taxes | €14.96 | $17.28 | Charged separately at the hotel |
| Total paid at the hotel | €590.66 | $682.45 | €73.83 ($85.31) per person per night |
Converted at the ECB rate for October 31, 2025: €1 = $1.1554.
What We Booked
Two Classic rooms on Family & Co at €287.85 a night for both. At the Flexible rate, the same two rooms come to about €767.60 ($886.89) for two nights, so the package took off €191.90.
What We Received
A Master Suite with two bathrooms, balconies over the city, and free breakfast for the boys. All-in, that’s €73.83 ($85.31) per person per night.
More Hotels to Check Out
Another family stay in France, with a Michelin-starred restaurant on site during our visit: the Domaine Riberach review has the full tour and the complete itemized breakdown.
Two rooms became a suite on our Albania trip. The Tirana Marriott review covers the upgrade, the lounge, and the complete itemized breakdown.
Another stay in the south of France: the Château Mentone review has the full tour and the complete itemized breakdown.
Close the entry door, wedge the stools, and catch the sunset from the balcony. At MADISON Saint Jean de Luz, Family & Co took €191.90 off the second room. Ask for a Master Suite, and pack a doorstop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The Family Suite is 32 m² with a king bed and a sofa bed for up to four, and the apartments (70 m² and 100 m²) sleep up to six. We booked two rooms on the Family & Co package instead.
Two bedrooms and two bathrooms behind one private entry, 32 to 57 m², at the ends of the building. Booked together, your keys open the entry door, so you can close it. As of October 2026, Accor doesn’t list it as its own room; book two rooms and ask the hotel.
Yes. Some booking sites list no elevator, but the hotel has one, and it worked for our whole stay in October 2025.
Yes. The indoor pool is open to kids of all ages, and we didn’t run into limited family hours. Ask at the front desk about the sauna.
Under Accor’s family policy, children 0 to 11 eat breakfast free at Handwritten Collection hotels with a paying adult. Booking sites list the adult buffet at about €21 (as of October 2026).
We parked on the street: free overnight, paid in the morning, and spots came easy in late October. The hotel lists a car park at €20 a day with limited spots (as of October 2026).
About 300 m from the Grande Plage, and about a 10-minute walk from the train station.