Biarritz, Aquitaine 64200

There's the courtyard first. A few metres of timber decking, terracotta pots lined up along the wall, an olive tree, rosemary, complete quiet, and a slatted screen that's enough to cut off the view in. The French door stays open from May to October, and the living room carries on outside without anyone having to think about it. Inside, everything is organised around the helical staircase, black steel with timber treads, serving all three levels. It's the strong move of the 2019 renovation, the one that holds the space together and gives it its character. Around it, a handleless open kitchen in pale oak, a Dekton worktop, large-format rectified ceramic on the floor, anthracite aluminium frames. Nothing needs redoing. On the first floor, the bedroom sits under the original beams, limewashed, on a wood floor. This is the level you see the ocean from, and on a clear day the line of the Pyrenees behind the roofs. It opens onto a Juliet balcony with Basque-red railings. This is Biarritz, and it fools no one. The property belongs to a three-unit co-ownership. Close to 75 m² spread over the three levels, three bedrooms, bathroom. An apartment lived in through its height rather than its floor area, which the measurement never tells you. From this address you walk down to the Côte des Basques, and the car ends up being useful only for leaving. Fees payable by the seller.