Yet, tiny Guethary, tucked away between its two more famous neighbours, offers old-fashioned French Basque charm, with elderly gentlemen in berets chatting away beside the town jai alai fronton, or court. (Jai alai, a game much like handball, is wildly popular in Basque country. The ball is caught and hurled at a wall with a wicker basket strapped to the wrist.)

In Basque country, the town hall, the fronton and the church form the heart of the village, often the scene of traditional fairs with singing and dancing.

If you're a young surfer, you certainly won't skip this village.

The famous Guethary wave, pounding off the beach known as Parlementia, offers the wild surf crowd some of the best rides east of Malibu.

Guethary, 'the Basque town at the ocean,' boasts 1,296 inhabitants living in splendid tranquility in houses perched on a hill sloping down to the Atlantic. When the summer sun beats down on the rust-red and white houses, you have the feeling that plenty of them are outdoors enjoying themselves.

For centuries, townsfolk eked out a living whaling, fishing and farming. Tourism came relatively early for such a remote town, after a railroad link to nearby Biarritz was finished in the 19th century. Suddenly Guethary benefited from the visitor boom in bigger and better-known Biarritz to the north, with upper-class Parisians looking for a summer escape.

 Many of the buildings probably still look a lot the way the did back then. But the visitors have certainly changed - with the influx each summer of tanned, shaggy-haired surfers.

Guethary is home to one of Europe's best-known waves, a powerful swell that can reach heights of over 3 metres (10 feet) and which break several hundred meters (and several hundred more feet) from the rocky beach.

If you say you've ridden the famous wave at Guethary, you get respect on beaches from Hawaii to Australia.

Surfing in the region started in the 1950s, when riders dashed into the water and paddled furiously offshore.

Today, Guethary even boasts two full-fledged surfing and body-boarding schools, one of them run by former French national champion Christophe Reinhardt.

Just 15 minutes away by public bus, Biarritz and St. Jean de Luz often seem ready to burst at the seams from the hordes of French, British, Spanish, American and other tourists who come to soak up the sun.

Guethary's feeling of remoteness makes the little Basque village appealing to someone looking for a quiet vacation away from bustling resorts and overcrowded beaches. Old-fashioned Basque architecture, the huge jai alai fronton and quiet, almost empty little streets that lead down to the rocky beach are signatures of the town.

 If you want to stay overnight, book ahead. There are only three hotels in the village. In fact, the largest of the three, the Hotel Briketenia, has only 25 rooms. All hotels have views of the sea and its mighty waves.

Staying in a rented residence or camping centre are also options.

There are 12 restaurants in town, most of them offering traditional Basque cuisine with lots of seafood. Several of these are on or near the beach.

The rocky beachfront that extends for just less than one kilometre to the south, is known as Arotzen Costa and is a nature preserve that protects shellfish, sea urchins, shrimp and other marine life.

Arotzen Costa also leads to a bay with more swimming and surfing, and the views are breathtaking, especially when the sun sinks into the Atlantic.

There's also plenty for non-surfers, too, especially those who just want to come here for a day trip. For a town of its size, there are a remarkable number of activities that include mountain biking, tennis, swimming, and jai alai for the adventurous.

Guethary has always attracted artists, town officials are quick to point out. The municipal museum, open from April through October and housed in a typical Basque building, is well known for its contemporary art exhibits and local traditions.

What's more, back on the main road, visitors are linked to one of Europe's most vibrant tourist regions from where they can climb up to the Pyrenees Mountains or follow the coast into the Spanish Basque region, both further to the south.

© Associated Press