Profile: south-west France Biarritz and the areas around it in south-west France have been attracting foreigners for over 100 years. Now direct flights are tempting Irish buyers. Alva Mac Sherry reports.

Flying into Biarritz on Ryanair's new direct-from-Dublin route, you are aiming at the heart of the Basque country, territory which spans the Spanish-French border. Discreetly stylish Biarritz, which has been the capital of aristocratic holidaying for more than a century, nestles on the region's northernmost reaches.

The town is part of an administrative chain known as BAB - the initials of Biarritz, the nearby cathedral city of Bayonne, 6kms inland along an estuary, and Anglet, a residential area with a long sandy beach next to the Chiberta forest, which links the two.

The airport lies midway between B and B, and even as you fly in you will be thrilled by the spectacular coastline, surf, tiny bays, chic resorts and busy fishing harbours, all set against the towering background of the magnificent Pyrenees. These are historic towns, truly French from their market days to their food festivals, local architecture to local politics, yet with a full range of modern amenities.

You will be far from the first to arrive - this is not the corner of France to target if you are looking for a dream property to renovate: you're way too late.

Most of the charming cheapies within an easy drive of Biarritz have long ago been snapped up by the English, who have been visiting for generations, the Parisians, who like to holiday here in the area's warm winters and fresh summers, as well as a generous smattering of Americans, Dutch and Germans.

This is a mature property market, but one nonetheless experiencing price rises like the rest of France. The market in France has seen prices rise for eight years now, and shows no sign of slowing down - increases in property prices even outstripped Ireland last year, at 15.5 per cent.

As in Ireland, the interest rates are low, the economy is stable and most importantly, the prices are rising from a fairly low base.

This last is less true of Biarritz and its surrounding areas. In Biarritz, property, much sought-after by wealthy outsiders, hasn't been cheap for generations.

On the other hand, because of the steady influx of investors across a century there is a plethora of golf courses, a ready market for rentals and a high level of fluency in English in shops, restaurants and of course estate agents.

Many excellent websites in English advertise property in the area. And it's a market that will continue to be healthy even if flights from Dublin are discontinued, should you then wish to sell up your property.

The property market is busy, and the quality of the properties available high. This makes the area ideal for those with a good quantity to spend but no wish to be saddled with a tumbledown château.

Prices in Biarritz itself are, perhaps unsurprisingly, among the highest in the area, averaging around €?????. However, the properties available are often of excellent quality. The best areas in Biarritz are St Charles, Anglet, and Chiberta, quiet residential areas close to golf courses, both unusual factors in France.

"The market has a fairly strong demand," says Thierry Etcheverry at Agence Mercure in Biarritz. "It is difficult to find cheap properties until you go further out. However, buying is easy - we are used to dealing with British and other foreigners, and to get installed is not difficult. It is certainly not rare to see foreigners moving in. The Irish? My last sale to an Irish client was two years ago."

Going a little further along the BAB, you will find that prices are lower in Bayonne and the town of Bidert - here, you can buy a one-bedroom flat without balcony or terrace for about €90,000, but the same-sized flat with outdoor space and a sea view would set you back €200,000. All the places mentioned are highly residential areas where you will find plenty of properties to explore.

Head out into the countryside, a matter of minutes from the airport in Biarritz, and you will find yourself amid the greens and reds of the Basque flag - green fields, red roofs, white farm buildings. Properties available are mostly farms, often with plentiful land, which can be had from €250,000 upwards. The value of the property is dictated by all the usual factors - how much renovation needs to be done, access to services etcetera - but also by whether you are close to a pretty village such as Espelette, Sare or Ascain, and by how far you are from the coast.

Houses are usually large rather than small, and you will find many are partially renovated - partially, because local taxes are charged on a per-sq-habitable-metre basis, and also because of the cost of renovations.

The more remote your property from motorways, ski stations and coast, the less you will pay, at least in principle: however, not everywhere will offer properties that suit holiday, buy-to-let or gîte projects. Small, old houses are uncommon.

Head north from Biarritz and you find yourself in the Landes; south, and you find yourself in the Pyrenees; east and you find yourself in the Béarn.

The Landes is famous for its huge pine forests, some of the largest in the world, planted to stop erosion of the sand dunes, and its long, wide Atlantic beaches. The coastline is peppered with resorts, many of them charming and lively, which are the French equivalent of, say, Brittas Bay. This is definitely an area for those who love the sea and watersports.

Inland, you find the forest, a national park, and behind that, "l'arrière pays" with its quaint towns of Mont de Marsan and Dax. The people of the Landes are party people, famous for their fetes, food and rugby, as well as for bullfighting.

Properties in the Pyrenees are often farms in valleys which have lost a huge proportion of their population in the last century. The people are tough, intelligent and kindly, the scenery, the wildlife and the walking are simply amazing, but some of the villages are downright remote.

One of the most attractive areas is around the south and west of the city of Pau, a lovely city with views from almost everywhere up to the Pyrenees. Farms here have lovely inner courtyards and balconies running the length of the house - and are not cheap.

The department of Béarn has friendly people, gorgeous hilly countryside, and is about three-quarters of an hour from the coast by motorway (add on the few minutes it takes to get from the motorway to your chosen spot). Houses are cheaper in the area of Soule, Béarn and Haut Béarn.

Increasingly, immigrants are choosing to build or buy new properties - it is very often less costly to build a new property than to renovate an old. However, planning permission may be hard to come by. Recent legislation that forces the local administration to provide certain services to new homes means that those same administrations can be reluctant to give permission for building in secluded spots.