Belza Villa

Welcome to the famous Belza Villa, perched on the side of a cliff and whose mysterious profile has become the town’s landmark. Its name, Belza, means ‘black’ in Basque. Its proximity to the Devil’s Hole and its incredible charm, with its medieval keep and bartizan turret, have long fuelled local legends. Tales of haunted houses with rattling shutters, ghosts appearing in the windows, stories of witchcraft and ghosts, Belza has seen and heard it all. Despite—or perhaps because of—these eerie stories, Belza Villa caught the eye of the film industry. Since 1908, it has been featured in numerous film scenes. In 1923, the brother-in-law of the famous Russian composer Stravinsky bought the villa and transformed it into a cabaret-restaurant, hosting lavish dinners. Famous figures such as the Prince of Wales and Russian dukes often met here. The decor changed in 1927. The Basque castle, which was the name of the Russian restaurant, became a magnificent inn, in the Louis XIII style. However, celebrations and music were a thing of the past by 1940. The German army requisitioned the premises. They built a handy blockhouse to protect the port they occupied. Renovated after the liberation, the town classified the villa as a protected architectural heritage zone. It was then divided into flats and inhabited! As an illustration, in 2020 a flat was sold for the modest sum of 40,000 euros per square metre! To live in a superstar haunted house, you have to pay the price! Now follow the seafront to Port Vieux beach.