Photo: Room with a view at the Hotel du Palais

From the fifth floor at the Hotel du Palais in Biarritz, France, you get the sun, sea, and local setting all framed from the nautical porthole window. The building was originally the summer home of Napoleon III and after fire and rebuilding and remodeling, it now has about 150 rooms, a new Gurelain Spa, and for my money, the best room with a view in all of Europe.