history
Welcome to Maison Oppoca, a 17th century coaching inn and the beating heart of the wonderful village of Ainhoa
1659
Ainhoa was destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War, but rose like a phoenix from the flames after the Pyrenees Peace Treaty was signed in 1659. The Oppoca family were carpenters who helped revive the town and built their own house where Maison Oppoca now stands.
Treaty of the Pyrenees
Coachmen could take their horses along a track next to the house to the stable at the rear of the building. The stable was used to house horses, swap them and fix their horseshoes. Countless merchants, travellers and pilgrims on the Way of St James would stop at Maison Oppoca to rest. It was next door to the village baker’s house, Maison Xaharenea.
The 20th century boom in the car industry saw the establishment transform.
The stable was turned into an inn and the rooms were updated.
The hotel was given a new lease of life in 1976 yet stayed true to its roots as a family-run inn, with the owners in charge of running the hotel and restaurant. Maison Oppoca has become famous throughout the Basque Country as a popular wedding and function venue.
Hôtel Oppoca
Guy Tempest Adkin with his wife in from of Hôtel Oppoca
Hôtel Oppoca dining room, 1969
Hôtel Oppoca, EMA-Photo
The hotel's makeover in 1976.
The hotel was given a new lease of life in 1976 yet stayed true to its roots as a family-run inn, with the owners in charge of running the hotel and restaurant. Maison Oppoca has become famous throughout the Basque Country as a popular wedding and function venue.
Mr and Mrs Massonde bought the hotel in 1996 and gave it an update to freshen up the interior.
The hotel was fully renovated between 2007 and 2008.
Significant work began on the hotel in 2007 right up until 2010 with the new bar & tearoom and the vegetable garden’s transformation into a large terrace for the restaurant. A motivated new team with a passion for the Basque region took over from Chantal and Dominique Massonde when they began their well-earned retirement.
Maison Oppoca can’t wait to meet you after its most recent update in winter 2022-2023.
The entire hotel and restaurant team want Maison Oppoca to endure and thrive, true to its heritage and Basque traditions.
