Truly one of the most magical places I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting, Les Sources de Caudalie should be on everyone’s must-visit list. A luxury spa, hotel and vineyard, this place has got it all. I felt thoroughly spoiled whilst staying there in December – sadly, we were only passing through and could therefore only stay for one night* but when I return in the future, I shall be sure to spend several days there.
We received a particularly warm welcome from the lovely Nathalie and Mathilde who greeted us like long lost friends, making us instantly feel at home. Mathilde then took us for a guided tour of the spa hotel, showing us some of the most unusual and stunning sculptures that were placed throughout the grounds, the pretty swans that wandered around and all the wonderful things that were on offer to guests – from spa treatments to a special honeymoon cottage, to tours of the vineyard and much more.
As we were only staying the one night, we were unable to take advantage of the many wonderful spa treatments available but we did use the indoor pool which can only be described as serene and rather magical. We were the only people using it at the time, which made it even more amazing.
The architecture of the buildings throughout the grounds was gorgeous, it amazed me how something that was built so recently can have such a worn, ancient kind of feel – which added to its charm. The use of wood was wonderful. We do like to see solid wood in buildings like these.
We were lucky enough to have a prestige room within Les Source de Caudalie hotel, that no only had its own large bathroom with separate shower and toilet, but also had its own pretty terrace complete with hammock. I was in absolute heaven! Add to that, the numerous products that were on offer in the hotel – you see, Les Sources de Caudalie is also renowned for its natural beauty products, simply known as Caudalie. I’ve seen them for sale here in Portugal and wondered what they were like so I tested out the body lotions and face creams. So impressed was I, that I marched down to reception and bought myself some face cream (which came with a free lip balm which proved invaluable on my travels)! I used the lotion while travelling and absolutely loved it – especially considering my face can’t really handle thick creams, so the Caudalie one was perfect and gentle. I shall be buying more from them in future too – luckily you can buy their products online right here.
After we’d settled in and enjoyed a swim and a proper look around, we headed back to our room to chill out for a bit before dinner. Les Sources de Caudalie has two beautiful restaurants – La Grand’Vigne Michelin two-star restaurant and La Table du Lavoir which serves delicious, unusual, bistro-style food. On this occasion, we opted to dine in La Table du Lavoir because neither of us had brought appropriate attire for a michelin-starred restaurant!
On entering La Table du Lavoir, I was blown away by its decor. It was like Harry Potter for grown-ups – the wooden beams, lighting and general Christmassy feel made me giddy with excitement. And the food? Well, it was absolutely divine. Opting for a mushroom tart followed by vegetable risotto and then a dark chocolate fondant (along with a glass of crisp white wine) I was in food heaven. The bill for the two of us came to 105 euros (incl. tip).
We slept better than ever in possibly one of the most comfortable beds I’ve ever curled up in. Sigh. Breakfast at Les Sources de Caudalie the following morning was presented within the Michelin-starred restaurant where we enjoyed the most delicious prunes I’d ever tasted. OMG, absolutely divine! Everything was wonderful, including the coffee, tea and other breakfast food. We really didn’t want to leave, but, alas, we had to. At noon, we’d arranged a tour of the vineyard before we were due to head north. More on that on Friday!
In the meantime, visit Les Sources de Caudalie’s website for more information about this amazing place.
