Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Ultimate Rest and Relaxation: Les Sources De Caudalie, Bordeaux



I arrived to Les Sources de Caudalie in Bordeaux with a cold. Not a chills and fever kind of cold, but the pervasive, underlying type of cold that makes you feel run-down and tired for a couple of weeks - just enough to be annoying. Plus, it was raining. So, in addition to having a cold, I was actually cold.

But shortly after checking into our room (despite arriving four hours before the official check-in time), there was a knock at our door and we were presented with a plate of sweet, ripe grapes - freshly picked from the hotel's grounds. I began to feel better.


I flung open the windows directly facing the bath and took a long, hot shower, letting the steam float out into the cool air. I watched as the sky turned from grey to blue and yelped with excitement over the Caudalie bath products and skincare samples, having been a fan of the brand for such a long time.

Afterwards, we walked the short distance to the beautiful indoor pool and relished the silence (it was empty) and the water's warm temperature. I swam a few lengths before noticing that my stuffy nose had nearly cleared completely - all within a few hours of landing in Bordeaux.


The fresh produce cultivated on-site became a reoccuring theme to our stay at Les Sources de Caudalie. Walking amongst the damp grass in the gardens, we found healthy, gleaming heads of lettuce, herbs marked in French with chalkboard signs, and rhubarb sprouting prettily from the soil.

I marvelled at the gorgeous flowers that just peeped over the garden's low hedges: dozens of colorful poppies, tulips, and daisies bobbed their heads along to the breeze. It seemed like a fairytale, and felt like one too.



That night, in the hotel's farmhouse-inspired bistro, La Table du Lavoir, I ordered the beetroot salad and admired the tri-colored beetroots on my plate. I savoured every garnish knowing that it had been freshly picked from the same garden I walked past every morning.


The next morning, we borrowed bikes from the hotel reception (no locks, no taking down names - just pull them out of the bike rack and go) and cycled amongst the vineyards, breathing in the country air. "Isn't this incredible?" John shouted to me over the wind as I gripped my handlebars tightly. A dog the size of a small cow with a lion's mane stepped into our path and panted gently as he trod next to us, guarding the Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte.


For lunch, we treated ourselves to La Grand Vigne's 5-course tasting menu, where John fell in love with a bottle of Chateau D'Yquem 'Ygrec' 2014 and I rekindled my relationship with oysters on the half-shell.


It was so delightfully sunny outside, we took our desserts and petit fours outdoors and enjoyed the hours before our tour of Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte as slowly as possible. Hardly any other guests were around, so it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves!


In the end, no one else turned up to the tour at Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, so we had a lovely, private view of the premises where we marvelled at the oak barrels made on-site (the workshop smelled amazing) and the incredible wine cellars. Each year, Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte produces 10,000 cases of red wine and 3,000 cases of white wine, plus a further 5,500 cases of their "second" wines, Les Hauts de Smith and Le Petit Haut Lafitte for export.


After the tasting, we arrived back to our room, still full from our earlier, delicious two-Michelin starred meal. We decided to take a nap and woke to the sounds of frogs having an animated conversation outside our balcony. The sky was completely dark. We dozily ordered room service around 9 p.m. and promptly fell asleep again before asking for our tray to be taken away. I was getting used to this slow living business.

By the time we left Les Sources de Caudalie, I felt like I could ... breathe again. Both metaphorically and literally. The cold I'd brought with me from London had completely disappeared, gently nudged out of my system by the incredible food we'd tried, copious number of naps I'd taken, and the daily laps in the pool.
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22 comments

  1. I love Caudalie products so I'd be in 7th heaven at their hotel!

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    1. Me too, Suze! I ended up purchasing their renewing night cream ... it feels like velvet and is great for plumping my skin overnight!

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  2. Jaime this looks incredible! What an amazing place to stay. Fabulous that you felt so much better after a stay here. Loved all your photos on Instagram from your stay and loved reading this post! Bordeaux is somewhere I've wanted to visit for a while but haven't quite managed to make it yet. xx

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    1. Thank you so much, Lauren! You would adore it there. I love that slow-living way of life ... and I'm glad that we did this at the beginning of our stay before moving on to the city centre.

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  3. This looks like the most incredibly relaxing hotel. That pool is beautiful. I felt relaxed just reading your post!xx

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    1. It was fantastic. I really feel lighter and brighter after our trip. xx

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  4. Your posts always transport me away! This one was no different :) Everything looks so beautiful.. and that swimming pool looks so inviting! I wouldn't have been able to tear myself away haha x

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    1. Thank you! The pool was gorgeous and the water was so warm; it was really relaxing! x

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  5. So beautiful and wonderfully written, you totally transported me there. Sounds like it really blew away the cobwebs!
    Cx
    charliedistracted.com 

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    1. Thanks so much, Charlie. Definitely cleared my head and made me feel better! x

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  6. Stunning photos and such captivating writing. I felt like I was there as I was reading (or at least wished I was!) The trip sounded so relaxing and memorable. Bordeaux is definitely on my bucket list of places to visit one day.

    xx

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    1. Thanks, Colleen! We had a wonderful time there ... it made me question why we live in London! xx

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  7. Those pictures capture the French countryside so beautifully! I miss it :( I'm glad you're enjoying it so well though, all that fresh produce and fresh air sounds amazing. I'd quite fancy a dip in that pool, too...

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    1. We loved our stay there, Rachel! In fact, we loved Bordeaux so much that I'm seriously thinking about moving there ... that slow-living way of life is so appealing to me!

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  8. You know how I feel about that pool!
    I love this post, I feel super relaxed just reading about it and now all I want to do is book a flight to Bordeaux and chill.

    Honey x The Girl Next Shore

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    1. Haha, I loved it so much. We were lucky because we went in the low season, so it was pretty quiet and we often had it to ourselves. I can imagine when it becomes busier, it might get a little crowded! I'm trying to carry over that relaxed mentality into my life here in London, but it's proved to be a little challenging ...

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  9. Jaime, this place sounds like a fairy tale, albeit a modern one filled with the most exquisite wines and luxurious skin care products! It looks like the perfect getaway, to lost track of time and the world... xx

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    1. It was stunning, Ayushi - I'm hoping to bring my parents back soon! xx

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  10. What a relaxing getaway and your narrative was so beautiful it made me feel I was there too! xoxo, nano

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