Relais Thalasso - Château des Tourelles ★★★★

The Relais Thalasso Baie de la Baule’s brochure boldly assured me that I should ‘get ready to forget everything you know about thalassotherapy’ - for those of you who are equally as clueless as I was, thalassotherapy is the ancient practice of using seawater as a form of therapy. It is the primary focus of this brilliant hotel, and nowhere else is it carried off so successfully.

What is a summer seaside holiday if not a chance to relax? Excuse the pun, but I am usually all at sea when choosing spa treatments and wellbeing programmes. Fortunately, the Relais Thalasso Baie de la Baule gets to know each of their customers, and is willing to provide a treatment to correspond perfectly to each individual’s wishes.

Before long, we found ourselves in a blissful, Zen state of relaxation, no longer wishing to even move an inch. And we did not have to! With the innovative suite concept, we had a ‘private spa’, a single space reserved for just the two of us where we enjoyed all of our treatments. Romantic, serene and convenient, this is a complete reinvention of the spa break, and it is supremely successful.

The location itself is really special. Some say that it was in Brittany where thalassotherapy began, just along the coast from Relais Thalasso Baie de la Baule, where pretty promenades, vast beaches and the immense beauty of the Atlantic are always just a few steps away. The soundtrack is the rolling of the waves, and the taste of salt in the air is always heavenly –a treat for all the senses.

It is not just salt in the air that you can taste though, the restaurant is also well worth a mention. A sign next to the breakfast buffet read je suis ce que je mange – ‘I am what I eat’. With the food on offer here, that must make me healthy, refined and beautiful – not too bad. All this can be enjoyed under the sun or stars on the atmospheric terrace with (of course) sea views, or in the restaurant itself, where the décor is chic, sophisticated and glamorous.

This effect is replicated by the stylish décor throughout the hotel. The colour scheme is simplistic, with white and purple combining to produce a classy and elegant atmosphere. It is a combination of purity and luxury, a hybridity which perfectly sums up the Relais Thalasso Baie de la Baule.
This remarkable spa hotel seamlessly combines comfort with style, gastronomy and grandeur. The whole experience left us feeling like new people, so I would urge everyone to ‘forget everything you know about thalassotherapy’ and try it for yourselves…