Grand Hotel les Flamants Roses ★★★★

We drop our bags in the French region of Canet-en-Roussillon, where the Pyrenees Mountains plunge into the wide blue of the Mediterranean Sea. We fill our lungs with the salty sea air and already the worries of home are far away. Arriving at the hotel, we're struck by its idyllic location watching over the sapphire sea, such a different shade of blue from anything back at home. Jen thinks it's something about the light here that makes the colours so vivid. What a treat to make the five-minute walk to the beach from the hotel!

It's time to drop off our suitcases. The receptionist greets us with a broad smile and hands us the keys. We each have a suite with a view of the sea, no need to sleep top-to-toe like in the old days! The rooms have everything we could want for a weekend of relaxation: Wi-Fi, cable TV, air conditioning ... all with appealing, fresh decor in shades of pink and taupe. After powdering our noses, we head to the hotel's restaurant, where Sylvain Marsault creates a different menu each day, always based on local, seasonal produce. We're in heaven. 

In between walks along the seafront, we love to swim in the hotel's heated pool. Set into the gardens, it's a beautiful bathing spot with all the mineral goodness and character of the Mediterranean Sea, without the waves. More often than not, we later find ourselves in one of the hotel lounges, cuddled up on the comfortable sofas facing the grand bay windows that overlook the sea. It's a good place for confidential huddles and whispered secrets, just like when we were little.

With the seawater spa, blonde beach, heated pool and our culinary adventures, the end of our annual escape draws near all too fast. The duties and delights of home await, but memories of happy times at the Grand Hôtel les Flamants Roses will tide us over until next year.