Bordeaux, France

Les Sources de Caudalie

Price per night from$286.53

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR263.64), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

Back to the source

Setting

Mighty vine estate

At luxury French hotel Les Sources de Caudalie excellent regional wines can be found in bottles, barrels and infused into facials, scrubs, massages and more. Designed to look like a country village from an antique postcard, each of the hotel’s elegant rustic buildings has a new treat for visiting Smiths to uncover (there's even le Château du Thil, five minutes' drive away, available to book exclusively). Start in the Vinothérapie Spa – the birthplace of Caudalie’s world-famous, grape-based beauty products – then follow a winding pathway past outcrops of wild flowers and wander by the lake to reach bar Rouge where fruits of the house vines can be sipped and savoured. Through door number three is the two-Michelin-star-spangled restaurant. If you overindulge, just cycle off your six- (or more) course dinner through the vineyards or while perfecting your serve with tennis coach, Julien – but, staying here, you’ve already got a run of aces. 

Smith Extra

Get this when you book through us:

One free breakfast each, per stay, a room upgrade (subject to availability at the time of check-in); SilverSmith and GoldSmith members also get a tasting session in Grocery Wine bar, and all Smith members get an extra-special VIP welcome

Facilities

Photos Les Sources de Caudalie facilities

Need to know

Rooms

60, including 21 suites.

Check–Out

11.45am. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

Prices

Double rooms from £247.82 (€290), including tax at 10 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional local city tax of €5.24 per person per night on check-out.

More details

Rates exclude a buffet breakfast of fresh pastries and breads, charcuterie, fruits, cereals, yoghurts, cheeses, eggs and bacon ( €18 a person a day if staying at Château le Thil, otherwise €26 a person, each day).

Also

Most ground-floor public areas and bedrooms are wheelchair accessible, and there are paved walkways around the grounds.

At the hotel

Château Smith Haut Lafitte winery, tennis court and coach, small farm, bikes, gym and personal trainer, and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: TV with DVD player, iPod dock, minibar, free bottled water, Nespresso coffee machine and tea-making facilities.

Our favourite rooms

Decorated by French wedding-dress designer Delphine Manivet, the waterside île aux Oiseaux Suite is one seriously romantic honeymoon hideaway. If you’re celebrating a special event, or are to the château born, book the elegant 18th-century Château Le Thil in its entirety: it's a five-minute drive from the main hotel.

Poolside

You’re spoilt for swimming options here; there are three pools and a hot tub to choose from. You’ll need to book a treatment to use the spa pool – what a bother – but the rest are open to all. The main indoor pool is set in a converted barn with original beams; the floor of the pool is emblazoned with a print by photographer Mathilde de l’Ecotais. Open from May to October, the heated outdoor pool is surrounded by elegant, sun-blessed loungers. The water for the outdoor hot tub is drawn from a natural hot-spring, 540 metres beneath the earth; the tub is suitably shaped like an old wine-press and is open all-year round.

Spa

Not just any spa, this is the Caudalie Vinothérapie Spa, the birthplace of Caudalie’s wine-based lotions and potions. There are 19 treatment rooms, three for couples and some with private barrel baths, and a small indoor swimming pool with built-in seats from which to admire the hotel’s picturesque grounds pre- or post-treatment. Don’t be fooled by the the spa’s luxurious woodshack look: treatments here are high-tech; Caudalie employ recent scientific discoveries to squeeze each and every mineral out of their grapes and vines. If a single treatment isn’t decadent enough, book a full- or half-day ritual; couples can try the Vines for Lovers ritual, which includes a 50-minute facial treatment, a Fleur de Vigne candle massage and a romantic barrel bath filled with natural spring water drawn from 540 metres below the hotel. For weekend pampering sessions, you'll need to book at least three treatments, and we recommend booking all your spa sessions at least a month in advance.

Packing tips

Leave as much space in your suitcase as possible to fill with bottles of Smith Haut Lafitte wine.

Also

A stroll through the gardens is like a wander through a contemporary sculpture park. Some of the large metal sculptures are identifiable as animals – it’s hard to miss Barry Flanagan’s large hare sculpture as you come up the drive!

Pet‐friendly

Dogs can stay in any room in the main hotel for €25 a night. The hotel can provide dog bowls. See more pet-friendly hotels in Bordeaux.

Children

Kids of all ages are welcome. Babysitting costs €38 an hour and must be booked 48 hours in advance. The hotel can provide baby cots, changing mats, bottle-sterilising and warming facilities, highchairs, toys, books, DVDs, arm bands and kids bikes.

Best for

There’s something for every age here; toddlers can pet goats and play with other small Smiths in the Le Petit Château games room while teenagers perfect their serve on the tennis court or work out any angst in the spa.

Recommended rooms

All rooms in the main hotel can fit a baby cot (€20). The hotel is spread across several buildings, so be sure to check with Smith24 when booking that yours are in the same place.

Activities

Children will be occupied for hours at Les Sources de Caudalie. There’s plenty of outdoor space to explore; there’s a farm at the bottom of the garden with goats and chickens which kids can feed. Borrow bikes – the hotel has petit vélos for kids – and cycle past the vineyard to the tennis court; tennis coach Julien offers kids coaching lessons. Le Petit Château games room has lots of soft toys, books, board games, crayons and paints for small Smiths. Ask at reception to see the DVD library stocked-full of U-rated films to watch in your room. 

Swimming pool

Kids can use both of the hotel’s pools but must be supervised at all times – it’s French law. No need to pack arm-bands and swimming aids, the hotel is all set for waterbabies.

Meals

Kids will enjoy the laidback atmosphere of La Table du Lavoir compared to the crisp white setting of La Grand'Vigne, although both have kids menus and highchairs on offer.

Babysitting

Babysitting costs €38 an hour and must be booked at least 48 hours in advance.

No need to pack

Anything really… The hotel can provide changing mats, cot linens, baby-monitors, bottle-sterilising facilities, bottle warmers, baby baths and mini-bathrobes and slippers.

Sustainability efforts

The hotel is part of the 1% For the Planet project and donates one per cent of its revenue to charities that work to protect the environment. The hotel has an electric BMW i3s to chauffeur guests around (at an extra cost), and if you’ve brought your own electric car, there are two charging points. Château Smith Haut Lafitte recycles gases produced in the fermentation process, promotes biodiversity in their vineyard’s ecosystem and they only use horses to plough the land – wine with heart.

Food and Drink

Photos Les Sources de Caudalie food and drink

Top Table

On a sunny day, sit out on La Grand'Vigne’s terrace overlooking the hotel’s lake and picturesque grounds. In the evening, take a table by the window to watch the sun set over the vineyards.

Dress Code

Embody effortless elegance at La Grand'Vigne; save your jeans and checked-shirts for La Table du Lavoir.

Hotel restaurant

The hotel has three restaurants; head to the two-Michelin-star-awarded La Grand’Vigne for a sophisticated fine-dining experience, wine-infused Rouge for brunches and sharing plates, and La Table du Lavoir for a more relaxed – yet still exceptional – meal. Set in an orangery overlooking the lake on one side and vegetable garden on the other, La Grand’Vigne is run by world-renowned chef Nicolas Masse. He’s befriended local fishermen, farmers and the hotel’s gardener (who tends to a plot next door), to ensure he always gets the tastiest ingredients for his seasonal menus. Can’t choose between lamb or lobster? Ask restaurant manager Pierre Couturier for his picks from the à la carte. To experience Masse at his culinary best, order the tasting menu, which features traditional French fare and his own unique creations; of course, this should be accompanied by head sommelier, Aurélien Farrouil’s wine pairings. The smell of meat roasting on the huge period fireplace will be sure to draw you into La Table du Lavoir. From the vintage gingham tablecloths to the braised beef stew with duck liver, vegetables and pickles, this easygoing, bistro-style restaurant has a real farm-to-table feel. Take your time browsing the seasonal menu, written on antique laundry beaters (a reference to the building’s past as a wash-house for local winegrower’s wives): choosing between French favourites such as roasted duck breast and grilled sea bream and fennel-stuffed conchiglioni or tomato confit is très difficile. The Rouge wine bar tasting room is lined with bottles and crates from across Bordeaux and the southwest. Take a seat around the sleek, custom-built bar and get (well) acquainted with Bordeaux’s finest while tucking into foie gras and Iberian hams, or book in for a decadent poolside brunch. 

Hotel bar

More traditional in style, the French Paradox bar is decorated with classical artworks and antiques, and has deep leather armchairs to sink into while sampling armagnacs, cognacs and whiskies from the dark-wood bar. Our favourite bit is its direct access to a wine cellar where 1,200 bottles are stored – a small fraction of Les Sources de Caudalie’s 16,000-bottle cellar. Head sommelier Aurélien Farrouil knows every nook and cranny of the cellar and has selected his favourite 16 reds and whites for the bar.

Last orders

La Grand'Vigne serves breakfast from 7.30am till 10.30am. Lunch at both restaurants is, from noon to 2pm, and dinner from 7pm to 10pm. Rouge opens from 10am till 10pm (6pm in low season), and the French Paradox bar is open 9am till midnight.

Room service

In the main hotel, have a baker’s basket breakfast brought to your room between 7.30am and noon. Snacks are available all day, and meals from the restaurant 12.15pm–1.45pm and 7.15pm–9.45pm. (There's no room service at Le Château du Thil.)

Location

Photos Les Sources de Caudalie location
Address
Les Sources de Caudalie
Chemin de Smith Haut Lafitte
Bordeaux-Martillac
33650
France

Les Sources de Caudalie is located just outside of Bordeaux, among the vineyards and rolling green pastures of Martillac.

Planes

Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport is a 30-minute drive from the hotel. Fly direct from across the UK and Europe, or connect in Paris or London if travelling from further afield. Call Smith24 to arrange your flights; they'll happily arrange transfers – €98 each way for up to three guests – too.

Trains

The closest train station is Bordeaux-Saint-Jean. Paris, Toulouse and Biarritz are just over two hours away by train. Call our Smith24 team of travel experts to book your tickets and arrange a transfer from the station to the hotel.

Automobiles

You’ll need a car to explore beyond the hotel; our Smith24 team can organise a rental for you to pick up at the airport. However, if you just plan to tour Bordeaux's magnificent monuments and markets, you can borrow their electric BMW i3 for €100 a day. The hotel has free on-site valet parking.

Other

If you happen to have your own helicopter handy, land it on one of the hotel’s two helipads.

Worth getting out of bed for

You’ll never be at a loss for things to do in the hotel. Explore the surrounding countryside on one of the hotel’s bikes, or for something a little less energetic, take in the views on a private horse-and-carriage ride around the winery. Art lovers can appreciate the hotel’s sculpture collection on a guided tour of the estate. There’s a tennis court a few 100 metres away and the hotel has rackets and balls you can borrow for a friendly match or lesson with their coach, Julien. Learn to cook with panache – or at least try to – in a class with chef Nicolas Masse; he passes on his passion for fine dining two Saturday mornings a month. Pair this with a wine tasting in Rouge: the uninitiated can book a lesson with head sommelier, Aurélien Farrouil and learn the ABC of aligotés, barolos and cabernets. Take a tour of Château Smith Haut Lafitte winery next door, or another nearby vineyard – Bordeaux’s finest are less than an hour’s drive away and La Cité du Vin hosts talks, tours and tastings alongside their permanent wine-themed exhibitions. The teetering Gothic towers and grand Neo-classical squares of Bordeaux are just 30 minutes away. Break up trips to the Musée des Beaux-Arts and CAPC Museum of Contemporary Art with cups of coffee and copious cannelés in riverside cafes. La Dune du Pilat in Arcachon Bay are just an hour away by car; it’s a long way to the top of Europe’s tallest sand dunes, but the view is worth the climb. Board the Caudalie (the hotel’s boat) and explore the area from the Atlantic on a day trip to the Île aux Oiseaux’s cabanes tchanquées (wooden houses on stilts), Banc d’Arguin National Park and the Cap Ferret peninsula.

Local restaurants

There’s something soporific about watching the sun glisten over the Garonne River, particularly when accompanied by a bottle of wine at Café du Port. This modern riverside restaurant serves French cuisine with postcard-worthy vistas of the old city. A meal at L'Oiseau Bleu is a fine-dining affair to remember. Put your faith in chefs Sophie and Frédéric and dine on their seven-course Menu Confiance; there’s an à la carte, too. Set in the centre of the Place de la Bourse, you’ll have no problem finding elegant eatery Restaurant Le Gabriel. The grand 19th-century façade sets your expectations for what’s within – high ceilings, elegant furnishings and extravagant crystal chandeliers. The food doesn’t disappoint either; chef Nicolas Frion offers a modern take on traditional French fare, with a couple of exotic flavours thrown into the cooking pot too. Enjoy the likes of hake with hazelnut butter, confit beef-cheek stuffed with foie gras, peach melba with hibiscus and a cheese course – of course. If you haven't had your fill of fromage, you can have it for each course in Baud et Millet's vaulted dining room. Try cream of aged mimolette with scallops to start, Fourme d'Ambert with smoked salmon and pear purée for a main and cheesecake with citron cream for dessert; and, if you're not too feeling too cheesy, pick up a few blocks to nibble on in the deli.

Local cafés

Step into the Belle Époque at Café du Levant for one of Bordeaux’s famous oyster dishes. Opened in 1896, the brasserie is filled with rich-red velvet banquettes and dining chairs, gold-and-glass chandeliers, dark wood furniture and early-1900s posters advertising the tipple du jour. Le Café Populaire is brimming with character – from it’s disco ball and feather-boa-lined ceiling to its wooden floors. Sharing is caring at this tapas bar, so order plenty of gambas risotto, duck breast and beef carpaccio for the whole table: the tables are pretty close together so expect to rub elbows with Bordeaux’s best. Head to La Tupina for real traditional sud-ouest cuisine. Dine on foie gras, duck-wing confit, or whatever’s on the day’s menu, around a roaring fire. With knick-knacks on the shelves, bunches of garlic bulbs hanging from the ceiling and a large open kitchen that looks like it hasn’t been changed since the early 20th century, dining here is like having a home meal – just without the in-laws. 

Local bars

The wine-stacked shelves of Brasserie Bordelaise carry more than 700 different types of vin. Sampling the whole cellar may be going a bit far, but you can certainly make a dent in the list while nibbling on oysters, caviar and Blondes d’Aquitaine and Noir de Bigorre ham. For unbeatable views over the city, head to Mama Shelter’s rooftop bar: the towering steeples of Bordeaux Cathedral are so close it feels like you could reach out and touch them – but don’t. If the view doesn’t impress you, the foosball tables, inflatable-ring-lined bar and drinks list of classic and innovative cocktails, will. Let the bartenders of L'Alchimiste work their magic on a gin-infused Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil cocktail, or A Birdie Told Me tipple (made with Calle 23 tequila silver, Rabarbaro Zucca, salted caramel, lime and spices), while you settle into one of the gold-hued sofas and armchairs. With low lighting, rickety wooden shelves and even a couple of crucifixes hanging from the stone walls, the interior well befits an alchemist’s hangout.

Reviews

Photos Les Sources de Caudalie reviews
Blaire Dioald

Anonymous review

By Blaire Dioald, Creative brand-builder

If Marie Antoinette’s hamlet in Versailles’ gardens were to come to life (so to speak), this is how I imagine it to be: a rural French idyll not dissimilar from spa retreat Les Sources de Caudalie. We arrived at this charming stay just beyond Bordeaux on a fresh spring morning; and as we settled in with a coffee on the terrace, the first thing we noticed was a cacophony of sounds: the sing-song of blue tits in the trees, the gurgle of a freshwater brook, and the buzzing of bees around vibrantly hued spring blooms. And resident hens pottered about among grazing goats where the landscape blends into vineyards that stretch as far as the eye can see.
 
I’ve always struggled to sell the idea of a spa break to Mr Smith, but he was quickly convinced of a stay at Les Sources de Caudalie. Seemingly a blink away from London and a quick 15-minute drive from the airport, this retreat makes for an easy short break, even if it feels a million miles from home. And abandon any ideas of a clinical tweaking: this little slice of heaven is all about unwinding, pampering and indulging.
 
Following a tour of the grounds and a free room upgrade, our first afternoon was spent at the Caudalie Spa, daydreaming on a sunlounger (me) and swimming languid lengths in the outdoor pool (Mr Smith). For a self-confessed beauty junkie like me, the – quite literal – source of luxurious Caudalie products proved to be perfection, and I had to be torn away from trying to mummify myself with lotions in the spa boutique. A few hours later, Mr Smith emerged from a reflexology session in a wholly blissed-out state, and I’m not sure I’d be exaggerating if I described my 90-minute pregnancy massage (not on the treatment menu, but readily customised) as transformative. 

This is gourmet hub Bordeaux, and the hotel is positioned next to Château Smith Haut Lafitte, one of the most renowned wine estates of the region, so we were expecting to be impressed by the dining and drinking on offer. But first, according to Mr Smith, a hotel can be succinctly judged solely by its breakfast buffet – and, thankfully, this stay excelled. We appreciated the leisurely timings and sauntered down for a relaxed brunch at 10.30am both mornings. While I opted for the fresh peach juice, compotes, pastries and homemade condiments, Mr Smith took on the cooked options like a pro. Though neither of us could manage a glass of the local wine so early in the morning, we noted with awe that the bottles on the buffet table were replenished by staff at an admirable rate, and so we pledged to return post-pregnancy. 

Our lunch staple was the laidback Rouge delicatessen, for rustic French feasts of cheeses, meats, and baguettes slathered with soft salty butter, walked off afterwards around the ground’s well-signposted trails. Soon, there will be exercise stations for those after more rigorous activity, but we were content to stroll through the woodland, working up just enough of an appetite for our evening meal.

Do book a table at La Grand’Vigne. Its two Michelin stars are well deserved and the experience is memorable; arrive hungry, dress up and leave time for an apéritif in the house bar, which has an old-school, gentlemans’ club feel, and barkeeps who make a serious G&T. The wine list is vast (naturally), the service impeccable and the food ranks among the best we’ve ever enjoyed. The langoustines and scallop carpaccio cannot go unmentioned, but if I had one tip for future guests it would be this: if you have even a casual love of cheese, try to exercise a tiny bit of restraint, so you can fully surrender yourself to the majesty of the laden cheese trolley at the tail end of your meal. 

After following my own advice, I no longer believe that too much cheese will give you nightmares. Our stay at Les Sources de Caudalie put that particular old wives’ tale to the test and actually proved the opposite, that, hand on heart, this stay is the stuff of sweet dreams. 

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Price per night from $286.53