Hi Everyone,
There’s something special about being able to grab concentrated Mother/Daughter time with your teenage daughter. During the three days spent together at Le Grand Hotel des Thermes Saint-Malo we laughed so much. Partially due to my lobster eating expertise (more of that later), and partially due to comparing our Thalasso spa treatment experiences – not sure you are supposed to laugh about these but we loved them and laughed over them at the same time. I mean comparing notes about how one should be cleansed of green algae would make you laugh – smile.
As a short introduction Saint-Malo is aΒ port city in Brittany, in France’s northwest. The city itself is walled and has a long history of piracy. It was heavily bombarded in 1944 during the second World War. After which Saint-Malo turned into a popular tourist centre, with a ferry terminal serving Portsmouth, Jersey, Guernsey and Poole.
Thalassotherapy comes from the Greek word for “sea”, and refers to a variety of treatments that use seawater and seaweed.Β The origins of thermal baths and related treatments can be traced back to remote antiquity. Romans were firm believers in the virtues of thermalism and thalassotherapy.
Keep reading for the full story about theΒ Thalasso spa escape with my daughter – Le Grand Hotel des Thermes Saint-Malo
Thalasso Spa Escape with my Daughter – Le Grand Hotel des Thermes Saint-Malo
Growing up in New Zealand, very close to the beach, it always feels like coming home when I get to be somewhere close to the seaside. What we have less of in New Zealand however are these fabulous majestic historic hotels situated right on the coast.
My heart melts at the mere sight ofΒ Le Grand Hotel des Thermes Saint-Malo,Β built in the late nineteenth century in the style of the Belle Epoque.
Our room:
We had a lovely sea facing room. Each bed with a little treat on top. Cassia kept the pouch and I the beach bag – which I already put to good use throughout our three day stay.
The hotel has 174 rooms in total spread over a new and historic building. For more room pictures see here.
Another fabulous surprise treat in our room where the very own Les Thermes Marines house chocolates. Absolutely delicious. We had to be ever so careful not to simply devour the whole box before going home – after all Dad/Reto was waiting in Zurich, preparing himself for a delicious chocolate treat!
To find out more about the chocolate check out: www.chocolat-thermesmarins.com.
Not to forget the wonderful algae based face and body products… such a wonderful souvenir to take home and keep using as a memory of a beautiful Mother/Daughter time away.
The full product range is available online at Import Perfumerie.
First treat
After checking in and unpacking we had a wonderful soak in a spa bath with stunning view onto the ocean. Followed by champagne and chocolate and a body massage. What a way to start!
Dinner:
Feeling fully relaxed it was then time for diner atΒ Le Cap Horn, Gastronomic sea viewΒ Restaurant…
See what we ate…
Day 2 and 3
Starting with a sumptuous breakfast…
Amazing selection of foods to choose from. More to the point though, put a whole can of coffee on my table and my day is already off to a great start. Cassia kept on sneaking off to the bar for her cappuccino as they really made the best ones there – smile!
A little relaxation… translating to school studies for Cassia and blog work for me.
I grew partial to the beautiful bar area that seemed to convert into a communal lounge throughout the day, where you could simply find your favourite spot overlooking the ocean and do whatever you feel like, be it reading, working or simply sitting soaking in the wonderful views.
Thalasso Treatments
Underneath the hotel is an amazing:
- 5’000 square meters Β Aquatic, Thalasso and Spa area.
- 6 warm salt water pools
- 60 cabins for marine hydro-therapy
- 12 massage canins
- 18 spa Cains of which 4 are duo cabins (like we had on day 1)
It is recommended to stay at least 3 nights to enjoy the full Thalasso therapy experience. We had 4 hours of treatments each day. As promised feeling super tired the whole time we were there and then suddenly full of life once back at home.
Above a picture of theΒ Parcours Aquatonic : warm seawater labyrinth heated between 31 and 34Β°C. An absolute favourite of Cassia and myself. We went from water jet to water jet each of us trying to Β find the best new jet before the other. Laughing lots which then became contagious amongst other guests there.
Neither of us had had Thalasso therapy before so each different treatment was a mystery beforehand and we had lots of fun telling each other about our experiences in between appointments.
Treatments ranged from lying under water jets, having a bath with an underwater jet massage, a fabulous bath that changed colours and bubbled at the same time (to me it felt a bit like being in a Harry Potter film), to being absolutely caked in algae and then washed down clean…
A trip into Saint Malo
A simple 15 minute walk along the coast brings you right to the historic town of Saint-Malo. A lovely town with lots of quaint shops, not to mention the fun pirate food and souvenir shops.
I had quite an exciting walk as just then the French military forces were doing a helicopter exercise with their troops…
It sounds crazy but this was the first time ever I was a little disappointed that the weather was quite calm. Saint-Malo is famous as having wonderful waves that go over onto the road and I really would have loved to be able to photograph these – smile!
Beach fun
In addition to the Thalasso treatments there is also the fabulous beach club right outside the hotel with these awesome beach kites among other fun things to do.
The local fitness trend along the beach at this time of year is to put on a thick wetsuit then meet up with group of about 10 people and wade through the water waist high for an hour. It’s supposed to be very good for you.
My version of the same exercise, note it is only 16Β°. Β The locals kept on coming up to Cassia as she was taking pictures. They were afraid for my safety, or was it my sanity – smile!
Dinner nights 2 and 3
Both nights we ate at La Verrière Traditional and diet Restaurant. We loved the delicious selection and portions were perfect for us.
That pineapple desert (bottom right), was so delicious we had to order it both nights…
Dinner the second night I ordered lobster – according to the waiter it was easy to eat. However once the plate was in front of me I realised this wasn’t the case at all.
I spent the first few minutes struggling and then a nice French man several tables away began to give me long distance lessons using hand signs… needless to say Cassia and I nearly rolled off our chairs laughing. Still thankful to the unknown man however for another of life’s essential lessons on how to eat!
A big thank you to Β Le Grand Hotel des Thermes Saint-MaloΒ for our wonderful stay and for making our Mother/Daughter vacation so special β one we shall always treasure!
In case you too would like to take a trip to Saint Malo I can really very much recommend booking here:
Le Grand Hotel des Thermes Saint-MaloΒ
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Yvonne, this sounds like a wonderful and unforgettable trip! What a lucky daughter to get to come with you for the fun! Love that pink slip skirt, too.
Thanks dear Beth.
It really was a lovely trip.
x Yvonne
very nice and interesting thank you for your Blog I feel as when I am there to and being right at the Beach makes it even twice as nice love it
Thank you so much xx
Dear Yvonne, it was really a pleasure to welcome you and Cassia in our hotel, thalassotherapie and spa. Thank you so much for your nice comments… All the team wish you and Cassia a nice winter season and we hope to see you again in Saint-Malo!
Dear VΓ©ronique, thank you so much for the lovely hospitality and great experience. Both Saint-Malo and your hotel are truly lovely places to visit.
We also wish all your team a wonderful Christmas season and hope to see you again soon.
xo Yvonne
Uno de tus mejores relatos, realmente me encantΓ³ la descripciΓ³n del lugar y celebro te la hayas pasado tan bien con tu hija!
Saludos desde MΓ©xico