Last Updated on June 14, 2024
Relaxation and wellbeing in Bordeaux
Arriving at Domaine de Raba I had a welcome surprise. About a 20-minute drive from central Bordeaux, in a neighbourhood called Talence, one enters the gates and discovers an oasis in the middle of an urban environment. The complex was envisaged as a village and includes a small hotel, three restaurants, two bars and a spa. There is also a boutique and a private, 30-seater cinema. It is set in a 1.3 ha wooded area which is a quiet retreat and utterly peaceful. I was very pleased to be invited to review the hotel especially as it coincided with extreme heat in the southwest of France where the prospect of a cool room and a pool was very enticing.
The complex has a number of buildings. There is a beautiful Pavilion built in 1896 which houses two of restaurants and a bar, a two-storey hotel that has five rooms as well as another restaurant, and bar, a boutique and a cinema. Then there are 4 tents in the wooded area for glamping, and finally, there is the spa.
Domaine de Raba is part of the millésime group which has eight hotels, six of which are in France. Each hotel has a boutique where guests can purchase perfumes, tableware, linen, objets, and local products like wine, jams and olive oils. The philosophy is of mindful living and greater well-being. The hotels also have spas. They are eco-friendly and focus on waste and water reduction.
Guests at Domaine de Raba can choose between a lodge or a room under a roof. The lodges are tents in the style of a Napoleonic bivouac and are situated in the wooded area and accessed along a wooden pathway. They are well kitted out with a large bed and two wooden enclosures for loo and shower. Each has a small terrace and they are completely private.
I prefer a roof over my head so was very happy to be shown to a room on the second floor of the Domaine de Raba hotel building overlooking the woods. The five rooms all have names of birds or animals and are designed to connect with nature just outside the windows. The floors are made from inlaid pebbles from the Garonne river that flows through Bordeaux. Bedside rugs are made from sheepskin. The bed was dressed with linen in shades of cream and mustard. A headboard was laid into the wall and made of planks that looked freshly sawn from tree trunks. Brass lamps were attached and shone down onto hanging brass bowls containing plants. The side tables were made from a very attractive wood. On one table there was a large magnifying glass and alongside were two wooden oars. Two large and comfortable armchairs and a wooden wardrobe completed the furnishings. The walls and ceiling were painted olive green and there were three large prints of ducks on the wall. There was a small TV and complimentary water.
The bathroom had a dark stone island with twin basins and a large mirror. The soap was from é(c)ho and was dermatologically tested and the other products were Gemology cosmetics. There was a walk-in shower with a retro rain showerhead. Gowns and slippers were provided and towels rolled up onto attractive wooden stools. When showering one felt as if one could just about be outdoors as the trees were right outside the large window.
We lost no time exploring the é(c)ho spa which is housed in a pine-clad building in the garden and has a full selection of treatments. There is a small indoor pool, a hammam for those who could tolerate more heat, and a Norwegian tub. Massage and other treatments with Gemology products take place in a wooden gazebo on a platform that floats on a small pond. We had a swim and then relaxed on a chaise longue under the trees where we read and dozed the afternoon away. It was blissfully relaxing.
In the evening we were booked into Les Petits Caprices restaurant which is situated in the 1898 Pavilion which is in the centre of the property. This beautiful old two-storied house has a number of dining and drinking options. Upstairs is Bar Contre-Jour which, surprisingly, was designed to resemble a smoking room in a Gentleman’s Club and would find itself at home in Mayfair. It was closed on a Sunday so we did not have the chance to sample its signature cocktails. Also closed but no doubt very popular, is Restaurant Marguerite, a small room that seats 20 and offers traditional French table service with a focus on meat, although non-meat eaters are also well catered for. Guests choose their own knives from a selection of the best French cutlers. Les Petits Caprices occupies the ground floor and opens out onto a large terrace which gives onto the lawn. The terrace was full on a Sunday night and considering that the hotel only has 9 rooms/tents in total, clearly, the restaurants are very popular with local residents. It is also a popular wedding venue.
Across the lawn, the Tiki Bar restaurant was packed on a Sunday night and had a chilled vibe. It has its own set of cocktails, music and menu with delicious sounding grills. There were lots of young families eating there and young children ran around on the large lawn until late into the night. A family of ducks also had a stroll across the lawn as the sun set.
The menu at Les Petits Caprices has plenty to choose from. I did wonder how any kitchen could provide food across cuisines as diverse as Japan, India, South America, France and Spain a few dishes from which countries are on offer on the Gourmet Journeys section of the menu. There is also Indonesian fish, Moroccan tagine, risotto, and a selection of pizzas. Our starters – rabbit rillettes and tuna rillettes, were made by Flora Mikula, a renowned French chef. These were served with toasted croutons.
We both had fish for the main course. Otak otak Indonesian was a banana leaf baked cod with Indonesian ratatouille and aromatic rice. It had been cooked en papillote, in a bag which was cut open at the table. The Saint Pierre aiguillettes rôti – roasted John Dory, creamy Ossau Iraty polenta fries, satay sauce and coconut milk had more flavour than the cod. The fish was well cooked and had spicy notes from the satay sauce. The polenta fries had a pleasing creamy texture.
For dessert, I had a tarte citron, a quintessential French pastry attractively presented, with good pastry and filling and, rather unusually, topped with an iced lemon marshmallow and filled with jelly. My husband polished off le Gros Caprice – like a sundae with vanilla ice cream, brownies, cookie pieces, caramelised hazelnuts, salted butter caramel sauce and chocolate sauce. It was not for the faint-hearted.
Despite both restaurants – across the lawn from each other – being full, the ambience was very peaceful and it was hard to believe we were not in the middle of the countryside. We had planned to watch a film in the cinema – the hotel has a large selection to choose from – but after a long hot day and a big dinner, we headed for our cool and peaceful room and were soon asleep.
Breakfast was served on the terrace of Les Petits Caprices. We shared a lovely Continental breakfast with freshly squeezed orange juice served in individual bottles. Jams were made by a local jam maker and butter was local too. A basket of viennoiserie was ample and there was yoghurt along with fruit salad, coffee and tea.
We checked out reluctantly, as I was quite ready to spend the rest of the day under the trees reading. However, Bordeaux beckoned and there is a lot to see and enjoy there. Bordeaux is a beautiful city with an impressive Cathedral, an opera house, an old city that is well worth exploring with umpteen bars, cafes, and lovely restaurants, pretty squares, boulevards, oodles of shopping, and a long walk along the Garonne river. At the end of a day bustling around Bordeaux, a short trip back to Domain de Raba is just what is needed to nourish the soul.
35 Rue Rémi Belleau, 33400 Talence, Bordeaux, France
