Les Sources de Caudalie: The Luxury Hotel in Bordeaux Not To Miss

A family-friendly luxury hotel in Bordeaux that has a world-famous vinotherapy spa? Set amidst vineyards in the Bordeaux countryside, I knew I had to make a pilgrimage to Les Sources de Caudalie, one of the best hotels in Bordeaux. At Sources de Caudalie, you can indulge in so many of my favourite vices: plenty of delightful wine drinking, beauty treatments at the original Caudalie vinotherapie spa and even a 2 starred Michelin restaurant onsite, Le Grande Vigne. This Bordeaux luxury hotel also had plenty to keep my son entertained -cycling through the fields, a forest to explore and farm animals to squeal over. It was a win/win for everyone in my family.

Les Sources de Caudalie

Les Sources de Caudalie looks like it has been around forever with its weathered buildings and countryside location. It’s hard to believe that Sources de Caudalie is actually only 20 years old! This Bordeaux hotel and spa ooks older because it was constructed using timber from abandoned local buildings. 

In actuality, this luxury hotel in Bordeaux has a neighbour Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte which has been around for hundreds of years. You can clearly see Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte from Sources Caudalie Bordeaux which is set amidst its vineyards.

A view of Chateau Smith which is separated from Sources Caudalie Bordeaux by a road.

We wondered why with all the space in the French countryside, Sources de Caudalie is so close to the Chateau Smith. Then my husband actually met the owner of Chateau Smith while out cycling with my son and she mentioned that her daughter and son-in-law own Sources de Caudalie!

The Bordeaux hotel and spa has multiple buildings containing the main reception, guest rooms, the restaurants, the indoor swimming pool and the spa. If you are looking for a Bordeaux hotel with pool, fear not this Bordeaux vineyard hotel has multiple pools!

You never get the feeling that the Sources de Caudalie hotel is crowded because people are spread out amongst the complex. Interspersed among the Caudalie hotel buildings are vineyards, woods, lakes, a kitchen garden, etc so the overall ambience is of a small village. 

Among the best hotels Bordeaux France has to offer, Sources Caudalie is set up with low-lying buildings that harmonise with its environment.

How beautiful is this stand-alone Caudalie hotel suite set on stilts above a lake? Such a romantic setting.

Even amongst luxury hotels Bordeaux hotels may not be so beautifully situated.

One of the best hotels in Bordeaux, Sources Caudalie is an easy 20 minute drive from the city centre of Bordeaux. Technically, with its country side setting Sources Caudalie would be considered one of the hotels near Bordeaux France. 

Caudalie Hotel

At the Caudalie Hotel, we had a suite with a separate bedroom, lounge area with sofa bed, private outside space and luxury bathroom. The suite was comfortably furnished with references to midcentury modern style. The televisions were hidden by curtains which we found a little old school. 

The sofa in our suite at this 5 star hotel Bordeaux turned into a bed for our son.

You know how I feel about Wifi right? It was excellent throughout this luxury hotel in Bordeaux, except the spa which I will discuss separately. We mainly used our phones, iPads etc because the television had lots of channels but most were French channels. There’s only so much CNN and CNBC you can watch. 

The bathroom was spacious with a power shower and a separate bathtub. As you would expect, you have a selection of Caudalie product available in your Caudalie hotel room.

The bathroom toiletries at the Sources des Caudalie hotel are Caudalie product.

Sources de Caudalie Food & Drink

Breakfast is served in the room that holds Le Grand Vigne in the evening. With views over a lake and vineyards, the room is beautiful.  Breakfast itself is a delicious affair with more food than you can ever want or need. Fresh breads, fruits, yogurts and cereals accompany a selection of hot dishes. The tea served was my favourite French brand = Le Mariage Freres, a Parisian gourmet tea company.

Les Sources des Caudalie has small bar in the main building as well as Rouge a separate wine bar. Rouge is the place for hanging out with wine, tapas, cheese etc. while the bar area was perfect for a pre and post dinner drinks. Rouge also has a grocery store presumably to take away with you if you want to continue the party in your room or back at home.

Le Grande Vigne

Le Grande Vigne is the two star Michelin restaurant at Sources de Caudalie. Children are welcome in the restaurant as are dogs!

The food was excellent as was the service. You have a choice of a 5 or a 7 course tasting menu which invariably becomes more because you always get an amuse bouche or two. The staff brought my son some starters and allowed him to pick just one dinner dish because a multi-course menu would have been too much food for him. 

Some of the courses at 2 Michelin starred Le Grand Vigne including oysters, pigeon and foie gras.

What was my favourite dish? It was all excellent but I really liked the cognac ice cream which was laced with serious amounts of cognac. In my opinion, the cognac ice cream is what good rum raisin ice cream should be!

La Table du Lavoir

La Table du Lavoir is the hotel’s interpretation of a country inn from the region. The lavoir is a reference to the communal washing area where the winemakers’ wives would gather to do laundry and gossip. This being Bordeaux the occasional wine may have been drank too!

La Table du Lavoir tries to recreate the convivial spirit of those days gone by. You know it’s some chichi designer’s idea of a simpler happier rural time because hand washing laundry would have been back breaking work even with a bottle of Bordeaux to drink.

Like the rest of this Bordeaux luxury hotel, La table du Lavoir is a new-build made with old materials.

La Table du Lavoir is absolutely charming with its mismatched vintage china, checked table clothes and a fireplace salvaged from a defunct winery. The room is surrounded on three sides by windows so dinner here is a great place to catch the sunset which sets over the Chateau Smith next door.

Sunset over a Bordeaux vineyard, hotel views don’t get better than this!

We thought the food at La Table du Lavoir was good and occasionally great. The service was excellent.

La table du Lavoir serves up local produce in an upscale bistro setting.

My husband and I both had fish which we enjoyed and my son had candied pork rib which he loved. We liked the mashed potatoes and vegetables which came on the side. As you would expect, the wine was excellent and we only had one of the basic Chateau Smith red wines.

Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa 

The whole concept of vinotherapy started at Les Sources de Caudalie. A vinotherapy spa uses the byproduct of wine to make beauty products. With vinotherapie Caudalie also discovered that its products have excellent anti-aging effects. Although other locations exist for Caudalie spa France, this Sources de Caudalie spa is the original. Vinotherapy and Caudalie product are now a world-wide phenomenon with a heavy emphasis on science. 

Decorated in deep reddish violets keeping with the wine theme, the Caudalie vinotherapie spa is set in a separate building. In the spa, you have dedicated indoor and outdoor pools, steam rooms, saunas and even a barrel-shaped hot tub. 

This Bordeaux hotel spa was the first to promote vinotherapy,

Modern and elegant on the inside, I found the Caudalie vinotherapie spa very quiet and supremely relaxing. There were many couples who were having treatments. From some of the treatment rooms you have views of the vineyards. 

The Caudalie spa France is the first spa that I’ve ever been to (and you know I love spas) where you were given a timetable of your treatments. There is plenty of time between treatments so you get the feeling you are not rushed. I had a vinotherapy spa bath which involved a jacuzzi with grape extracts and bath oils. After a Caudalie vinotherapie facial and a vinotherapy massage as well, I was blissed out. 

The Sources de Caudalie spa has a barrel shaped hot tub in keeping with the whole vineyard Bordeaux hotel theme.

I was also bored to tears. There’s no Wifi at the Caudalie Spa France which I have seen in  other resort spas because they want to promote a calm atmosphere. Of course, I can see the point in principle. The French guests though have access to their local carriers and were on the phone. And, all the magazines available at the Sources de Caudalie spa were in French which I don’t read. So I spent a lot of time taking selfies! 

Moral of the story? Download something onto your phone that you want to watch, read or listen to when you have downtime between your vinotherapy spa treatments.

I felt so good after Bordeaux hotel spa day I even bought all of the Caudalie product the therapist foisted on me! That’s definitely a first for me. 

How Family-Friendly is Sources Caudalie?

Very. We were pleasantly surprised by how family friendly Sources Caudalie is. There were quite a few very well=behaved French children at this Bordeaux luxury hotel.  Children are welcome at both Le Grande Vigne and Le Table du Lavoir restaurants (high chairs are available). Although we did not use the facilities, for younger children there is a play room with toys and books. 

There is an indoor swimming pool which was a really nice temperature and is available for family swims without restrictive time tables Located in its own building, the fitness room and indoor pool are spacious. There are outside seating areas as well as plenty of indoor loungers. There is even a little conservatory with a pool table. 

This Bordeaux hotel with indoor pool is great for families too.

While I was having my spa treatments, my husband and son took the bikes for a spin through the vineyard. They got to explore the wooded area with its contemporary art too. 

Bicycles are available to take out for a spin through the fields at this Bordeaux vineyard hotel.

My children love animals and this hotel did not disappoint between the ducks wandering freely around, the working horses and plowing the vineyard. Did I mention the goats and the llama?

Working horses are probably not a usual occurrence at the vineyard hotels Bordeaux.

Our Opinion of Sources de Caudalie Bordeaux

Writing a Les Sources de Caudalie review is easy. It’s fabulous and lives up to its reputation as one of the best hotels in Bordeaux.

We loved Sources de Caudalie Bordeaux and would go back in a heartbeat! For a luxury hotel, it is exceptionally family friendly and laid-back. Expensive but worth it.

Exceptional beauty and service make Sources Caudalie one of the best hotels Bordeaux France has.

The hotel suite was great. Very comfortable beds and total privacy. We didn’t mind going into Bordeaux for sightseeing but honestly you can stay at Sources de Caudalie for a few days and not even be bored. We loved the beauty of being surrounded by French vineyards and countrysides.

The highlights of our stay was the spa, the cycle ride, breakfast and the dinner at Le Grande Vigne. 

Wand more than my Les Sources de Caudalie review? Check out the great TripAdvisor reviews of Les Sources de Caudalie.

Les Sources de Caudalie is located at Chemin de Smith Haut Lafitte, 33650 Martillac, France.

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