Les Sources de Caudalie - A relaxing day at the Spa

Sometimes Moms need rejuvenating!

This post is a combination of photos from last June and from my morning the other day.  Last Mother's Day, my girls asked me what I wanted for a gift.  In the past they have picked out some of my most favorite pieces of jewelry, but last year I asked for a gift certificate for a massage or facial.  To my surprise, they offered me a 1/2 day at Les Sources de Caudalie where I could pick a 50 min. service and also enjoy the spa facilities.  What a wonderful gift - I was so excited to receive it.  Then in June, I along with other local Bordeaux bloggers received a tour of the facility and I couldn't wait to spend some relaxing time there!

Mother's Day in France is the end of May and with starting work last June, then the summer, then moving this Fall and the craziness of the holidays - my special day kept getting postponed...

But last Monday, I finally got to enjoy a super relaxing morning in the Spa including a wonderful facial.  (Probably one of the best facials I have ever received!).  

I went with a friend of mine and we were welcomed warmly when we arrived.  We were given our sandals and escorted into the locker rooms. There are separate locker rooms for men and women. It's very quiet there, super relaxing and also welcoming at the same time.  They speak both French and English, so for anyone who doesn't feel comfortable speaking French, don't worry, you will be fine.  We were shown lockers, how they worked and given a robe.  We were then given a mini-tour of the spa facility being shown the jet pool, sauna room and sitting area.  All decorated in relaxing hues and warm and welcoming at the same time.

The use of the spa is in addition to your spa service and can be used before or after your appointment.  In our case, we arrived 2 hours early, so we had plenty of time to enjoy the spa area.  We started in the sauna, moved to the Jet pool to massage our backs and then relaxed on the lounge chairs looking out into a beautiful garden.  There is also a hot tub located outdoors right next to the spa.  I can't say enough how rejuvenating and relaxing this morning was...Detente - as they say in French

We were each called for our appointments and were escorted upstairs.  I received a 50 min facial, using Caudalie products appropriate for my skin.  It all felt so good, complete with a neck and shoulder massage.  Then when the masque was setting on my face, the specialist offered a hand or foot massage.  I choose my feet - always enjoying that relaxed feeling after a massage.

At the end of the treatment, we were offered a glass of water or tea and were invited to go back downstairs and relax again in the sitting room.  To be pampered, felt so nice!!

After our service, my friend and I decided to enjoy lunch at one of the restaurants, thereby completing our experience. 

There are 2 main restaurants at the resort-we dined at La Table du Lavoir.  This unusual bistro style restaurant is located in a barn-like structure built with 18th century beams from the cellar at Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte.  The menu is seasonal using fresh ingredients.

Our lunch was 3 courses - Entree, plat and Dessert.  We had choices for each within the menu.  I love white asparagus and it's in season now, so was thrilled to have it as an entree.  My main course - the lamb melted in my mouth and I loved the creativity of the dessert.  They took the local delicacy -The Canele and split them in half adding a a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whip cream and then at the table, we got to watch delicious chocolate sauce being drizzled over the top!!  Super delicious!  A wonderful meal to finish our zen-like morning!

Les Sources de Caudalie sit next to Chateau Haut Smith Lafitte.  As you drive up, it's extremely picturesque with the chateau and vineyard on your right, complete with some beautiful outdoor sculptures.

The resort is a combination of a hotel with 40 rooms of varying types, the spa facility itself and several restaurants/bar.  The following are photos of the property from last June, when I was toured around with other local Bordeaux bloggers.  You can see from the photos, that it's a stunningly beautiful place, nestled amidst the vines.

Each building/room is beautifully decorated and gives not only a relaxed feeling but also peaceful and welcoming.  The deco varies with each type of accommodation but overall is warm, elegant and natural.  There are regular rooms, suites and cottages allowing for different accommodations for couples, families or groups.

This is a great getaway from the city, located only about 30 minutes from Bordeaux.

After our tour in June, we were treated to a delicious brunch at the La Table du Lavoir,  very impressed with the fresh ingredients back in June and again this last week!

I loved the tour that I received last June - so fun to get to see the place as a whole and I'm excited to share my photos and after enjoying some special time there, it's truly a hidden gem located so close to Bordeaux!!  

Beautiful views of Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte as seen from Les Sources de Caudalie.  A feeling of being away from it all is truly captured at this resort. This post is purely my experiences both from touring last June and from enjoying a wonderful spa treatment this past week.  I do encourage anyone who is living in this area or visiting to check out the resort - it's an unforgettable experience!

For further information about  - click on this link for their web-page - Les Sources de Caudalie

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Montpellier - Bloggerfeast and Weekend

Blogapalooza 3 - and A Weekend in Montpellier

Since I started this blog last Winter, I have been opened up to the whole new world of blogging.  I had always heard about people who blog, but in truth I didn't pay much attention to it as I was working full time and had the 3 kids and husband to also take care of...I barely found time in my day to do all of  that.


My blog has become a wonderful network to meet other expat bloggers and other people who write about all kinds of things, life, family, love, crafts, cooking, photography - you name it, there is a blog out there.  So I was extremely honored to be included in an invitation from some expat bloggers in Southern France to join a luncheon in Montpellier.  This luncheon was organized by Aidan of Conjugating Irregular Verbs and Sara - from Sara in Le Petit Village.  I jumped at the invitation - thought it would be fun to meet face to face with other bloggers and share in our combined experiences.

Some of these bloggers have been doing blogs for years, others are new to blogging like me, some people have been in France or abroad for several years, others new arrivals, some Americans, some Canadians and other foreigners.  But the main thing we all had in common was living in France and having the perspective of being a foreigner in a foreign land.   So at 7 am on that Saturday morning, my oldest daughter and I took a 4 hour train ride to Montpellier.  It was an early morning - but I was so excited to meet these other women!  It was also nice to spend a special mother/oldest daughter weekend.  (we don't get to do this too often).

We all met at a wonderful restaurant - Chez Boris in Montpellier.  There was 16 of us -   bloggers, 2 husbands and 2 children (including my oldest daughter and Aidan's daughter who have become email pals through their mother's blogs).  The English flowed non-stop that whole afternoon.  I'm sure we were also loud at times....we even had an older woman wander over and ask who we were?  I'm sure from an on-looker point of view,  it looked bizarre to see people being formally introduced and then jumping right into an English conversation like we best friends who hadn't seen each other in years.  It certainly felt like that - the common ground of being an expat is a very strong bond.  We started and noon and closed the restaurant at almost 4 pm on that day.  It was so great to meet so many interesting people - made some nice new friends - and connected with others that I have emailing back and forth with for the past few months.

The restaurant's specialty was beef and it had some very interesting decor.  The chalkboard walls were extremely interesting and even my daughter & Aidan's enjoyed leaving their mark.  Lots of us enjoyed photographing not just the event but the interior also.

Here's  a list of everyone and links to their blogs:

Aidan - Conjugating Irregular Verbs
Kirsty - You had me at Bonjour
Nicola - Growing Berries
Karen - Little Sweet Spots
Julie - The Provence Post
Sarah - St. Bloggie de Riviere
Heather - Lost in Arles
Jennifer - Gustia
Abby - J'Adore Ma Vie
Meredith - Talking Story in Provence
Colleen - Life 2.1

This colorful cow seemed to fit right into the ambiance of the afternoon and I also think it speaks to the fun and liveliness of the city of Montpellier.  There just seems to be a great Southern vibe in that city.

The beautiful city of Montpellier - It's a university town, so thriving and full of life - but also a very interesting mix of history and modern architecture.  One can see old Roman aqueducts, walls and gates along with newer modern twists on Greek revival.  The Center of downtown is also abundant with  lovely stone and wrought iron buildings- but  this city seems to have spunk:  Palm trees and color all around the city....and wait until you see the tram cars! 

These are pictures walking along the Antigone area.  Our hotel was located in that direction - so when my daughter and I left the restaurant we headed through the polygone (wonderful downtown shopping mall) toward the Antigone.  These buildings are all modern with a Greek twist (hence the names).

After settling into our hotel, we headed back up into the center of town and Place de la Comedie.  The twilight lighting had a beautiful affect on the photos.  I just adore the style of buildings in this area.  The square was bustling with people all enjoying the warm temperatures and beautiful evening. We meandered around a bit, not really too hungry after such a long and delicious lunch.  Headed back into some smaller streets and finally settled on a creperie for a light supper.

Loved the lighting inside this shoe and dance store.

The next morning we awoke and enjoyed breakfast at our hotel.  A wonderful hearty buffet.  The breakfast buffet was opened unusually early this particular morning as the Montpellier Marathon was happening that day.  (We had seen a lot of the set up the night before).  This was definitely a huge event and apparently most hotels were booked full this particular weekend.  We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, and then slowly meandered back up into town to do some more exploring - I particularly wanted to see the historic district.  

One thing that we noticed right off was that they had shut down the tram in center downtown - so my original plan to tram from the hotel around to the historic district  (which is located on the opposite side of the city from the Antigone) was foiled by this event.  It just meant a fair amount of walking was going to be done this day.  The city is not huge, but it is built on the side of a hill.  Our hotel was down toward the bottom with the historic district toward the top.  

So after we made it around all the hustle and bustle of the marathon we headed up into the historic district.  They even have their own Arc de Triomphe in Montpellier.  

I just loved all the narrow streets, old street lamps and plants mixed into the alleyways.

A little bit of red......

The stone mixed with the wrought iron balconies was definitely the overall style of the city.  Sort of reminds me of New Orleans...just a guess but maybe New Orleans is inspired from this city....the mix of stone, wrought iron and whimsy...

More quaint streets...

We made it up to the Place Royale du Peyrou - on the other side of the arc de triomphe.  This is a beautiful park and lots of great things to look at...

I love how the monument reflects in the pool.

My daughter enjoyed the lookout -

Mountains in the distant...such a contrast to the rest of the city...

 Ruins of a Roman aqueduct...very fascinating.

So after our march around the city, we headed back to our hotel to get our luggage and then on to the train station for a late afternoon train back to Bordeaux.  The trams were still not working so we ended up rolling our luggage about a mile and a half to the train station  (good exercise...anyway).  

Of course, true to our luck, just as we arrived at the train station with about 45 minutes before our train - all the trams lines came back on...

Take a look at these colorful trams - each line has their own color and design!  They all seemed to intersect right in front of us at the train station.  For whatever reason, we were quite mesmerized with these unique trams.  

After that wonderful weekend, my daughter and I hopped on our train and headed home.  I have to say - first, I'm all ready for the next bloggerfeast or blogaplooza 4 and Montpellier was a wonderful city.  Thank you to Aidan and Sara for organizing such a fun lunch! The city  is so worth a visit.  Maybe someday we can get back there as a whole family - and even venture down to the Mediterranean Sea - it's apparently only about 15 - 20 minutes away!