My trip to France in July.
This time, I wanted to focus my writing on my trip to the St. Émilion’s Chateaux hotel.
My trip started off with nothing less than Air France.
It felt like I was in France from the start to the finish.
After tasting the delicious meal, the champagne, and the wine, it made me even more excited to go to France than I already was.
The lounge at Narita was very lovely. It was a cozy, red and white themed area.
It gives off a quiet and relaxing vibe that caters to different types of customers.
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I went aboard the Airbus A380 again.
There was a very appealing 15-inch monitor screen.
With their use of mood lighting, you can experience a relaxing flight.
The color scheme for the business class was blue, which gave it a very modern vibe.
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After arriving in Paris, the hotel that I checked into first was Hotel de Vendome.
It was located in a very convenient area close to the Vendome forum.
With keeping the classic ambiance, this chic and elegant place, with its round elevator was like visiting a wealthy Parisian home.
There is no doubt that this would be a five star hotel, judging by the quality of the amenities.
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I made reservations for the spa as soon as I arrived.
There were 3 Spas all five minutes away walking distance in the vicinity of the hotel.
１、Spa Valmont Le Meurice
This spa is in one of the highest ranking hotels Le Meurice with its title [Palace].
This spa is part of this grand hotel which provides a special Swiss anti-aging care.
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Even if you don’t go to the spa, this hotel, with its long history, had the most gorgeous lobby which is well worth a visit.
２、Mandarin Oriental Spa
Opened in the summer of 2011 on St Honoré street in Paris.
This is a chic and elegant spa with white roses scattered all over.
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３、Anne Fontaine Spa
This is my favorite spa in Paris.
The white, beige, and brown color themed room is very relaxing and calming.
From the towels to the fabrics, food, products, oils, and etc, this Spa uses all things Organic.
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Dinner was at SPOON.
This is the restaurant where the free spirited traveler, Alain Ducasse displayed all the things that he was fond of.
Saying that, the SPOON in France is much more casual than the one in Hong Kong and it is someplace that you can enjoy going by yourself as well.
Your favorite ingredients, your favorite sauces, and your favorite recipes… this restaurant was an endless display of surprises.
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After that, I enjoyed a girl’s night at the Hotel du Louvre Lounge with a real French Madame.
Previously, I had eaten dinner at the restaurant. (Click here for details)
This time I tried the bar and it was very cute.
Decorated in a classy way with red as the base color, I liked the way it seemed like a little hidden getaway.
The next day, before heading off to Bordeaux, I stopped by the Shangri La Hotel.
Furnished with oriental pieces, it had a tasteful and elegant atmosphere.
The Shangri La hotel opened in December 2010.
It is the first advancement for the Asian Power.
The French hotel industry continues to make new reforms while maintaining its strong tradition.
Originally a historical residence, the lounge felt less like a hotel lounge, and had a cozy atmosphere that makes you feel like you have been invited in to someone’s home.
I was also surprised by the BVLGARI amenities in the lobby restroom.
Then, to Bordeaux on the TGV! It was a 3 hour train ride.
The train also came with a bar.
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The first place I stayed was the Chateau de Mirambeau in the Mirambeau region.
As you follow the winding country road and get closer to the woods, the Chateau de Mirambeau suddenly appears.
There are a total of 12 rooms, and the service is impeccable.
I felt just like a princess in my room.
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Unlike the rooms and the hallways, the hotel spa was very modern.
Anywhere that water was circulated, was very clean and sanitized.
This brings up the points on my scale.
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The dining room was filled with roses. It was like I was in an aristocratic world.
The meal was extremely classic French food and the atmosphere of the restaurant matched well with the wine.
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Then the second hotel that I stayed at was Hostellerie De Plaisance
It is located in the center of the Saint Emilion village.
The room was completely the opposite from the Chateau de Mirambeau Hotel.
It was very modern and stylish.
The Chateaux hotel was about the colors. The style is this different.
Out of all the hotels that I stayed at in France, this hotel had the largest bathroom.
The light shined in from the terrace and it was a simple and great feeling.
I was also happy that the amenities were made up of Clarins products.
Yes, this hotel is amazing, but what makes it the best is the view from the terrace.
I can understand why it is so hard to get reservations.
From the room, you can see the far stretching grape fields as well as a village that has kept its medieval essence. I was taken aback by the breathtaking view.
This is the view form the room. The breakfast hall looks like it is on a cliff doesn't it?
With St. Emilion being a World Heritage, the stone paved streets and the brick colored buildings were very beautiful.
There were so many wine shops, and the exterior of the shops were so colorful and cute!
I was excited, just taking a stroll.
This is the dinner that I was looking forward to.
The dinner was at 8PM but before going to the venue, this was the lounge that I waited in for some pre dinner drinks.
At the lounge, I had pink champagne along with Amuse Bouche .
This hotel restaurant is extremely famous, and the dishes prepared by Chef Philippe Etchebest attracts many people.
This is the restaurant.
Opposite from the Chateux hotel that I went to first, The French here certainly had a more original and artistic view. It was indeed very modern.
There were different ways to eat a dish from eating it as it was served, to adding a different sauce, as well as to mix and match the dish with other dishes. You can enjoy your food with much variety without getting tired of having just one.
The dessert took about three hours.
The chef goes to each table one by one to greet the guests.
He was very friendly and had a cute smile, so of course I can understand why there were a lot of regulars and repeat customers.
The chef had also visited Japan many times and greeted me in Japanese.
The petits fours had an amazing variety.
Because I couldn't eat it because I was so full, they wrapped it up nicely and I was able to take it to go.
This is also the herb tea that came with the dessert.What a surprise when the wagon also came carrying the herb plants in pots!
Just when I thought the staffs were going to start some bonsai, they skillfully used their scissors and chose the best part to cut. It was fun just watching.
The fragrance of the fresh cut herbs was the best.
There was a wine cork near my pillow that came along with my turn down service.After getting excited about the fantastic display, I then realized… it was a chocolate cookie
This is the view from the terrace at 5am the next day.
During the summer in France, it is light out from 5am in the morning to about 10pm at night.
It is warm without being too hot, and it is absolutely amazing.
For the second time, I went aboard the TGV from Bordeaux to Paris and then straight to Charles de Gaulle airport.
One of the things that I have been looking forward to on this trip was the Charles de Gaulle airport’s Air France lounge.
Each booth in the new and improved lounge had different shaped chairs and tables and I was ready to enjoy myself.
The color schemes were picked wonderfully to bring everything together, giving it a cool vibe.
The meal, the alcohol, and the beauty salon had all improved from the last time I was here. They were all amazing and it made me want to stay for the whole day.
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In the returning flight, out of the four main dishes, one was a dish produced by a well-known chef.
This time, just like the last time, the menu was created by Guy Martin .
AF had the best bread, cheese, dessert, champagne, and wine.
With only a few flights, it makes me want to go off and embark on another journey.
It was very pleasant and relaxing to have such great cabin attendants.
They left me alone enough to relax and enjoy the flight, but when I started to talk to them, they were very friendly, casual, and accommodating.
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Although this trip was to visit the Chateaux Hotel, there are so much more places in France that I want to visit.
Just as the summer trip to see the Nice-like Le Ciel Bleu before going to Bordeaux was wonderful,
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for my next trip, I would like to visit France’s countryside and see the winter scenery.
And, I also want to go to the 33 luxury spas in the Bien-etre en France.