What better way to disconnect from everyday life than to find yourself out of time in a fairytale castle… That’s the successful gamble of Domaine des Etangs, a 5-star hotel opened in 2015. Here, you’ll enjoy a wide range of accommodation, with suites and rooms located in the 13th-century château, in the Longère, or in the Métairies, all surrounded by 1000 hectares of forests, pastures and ponds, and featuring a beautiful wellness area. The watchword here: Slow down.
A haven of peace
Domaine des Etangs is 2 hours from Bordeaux, on the edge of the village of Massignac. It’s a confidential, refined place that offers seasonal, locavore cuisine and top-quality wellness facilities. The hotel is an ideal stopover for stressed-out Parisians and other victims of life’s frenetic pace. It’s a timeless place open all year round, where you can synchronize with the cycle of nature and the seasons.
Everything here is an invitation to letting go and wonder: Various walks, no-kill fishing, boat trips, discovering the history of the Domaine, visiting the art exhibition (Tomas Saraceno, Du Sol au Soleil), relaxing by the swimming pools or reading in the libraries… The Domaine lets you enjoy the moment, and the life’s simple pleasures. It allows you to reconnect with nature and the essential.
At the estate, you can stroll through the magnificent organic spiral vegetable garden to discover the vegetables that will end up on your plate that very evening, observe the wildlife, cycle through the estate… The term slow life was invented elsewhere, but it applies very well here.
Rooms dotted around the estate
It’s a Château that has retained the charm and spirit of a family home, as well as the mysteries of its 13th-century origins. Here you’ll find seven large suites and rooms, as different as the stars whose names they bear. The first floor features lounges, a smoking room, a library and a dining room, where you can linger over a book, a drink or a meal. The château’s interior decor is punctuated here and there by antiques and bespoke creations, unique objects and works of art.
A long building typical of rural architecture, La Longère once housed the Château’s former stables.
It now houses the reception, the Dyades restaurant, the boutique dedicated to regional and artisanal creations, and four suites inspired by the four seasons. Each has its own dominant color, chosen in harmony with the time of year it represents. They’re all different, but all boast the same generous space of over 63m2. Interior designer Isabelle Stanislas designed the atmosphere of these suites, playing with light and materials. In fine weather, make the most of 3 of the 4 Junior Season Suite’s terrace, all the while enjoying a breakfast or lunch outside.
Finally, at the heart of the estate, around 2km from the Château, are the six Métairies.
Elegantly renovated former farmhouses with 1 to 5 bedrooms, they can be rented out to families or friends. As the Domaine is environmentally friendly, electric cars will be provided for your stay at the métairie.
Le Moulin des Etangs, an enchanting wellness area
Les Thermes du Château is the perfect place to pamper yourself and indulge in a moment of well-being. A succession of steam baths awaits you for a moment of relaxation at any time of day: the Caldarium (47°-50°C), the Tepidarium (37°-40°C) and the Frigidarium (7°C).
Then enjoy a massage at the Moulin des Etangs, the Domaine’s wellness area, and let the flight of the dragonfly, mistress of the premises, guide you towards simple, peaceful, gentle well-being.
The wellness area features five treatment rooms, and two practitioners. In harmony with the cycle of the seasons and the fundamental elements – water, air, fire, earth and ether – the treatments provided by Le Moulin des Etangs practitioners are directly inspired by the surrounding nature and its cycles.
Le Moulin des Etangs offers specific protocols designed to be experienced alone or as a duo. In the triple suite, parents and children are invited to experience a moment of well-being together with unique treatments.
The hotel also boasts a fitness room bathed in natural light and surrounded by lush plants, and a sports course with apparatus on the edge of the forest.
A locavore restaurant
Dyades is a gourmet restaurant orchestrated by chef Frédéric Murati. Each meal is lives in harmony with the seasons and the richness of local products and those supplied by the estate… Note that a vegetarian menu exists, and that healthy options may be available for those who are more detox-oriented. Finally, from spring to autumn: sit back on the restaurant terrace and enjoy the gentle scenery.
The culinary experience can also be enjoyed outside the Dyades restaurant, with for example greedy picnic baskets to takeaway in a boat or on the banks of a pond, or convivial meals in your room or farmhouse, for a generous and convivial moment of sharing, “just like at home”.
Most of the vegetables come from the estate’s own organic vegetable garden. You can’t beat a short circuit!
Wellness retreats all year round
Every summer, the hotel is pleased to welcome wellness specialists, allowing guests to take advantage of group classes offered as part of their hotel stay.
From time to time, Domaine des Etangs organizes wellness retreats to relax, rebuild and ground yourself. Yoga, Qi Gong, naturopathy, meditative walking, Kobido… are just some of the activities you can enjoy, depending on the season and the wellness specialist.
At the end of your stay, you’ll leave with the keys and advice you need to extend the benefits acquired at Domaine des Etangs into your everyday life.
News
From July 8 to August 7, 2022, for the well-being of body and mind, the Domaine welcomes Marie Szatkowski, a yoga teacher specializing in hatha yoga with over 20 years’ experience. Renowned for its physical, mental and emotional benefits, this gentle discipline brings calm and serenity.
For children, she will organize discovery sessions to introduce them to the art of yoga.
For adults, meditation and yoga sessions will be offered daily.
Activities on registration, offered as part of a stay at Domaine des Etangs, from Wednesday to Sunday inclusive, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for sessions of around one hour.
Book
Rates: From 390 euros per night in low season, buffet breakfast included, for Château and Longère room bookings only. We deliver baskets of viennoiseries to the tenant farmhouse for reservations.
If you’d like to benefit from our advice and expertise in choosing your wellness break, and book at the best rates, please contact us below.
Call us on + 33 (0)1 85 73 22 14 to discuss your holiday plans.
