Grand Hotel des Bains

Press Reviews

The Telegraph, September 2009: An interview with Sir Terence Conran
"Q: Simple haunts you enjoy returning to?"
"A: A lovely little hotel in Brittany called the Grand Hôtel des Bains. It has a very modest setting overlooking the sea, sand and sailing boats and is incredibly peaceful. It’s not touristy in any way; when we were there it was filled with French intellectuals, which gave it a very interesting feel."

Harpers Bazaar Travel Guide, January 2009
"A fin de siecle elegance still lingers over this hotel, which lies on the sandy beaches of the Breton coast, hidden behind a white gate and a lime-tree-lined pathway - although the building itself has been updated in an informal New England style. With views over the metallic waters of the Baie de Locquirec, the restaurant is famed for its foie gras and smoked salmon, both produced on the premises; there is also an exquisite 'Menu Minceur' for those watching their weight. This is a place to come and recharge batteries. There are various yoga and creative courses on offer, and a detox programme at the spa, which offers hydrotherapy, algae body wraps, a hamman and an indoor saltwater swimming pool with sea views."

Sunday Telegraph, July 2008
"The hotel was built in the late 19th century but has been stylishly decorated by Dominique van Lier, its current owner, making it one of the few comfortable and elegant seaside hotels on France's north coast.

As befits its name, Le Grand Hôtel des Bains has a marine spa offering some intriguing baignoires hydromassantes and enveloppements d'algues, and the next day Amy and I try them out. My treatment starts with a deep, bubbling bath sprinkled with essential oils to tone and (this sounds unlikely) slim. Next comes the seaweed body-wrap – slimy green gunge, hot from the microwave, is smeared over my body, and I am then mummified in clingfilm... Finally, back between warm towels, I submit to a blissful back, face and scalp massage.

The tiny peninsular of Locquirec lies between the rough Côte Sauvage and the gentler Côte de Granit Rose, and our hotel bedroom looks east, towards whitewashed villages lying between low headlands of pink granite. We want to walk along that coastline. We also want to visit the cider orchards at Guimaëc or Plouégat-Guerrand, and the historic market town of Morlaix. But we have sunk into a happy stupor, induced by fresh air, seaweed and cider."

Sunday Express, August 2007
"The one thing the Loir Valley doesn't have is a coastline so we head for Locquirec and the exquisite Grand Hôtel des Bains. If you truly want to spoil yourself have a few days here. When you look out of the bedroom windows, you're so close to the sea that you think you're on a boat. And with an indoor swimming pool, spa facilities and wonderful food, it really is the height of luxury.

Owner Dominique van Lier and his family have spared no expense in turning it into the hotel in that part of Brittany, and you can sample the rest of the region easily from here. Mind you the temptation is not to move from the hotel where there are themed yoga and spa weeks coming up in October, and even creative writing sessions planned for April. But the one thing about France is that temptation is always in your way."

Guest Reviews

Reviews are only from people who have stayed there and booked through i-escape.

• “Lovely village and a nice hotel although a bit over-priced. The food was particularly good. Weather not very reliable in that area but the scenery makes up for it.”
  David, United Kingdom (07.07.11)

• “They say location, location, location and this hotel certainly has it, with pleasant gardens leading down to a part sandy beach and an everchanging view across the bay. Both the sandiness of the beach and the view depend upon the rather energetic tide. The room is marked down a bit because we booked late and could only get a room on the third floor. The ones below that have balconies which get bigger as you descend through the floors. I am all for simple pricing, but the difference between the second and third floor rooms did warrant a price differential. The food was a real treat - imaginative but still let the ingredients do the talking, just as they should. It was also nice that the brasserie by the harbour is under the same ownership, so the same quality from the kitchens although the walk was a little too short to feel that you hard earned your lunch. It was also somehow reassuring to be served, as if by magic, by the same person who had taken your morning coffee order. Our party included my daughters aged 11 and 13. We weren’t too troubled by the rule that children were only allowed in the pool between 12noon and 4pm and were excluded from the patch of lawn nearest the sea. However the location is restful enough to create the right feel, so I don’t feel that the hotel had to work quite so hard at its Hotel du Silence branding or be quite so protective of its ‘older guests’ – sometimes you have to trust the hotel to pick its guests as much as we pick hotels. The surrounding country was some of the best we have experienced in Brittany – a paradise for walkers. All in all, definitely a ‘return to’ hotel.”
  Simon, United Kingdom (30.08.10)