I had an instant love for this luxurious, beautiful hotel, cozy and full of character (exactly how I like them.) And so it was, in this charming little cocoon, situated within walking distant of the adorable village of Saint Martin de Re, in the middle of the city of Vauban that we put down our suitcases for a few days packed with romance …
Welcome to the Clos Saint-Martin …
The Hotel and Spa “Le Clos Saint-Martin” consists of roughly 20 rooms and 12 suites, making it a nice, comfortable size where you feel almost at home.
The staff were warm and friendly and went out of their way to make you feel welcome and accommodate your every need … Even our little kitten Sama was received and treated like a princess … ah, yet another bonus: animals are accepted (as long as they behave of course :-)).
We stayed in one of the beautiful prestigious suites, adapted for Sama, incidentally …
Spacious, comfortable, bright, and decorated with taste and elegance, in keeping with the natural ongoing themes within the hotel, of wood and the sea. Our room overlooked a sheltered garden and pool (the calmest in in the hotel)…We were able to enjoy eating breakfast on our private terrace, flooded with sunshine and flowers. Complete bliss ! …
Speaking of breakfast… it was out of this world … delicious, filling, perfect. There were also different places that you could enjoy your breakfast: the main dining area, shared terrace, private terrace or simply in your room. We of course chose the option of our private terrace 😉
Come rain or shine, you’ll have a good time !
The Hotel and Spa ” Le Clos St Martin ” is the kind of hotel where you feel so great and have such a good time that you don’t necessarily even need to leave the hotel. You can spend the whole weekend in this gorgeous cocoon! So, come rain or shine, you’ll have a good time …
We had one day of rain during our weekend. No problem … This allowed us, first and foremost, to rest and relax, to have breakfast in bed, to be pampered in the “Clarins Spa” in the hotel, or to take full advantage of the sauna and steam room …
Pssst … some extra information: they also do manicures and pedicures using my favourite brand of nail varnish, Kure Bazaar .. Never heard of Kure Bazaar? Click here for a catch up 🙂
And so what better way to finish this relaxing day, than a delicious vegetarian meal, brought to our room, courtesy of room service… What else?
Incidentally, there is no main restaurant in the hotel itself, but you can call room service at any time and order food from the lounge bar. They offer a simple but delicious menu including house salads, snacks, drinks and deserts…
There is pretty much everything that you need, so we ate either on our terrace overlooking the pool or down at the lounge bar, which was very pleasant.
Swimming in happiness …
There are two lovely outdoor pools (heated of course). The first is situated by the lounge bar in the central area of the hotel. It is the most popular with guests and is for everyone, families with children or couples …
The second pool (a gorgeous deep blue colour), is much more tranquil. It is in the middle of an enclosed garden and reserved for adults only. This definitely guarantees calm, as opposed to the noise that crowds of large families usually bring.
This compromise and balance allows families with small children and loved up couples to co exist peacefully in the same place…
A must see : the village of Saint-Martin de Ré ..
As with everything else, it’s always good to get out and discover what else is on offer. The sun reappeared the following day and we decided to set off exploring on foot …
The little village of Saint Martin, which is a few minutes’ walk from the hotel, is simply stunning. You lose yourself involuntarily among the trees, and follow the flower lined paths which bring you eventually to the picturesque tiny village, with its strange likeness to Saint Tropez …
It’s true, the resemblance is uncanny…
After walking around aimlessly in the village, exploring the little port and fortifications on the seafront at Vauban, or after doing a spot of window shopping in the animated streets of St Martin, you can stop for a tasty treat in one of the many quaint little cafes and restaurants next to the port, or try a pancake “ à la Martinières”, in the famous village pancake shop …
You cannot miss it. It sits cutely on the corner, just opposite the port and there is always a queue coming out of the door ; – )
P.s : For seafood lovers there are a number of quaint little restaurants, serving essentially fish and seafood …
For vegetarians like myself there is ‘ un air de famille ‘ .. This adorable place is situated at the top of the pedestrianised street and serves delicious home-made recipes, vegetarian or not… The ‘crème au chocolat’ is excellent and the traditional decoration whisks us off back to childhood and the memories of eating with grandparents. Love it !
Apart from the village itself, there are, of course, lots of other things to see and do in the area …
Beaches, walks, bike rides, sports activities, markets..honestly the markets didn’t really convince me. There was nothing that really caught my eye. That being said, I can definitely acknowledge that out of all the villages we visited, Saint Martin is definitely my favourite by far. It’s the most traditional, cute and charismatic in my opinion. A must do: wandering up and down the little streets or, eating an ice cream arm in arm with your other half … So romantic <3
Ok, so you can also do it with a pram or a dog, the place itself is so well adapted for holiday makers with children and animals. ..
To conclude ….
We passed a very agreeable and enjoyable weekend in this cocoon, and with or without the sun,it’s impossible not to find happiness during a perfect weekend of rest and romance. To sum up: I definitely recommend it. You could go with your eyes closed !
A big thank you to all the staff, who met our every need (and Sama’s!).
Information and reservations => here or +33 5 46 01 10 62 or reservation@le-clos-saint-martin.com
xxx
@Tia
Photos Credits @Peter Soubbotnik
Translation @Natalya Paupe
