Bordeaux and the Grand Hotel

I'm so excited!!!!!!
Next week is my 25th wedding anniversary and grammar school husband is taking me to one of my favourite cities - Bordeaux.
 

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​​It takes just 30 minutes on the fast train from Angouleme to St Jean Station. I leave a quiet sleepy village and get off the train to the hustle and bustle of city life.  I've visited many times before but this time we will be staying in Le Grand Hotel. Normally out of our price range but we are pushing the boat out on this occasion.
 
Whenever my now departed father and I visited a city together, he would drag me into the poshest hotel and ask for a coffee. I used to be mortified if we weren't staying in the hotel, but he always did it. He told me that you can get a feel for a hotel by not being a resident. Will they tell you to go away? (that happened to him once in Dubai). Is it snobby? Does it have a pleasant ambiance? I have visited some beautiful places with my father - all for the price of a coffee.

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When I first visited Bordeaux on a shopping trip with my friends, I spotted the beautiful facade of Le Grand Hotel opposite the opera house and dragged them in for a coffee. Papa style!!!!!! They were a bit shocked as we entered the beautiful foyer with cabinets of expensive China, Baccarat crystal and Hermes scarves for sale. The atmosphere was captivating!!!! Since then I've coffeed there many times.
I've sat on the roof terrace in summer, which has a bird's eye view of the city where I've sipped a cocktail or 3, but I've never stayed or eaten there. So I am SUPER excited about this trip.
 
Bordeaux is the most fabulous place. It has the feel of Paris but is much more intimate and friendly. People sit at coffee shops passing the time of day and doing my favourite pastime, people watching. The tram whizzes by with commuters, visitors flock to the shops, designer and affordable and there is every kind of restaurant for every budget.

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The main shopping street is St Catherine Street. It starts near the Grand Hotel and runs parallel to the river. If you take the labyrinth of cobbled streets in the direction of the river you pass many restaurants and secret courtyards. Each time I visit, I discover a new exciting area.  If you take the side streets in the other direction, they lead to grand squares and the designer shop district where you can gaze in the windows with awe. In this area is Jo Malone. I love that shop. A little bit of England in France and the French love it too!!!

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​Again, near there are eateries and independent shops and the maze of streets is littered with beautiful window displays enticing you in. There is a lovely covered market Des Capucins where I can never resist the macaroons and candied fruits and I have yet to visit the Sunday outdoor market Quai des Chartrons where you can buy oysters from Arcachon Bay. There are also lots of antique shops and flea markets and the antique dealers of Village Notre Dame are also on my bucket list.
 
My overnight bag has been packed for a week!!!!! Wish me luck, we've had a lot of rain this winter, so I hope the sun will shine.
 
Next time I'll be telling you all about my Austrailian cousin (whom I've never met). She lives on Kanagaroo Island (which just looks divine) and is visiting Europe with her family for six weeks.
 
Maybe I'll take them to Bordeaux - they won't be disappointed!!!!!!!

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