Hôtel & Spa - Thalazur Arcachon

The residence sits in a beautiful part of Arcachon, across the road from a lovely beach with great sunsets and a few bars. The saltwater pool is lovely too. We were five in a room meant for six, and it felt rather small. There’s only one toilet, and the kitchenette is tiny, really suitable only for boiling pasta rather than proper cooking. Many of the plants are new and need time to grow. It also felt like some snagging was still unfinished: a few things in the room didn’t work, and the staff seemed to be learning as they went. For example, they hadn’t uncovered the pool by 10am until I asked. All in all, it’s a nice place with room to improve. It’s not a high-quality self-catering option like Pine Cliffs in Portugal, and it was overpriced.

The location is hard to beat, five stars for that. The pool and spa towel setup is a very French sort of arrangement: you get one towel per person, collected from an attendant on a different floor than the facilities. Of course, people find a way to get extra towels, and everyone does. The bigger concern was hygiene around the facilities. Early one morning, we saw a worker hose what looked like bird droppings from the pool deck into the pool. The chlorine smell in the water was very strong, but still.

The hotel is new, in a quiet neighborhood, with comfortable beds and large rooms. The double room is called a studio. There’s a kitchenette with everything needed, plus a Nespresso machine and two Weldon capsules, so bring your own or buy more at a grocery store. The beach and a nice restaurant are nearby, and the Dune of Pilat is 20 minutes away. There’s a pool, bar, restaurant, and I think a gym as well. Underground parking is available for 15 euros. Cleaning during your stay costs extra. I skipped breakfast because it seemed too expensive if you only want coffee and croissants. Outside the hotel were four EV charging stations, but I think they’d only just been installed and weren’t working yet when I was there in early September 2025.

We asked for a quiet room for our two-night stay at Hotel Thalazur Arcachon, but both mornings staff were loudly chatting just outside our door and woke us at 7:30. After the first time, we told the front desk. They said they’d deal with it, but the same thing happened the next morning. It was a major letdown. For a hotel of this standard, that disregard for guests’ comfort was unacceptable. The staff never following up also came across as unprofessional and uncaring. If you want a peaceful, well-managed stay, look elsewhere.