Ville dHiver

The restaurant alone is worth stopping for, especially for its sunny terrace and generous desserts. The hotel welcomes dogs as well, and my greyhound gave it a very definite paw of approval! Up in Arcachon’s Ville d’Hiver, the property sits above the sea among remarkable villas. There are neoclassical houses and playful Swiss chalets, a whole neighbourhood that feels like the Belle Époque. Inside, the hotel carries that history as a winter retreat with a quiet, warm elegance. Even the pine-scented amenities echo the wooded landscape around it.

We’ve been coming back every year for ages and plan to keep doing so. The staff are great, the restaurant is fabulous, and breakfast is well worth having. I’m writing this over a strong, tasty coffee from the room on the little peaceful terrace. With birds singing on this fresh Saturday morning, it feels like Costa Rica. Dogs are welcome, and there’s a lovely forest right beside the hotel.

The restaurant and reception have Belle Époque character, with tiled floors, selected artwork, and warm service. Meals feature local fish, Pauillac lamb, and monkfish risotto, using regional ingredients and presented with care. Hôtel Ville d’Hiver has a leafy, intimate feel in Arcachon’s historic sanatorium district. It began as a 19th-century waterworks for the Compagnie Générale des Eaux, and the restored red-brick station became a hotel in 2009, retaining industrial details. The rooms have deep colours, vintage desks, and balconies facing gardens of palms and pines. Staying here gives a sense of Arcachon’s history of health, air, and water.

The room was roomy and well equipped, though it was in a separate building a few metres from the main hotel. The place itself is a nice renovation of a historic villa in a quiet part of Arcachon. But the lighting was too dim for reading in the evening. We also found the service unprofessional. Reception was unattended on two occasions, and no one told us at arrival that breakfast was included, which caused a misunderstanding. I can't recommend the hotel.