Thalazur Arcachon

This hotel was not for us, so we left early. We were hoping for/ expecting ‘sun in the fun’ vibes but there was no sun, limited fun and the vibe was ‘retired guest’. No atmosphere for a holiday. We didn’t have a car either and found the hotel to be quite isolated - buses infrequent and stopped at 20.05, and taxis only seemed to be private limousines ( rather than taxi firms) and as such expensive for short journeys. There was a guard in the indoor pool to make sure men didn’t wear swim shorts, which was both ridiculous and a little sexist, and not uniformly enforced either, leading to unfairness to according to who happened to be on duty. The room itself was big and clean but given that it felt like our experience at the hotel was one we had to endure rather than enjoy we left, because life is too short to be miserable and trapped!

I can't say enough good things about this hotel. It was our second stay there and we enjoyed every minute of the week we spent there. It's important though to book a superior room for the nice view on the pool. The room is very comfortable with a balcony, and you are given nice bathrobes and spa shoes. In our mind, the hotel is perfectly located, far away from the crowds, and yet close enough to Arcachon to give you a great purpose for a brisk and pleasant walk. For variety, you can also walk on the pedestrian path along the beautiful beach on the other side, and there's even a possibility to do a loop in the pine trees from and to the hotel which I discovered thanks to the very friendly coach. For other athletic activities, you can rent a bike at the hotel or swim in their sea water pools which are such a treat. And then, last but not least, the meals at the hotel are refined, inventive, nutritious and well thought out so that you are perfectly satisfied at the end of the meal, and yet not feeling as if you ate too much, The breakfast buffet is great too with many nutritious choices and very good breads. My husband and I also very much enjoyed all our treatments at the spa. Lastly, we found all the staff very welcoming and pleasant. We'll definitely go back. It's rare to have such a perfect experience in a hotel.

This was the second time we have stayed at Les Bains d’Arguin. We has specifically asked not to be in a certain room which we had last year. We had booked an Executive room with a view of the Bassin. Please note all these rooms look onto the car park with a very limited view of the Bassin if you are standing right out on the small balcony. Last year our room overlooked the bins and staff entrance to the kitchen. Once we checked in and were given our keys, we discovered that we had exactly the same room as the previous year and I went back to Reception to ask to change room. We had specifically asked not to be in that room and having booked 3 months earlier they had certainly had prior warning. The Receptionist said there was nothing she could do for 5 days until a large group checked out. I complained that it wasn’t good enough and it was our second visit to the Hotel. So we had to stick with this awful, dark room and the smell of the bins wafting up every time we opened the balcony doors. The rooms are very tired and would need some investment. The shower door leaked as it had done the year before. You are given paper cups instead of glasses. The bath robes were very worn and had seen better days. The Staff in the Thalasso were not very welcoming either and it seemed like we were bothering them when trying to book some treatments. I managed to book a couple of treatments but found them very average. Both of the treatments were carried out by staff who had only been there a few months and I found them quite inexperienced. My cuticles are still recovering from the manicure I had. The Thalasso centre itself is quite nice and the indoor pool is very nice. The outdoor pool was very cold and it is always difficult to find a sun bed. Guests fight over them and people are constantly on the move between treatments. We had booked half board and the breakfast is passable, nothing special. I however did enjoy the evening meals and I think this is the highlight of this hotel. The meals are well balanced and enjoyable. The Staff in the Restaurant are probably the nicest in the whole of the Hotel. We did ask one evening why the service was taking so long and we were told as the Hotel was full it would be like this for the next 15 days! The French lack of Customer Service does make me laugh at times. Luckily the hotel is situated 400m from a very nice beach. The centre of Arcachon is quite a walk away but always a joy to visit. We also really liked La Mouette which is the next beach and town up from the hotel. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel and would never go back to it. It is no way a 4 star hotel. I would give it a very low 3 stars. They really need to invest in the upkeep of the hotel and in staff Customer training. Although I love this area of France, I wouldn’t want to be disappointed again and not enjoy my well earned holiday. I absolutely hate feeling stressed on holiday and having to fight for what I feel I have paid for.

This hotel is sharing facilities with a thalassotherapy centre. Staff is very nice and helpfull. Large rooms well cleaned. Very good breakfast buffet. A bit remote from Arcachon downtown but in a quiet area and you can rent bycicle at the reception desk. Bring boxer swimming suit and swimming cap as they don't accept others. byccil