Château Léognan

Style

Treehouses and terroir

Setting

Bordeaux winelands

A short drive south of Bordeaux in the acclaimed Pessac-Léognan appellation, Château Léognan sits on a vast estate, with treehouses on stilts and fairy-tale forests. In keeping with its serious wine creds, the food is fittingly fancy. The 173 acres are also home to a soothing spa, but with wine this fine, hangovers *should* be minimal.

Facilities

Rooms

17, including three suites.

Checkout

Noon. Earliest check-in, 4pm.

More Details

Rates don’t usually include the American-style buffet breakfast (€28 a head for adults and over-12s; €14 for children aged four to 12; and free for under-threes).

Also

Château Léognan has an accessible room for guests with mobility issues and the communal areas are all accessible, too.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Pet Friendly

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Free WiFi throughout, tennis court, chapel, 173-acre grounds, gym with a view of the parkland, bicycles, wine tastings (subject to availability). In rooms: free minibar, Lavazza coffee machine, TV and free bottled water.

Our Favourite Rooms

If treehouses are more your youth-reliving style, go for one of the lodges on stilts secluded in the forest.

Spa

The spa (which can be accessed through the reservation of treatments only) invites little Smiths along for tailor-made treatments by Parisian brand Nougatine. Meanwhile, the grown-ups can enjoy face and body rituals with organic thalassic ingredients from Cap Ferret and already-soothing names such as ‘Head in the Clouds’ or ‘Sweet Dream’. Guests receive 15 per cent off treatments and those staying in Lodge Intemporel, Lodge Merveilleux, Suite Cocon or Suite Merveilleuse get 90 minutes of free access to the wellness area (sauna, hammam, nordic bath) upon reservation.

Packing Tips

An empty suitcase (or, even better, boot) to stockpile the appellation’s finest red and white wares.

Also

There’s a programme of events held every summer, which includes live singers and bands to accompany cocktail nights, and pop-up guinguettes to give guests a less-bawdy taste of 17th-century Paris.

Children

Château Léognan accepts children of all ages. Some rooms have a sofa-bed, and cots and baby bath tubs can be added on request. The spa offers tween-friendly treatments, too.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

If you can snag a corner table by the floor-to-ceiling windows, you’ll be rewarded with garden views.

Dress Code

Fine vintage.

Hotel Restaurant

Le Manège’s chef, Robin Bos, trained at the Lycée Hôtelier de Gascogne and refined his skills in several acclaimed kitchens before joining the organic, locally driven Espace Darwin in Bordeaux. He first joined Le Manège in 2018, rising through the ranks before taking the helm. True to his roots, he puts the estate’s produce to good use – verbena from the garden might appear in trout tartare, beef fillet is smoked over estate vines, and hake is gently steamed with Gironde saffron. An American-style buffet breakfast is served in the castle.

Last Orders

Le Manège is open for lunch (noon to 1.45pm) and dinner (7pm to 9.30pm). Breakfast is served in the various salons from 7.30am to 11am, but since staff want you to feel at home, technically it’s served whenever you want it.

Room Service

Breakfast can be served in-room on request.

Planes

Bordeaux airport is around a half hour’s drive from the domaine – the hotel can book taxis (around €60).

Trains

You can ride the Eurostar all the way south to Bordeaux from London (journey time: just under six hours). The drive to the château from Gare de Bordeaux-Saint-Jean should take around 30 minutes; the hotel can organise taxis from this transport hub, too. Incoming guests can also hop on the TGV at Paris or Lille.

Automobiles

There are various ways to tour the estate and surrounding vineyards, including, if you’re feeling analogue, by horse-drawn carriage, but a plain old car will do, too – there’s free valet parking and plenty of spaces at the hotel.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Unsurprisingly for a stay within one of the world’s finest wine regions, grape-based activities are high on the agenda at Château Léognan. Oenophile-pleasing pastimes include wine tours, workshops and tastings, horse-drawn-carriage or helicopter rides across the domaine, The 70-acre estate is also home to various jogging and strolling paths; there are mountain bikes to borrow; and the pastry chefs, sommeliers and mixologists are more than happy to impart their wisdom. Guests can also book the use of a Triumph car, until the end of October (subject to availability and for an additional cost).

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .