Hôtel & SPA Bringué ★★★★

We arrived at the hotel to be greeted by a cheerful flower-decked façade of stone and wood with a backdrop of lush green majestic mountains. The staff on reception were friendly and helpful. There are over 100 rooms in the hotel, offering a wide variety of styles, which is why it is described as a boutique hotel. Mine was a standard double and my sister and the children had a suite. Both were spacious, with large beds, an armchair in mine and sofa in theirs, and lovely views over the mountains. The decor was a calming mixture of beige, gold, and olive hues. The children were delighted with the super-modern bathroom and complimentary toiletries. They were also pleased with the four-star modern luxuries that we older ones tend to take for granted, like free Wi-Fi, minibar, TV, and safe.

They were keen to explore the rest of the hotel, which was recently completely refurbished. We looked around the reception area, which is very stylish with chandeliers, ultra-modern furniture with chaise longues and glass and mirrors everywhere. We discovered the ball pool, another games area, and of course the huge gardens outside for children to run in and explore to their heart’s content. There is a sports area where you can play darts and table football, so we decided to join them there if we wanted to stay indoors. There is a children’s playroom as well for younger children, though ours felt they were too grown-up for that. They immediately made a bee-line for the pool, which has huge picture windows overlooking the mountains outside, leaving me and my sister to explore the opportunities for gentler recreation. It didn’t take us long to find the gym, solarium, and sauna where we wasted no time in booking some therapeutic massage and facial treatments.

We met up again later in the bar, a cosy grouping of comfortable chairs around little tables. The children had loved the swimming pool and games room and wanted to return the next day, before we persuaded them that some mountain walking should come first, with perhaps a relaxing dip in the pool later. In any case, it was time for dinner before getting in an early night to recharge after our journey. The dining room has two separate areas, one with masses of greenery and zebra-striped chairs, the other with more traditional relaxed décor. The food was very good and arrived promptly, a relief given how tired we all were. Well-fed and indulged, we headed straight for bed.

We discovered at breakfast that we could order a picnic to take with us on our walk and so, after making the most of the great varied buffet, we set out with leaflets and helpful hints from the reception staff. The mountain trails are just lovely, not too strenuous, but enough to make you feel you have had some good exercise. We took lots of pictures, and found a lovely spot by a lake for our picnic. The children loved it as much as we hoped they would.

For the rest of our stay we alternated between mountain walks and staying in the hotel, holding hilarious darts and table football tournaments with the children and some other guests. By the end of our holiday, the children were hard at work persuading their mother to return to the Hotel Bringué for their next holiday, this time to learn to ski. They knew we could hire all the necessary clothes and equipment in the hotel, so thought it shouldn’t be too complicated. I have a feeling we will be booking soon…