Hotel watch: Europe’s only Shiseido spa hotel

Le Mas Candille on the French Riviera, home to Europe’s only Shiseido Spa hotel, has recently reopened after a £multi-million redevelopment.

Andrew Torkington, manager of La Mas Candille, explained to TravelMole that 10 million pounds has been spent on the acquisition and development of the English-owned and managed hotel. This included remodelling the 18th century ‘Mas’ building and doubling the hotel’s capacity with the installation of a new 20 room building, ‘La Bastide’.

Mr Torkington said the aim of the transformation was to make the delux 4 star hotel “one of the leading hotels and spas in the world”.

The hotel originally opened in autumn 2001. While optimistic about the future, Mr Torkington said that the growth in customers this year had not been as expected. He attributed this to the uncertain world political situation and admitted that the US market had been particularly slow.

Location: Set in 40,000 square metres of private ground, 25 minutes drive from Nice airport, 15 minutes from Cannes, and walking distance from the village of Mougins (Picasso’s home for 15 years).

Accommodation: One suite and 39 bedrooms, divided between two provençal style buildings – the ‘Mas’ (20 bedrooms) dates back to the 18th century and the new ‘Bastide’ manor house (19 bedrooms). Most rooms have private balconies and terraces with views over the valley below, leading down to Cannes.

The rooms are spacious with ensuite marble bathrooms and contain high tech entertainment facilities such as DVD, CD and video players. There are also with two telephone lines giving provision for direct access to the internet, modem, fax and personal voice messages.

Main Features:

Shiseido Spa
Opened in summer 2002, the ‘Zen’ style spa is located in landscaped gardens a short walk away from the hotel’s main reception.

Treatments include a selection of face and body treatments for men and women, using the unique Shiseido Qi method. The treatments use a combination of shiatsu pressure point work, oshiboris (Japanese hot towels) and aromachological fragrances to stimulate the tsubo points, situated on the path of the Qi flow. These either stimulate inactive parts of the body or calm overactive parts. The overall aim is to balance body and mind energy, leaving you feeling either relaxed or energised.

Swimming pools and outdoor jaccuzi
There are two outdoor pools; the larger one has a poolside bar, which serves lunch. The adjacent jaccuzi overlooks the valley of the Pre-Alps (see picture above).

Restaurant
‘Restaurant Candille’ is under the direction of Serge Gouloumès (rated 16/20 in the prestigious guide Gault et Millau).
Specialities include Tatin de Foie Gras with Armagnac essence; Wild Sea Bass roasted in Vallauris Clay; Roast Wild Duck with tandoori spices; Swiss chard cake and caramelised mango; Crayfish carpaccio.

Rates and Reservations: Nightly rates at Le Mas Candille start from EUR 365 per room during the summer. For further information, contact Le Mas Candille, a member of The Great Spa Hotels of the World, tel: +33 4 92 28 43 43 or visit www.ghotw.com

NB. Congress dates: GSM World Congress 17-21 February; MIPIM 4-7 March; Festival International du Film 14-25 May; Monte Carlo Grand Prix 29 May–1 June; Festival de la Publicité 14-21 June.