Brittany Ferries flagship, the luxurious Pont-Aven
and... wow! It's family-owned and run by Jean Paul Chapalain, the President of the Brittany Chamber of Commerce, and his wife, and comprises an elegant old Manor House incredibly moved and rebuilt stone by stone by the beach with a stunning new modern wing, and just 30 rooms in all. It's superbly decorated, with a Michelin star restaurant and a very attractive heated indoor pool and spa, a sea-facing drinks balcony, direct access to a clean sandy beach and a bar with huge log fireplace. Our room was a suite, ultra modern with large French
Hôtel le Brittany
windows leading onto to its own private garden with casual indoor and outdoor seating and tables, amazing sea views from everywhere and a bathroom to die for. And all extremely quiet, just the waves lapping! We unpacked, and a mid-morning ‘Cafe Cognac’ down on the terrace was followed by a gentle stroll along the promenade and into town for a lunch of moules frites and cold beers in shirt sleeves on another sunny terrace about two metres from the clear clean sea. After cocktails in our garden, dinner was a Michelin star
occasion and was absolutely outstanding in every respect, eaten in an intimate dining room with arched windows looking over the sea, a huge log fire, and plenty of space between tables. The five exquisite courses we watched the floodlit Pont-Aven sail past the windows and off to Cork after her weekly crew change. This dinner was a memorable experience in its own right and the locals clearly come from miles around to enjoy it. On Saturday after an excellent breakfast, with every top
of the range ingredient home-produced, our morning was spent taking the boat over to Ile de Batz. We hired bicycles and then, after an hour or so gently pedaling around the beautiful island, including a visit to Le Jardin Georges Delaselle, lunch was by the harbour at La Cassonade in warm sunshine before returning to the mainland for a swim in the pool. A car trip followed with a trip to visit Chateau Kerjean and another pretty walk in the hilltop ‘Jardin Exotique et Botanique’ overlooking the new marina. We completed our drive with a visit to the local wine
merchants to stock up, and then had drinks with some new French friends out in our garden before a supper of local fish in the town. What a place, and what a day!
Le Flora restaurant buffet offering Sunday morning, and by now totally relaxed, it was time
to head home for an afternoon’s dog walking on Dartmoor with Plymouth friends and then a BBQ. So after a swim and breakfast farewells at the Hôtel Le Brittany, a five-minute car journey and very slick security and boarding, we were up in our huge and splendid Commodore class cabin to enjoy the morning crossing home. Cafe Cognac was promptly served in the Commodore lounge where we watched the departure and more breakfast was offered. A stroll around the vast decks and amazing variety of shops followed and then a DVD and some reading and music before a pre-lunch cocktail on the balcony in the sun with the French windows open and another excellent meal, again in Le Flora. Gaining an hour with the time shift we were alongside at
1.30pm on the dot, and at home by 2pm. What a great and different holiday this was – the surface
of Brittany and what it has to offer hardly scratched, and yet so much packed into a weekend, and without any hurry or hassle. We felt very privileged to have such an amenity and high quality service on our doorstep here in the South West, and indeed to have Brittany Ferries based in Plymouth. What did it cost for the two of us? The car, the two-way
passage, four-berth de luxe and Commodore cabins, and the two-night stay in a garden suite with breakfasts in the exceptional four star Hôtel Le Brittany was just £708. Would we do it (exactly the same!) again? Yes, most
certainly, and we enjoyed it so much that we are now actively looking at both Santander and Cork, again sailing on the Pont-Aven both ways. We loved that ship. So this has been a really great discovery for us but, its not one that we need to keep a secret from fellow Chamber members!
May/June 2017 Chamber Profile 21
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