The best 3-star hotels with swimming pools

Finding a 3-star hotel with a swimming pool in France is often an uphill battle. But if you look hard enough, you'll find a number of establishments with beautiful swimming pools. From Brittany to Provence, from Beaujolais to the Camargue, here's our selection of 3-star hotels with swimming pools that are well worth a visit.

Pierre Gautrand Published today at 06:48

It's precisely this intermediate category, often overshadowed by the guidebooks, that holds the best surprises. Family-run or independent establishments that have invested in a real spa, a heated pool worthy of the name, complete balneotherapy areas; without passing on the cost in unaffordable overnight stays. From Brittany to Provence, from Beaujolais to the Camargue, here's our selection of 3-star hotels with swimming pools that are well worth a visit.

Le Cornouaille Hôtel & Spa, Bénodet, Brittany

On the Odet estuary, facing the Glénan archipelago, Le Cornouaille is a pleasant surprise on the Breton hotel scene: a 3-star hotel with a heated indoor swimming pool under a monumental glass roof, a Finnish sauna and a hammam, in an architectural setting of sandy tones and meticulous lighting. The establishment is surprisingly well-equipped for its category, and its spa extends the benefits of a trip on the Odet with rare efficiency. Bénodet, a long-established family seaside resort, boasts a wide range of tourist facilities, including a thalasso spa, cinema, casino and golf course.

Where? 22 avenue du Parc, 29950 Bénodet
Price: from €90 per night
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Cornouaille © Fred Pieau fred Pieau

Château de la Marjolaine, Essômes-sur-Marne

The Champagne tourist route winds its way through the Marne valley, and this unassuming territory hides dreamy spots like the Château de la Marjolaine, southwest of Château-Thierry in the Aisne. This XIXᵉ century residence offers fine dining and stays in a wooded park, with outdoor swimming pool heated in fine weather and sauna. The absolute calm of the location, close to the banks of the Marne and far from the busiest Champagne tourist circuits, is its most convincing argument.

Where? 27 Hameau d'Aulnois, 02400 Essômes-sur-Marne
Price: from €130 per night
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Chateau Marjolaine © Dr © DR

Domaine Gaogaïa, Aix-en-Provence

The name comes from the Provencal: gaogaia, to bask in. just 10 minutes from the center of Aix-en-Provence, this 18thᵉ century bastide renovated by architect Delphine Sauvaget has managed to respect the soul of the place - exposed stonework, generous volumes, a park shaded by tall pine trees - while integrating contemporary comfort. All rooms open onto the park and its beautiful outdoor swimming pool. The Gaodina restaurant completes the experience with a cuisine rooted in Provencal products. An eco-responsible address that invites you to take a break from everyday life, just a stone's throw from Aix.

Where? 1075 chemin du Mont Robert, 13290 Aix-en-Provence
Price: from €155 per night
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Gaogaia © Dr © DR

Carnac Lodge Hôtel & Spa, Plouharnel

in Plouharnel, between Carnac and the Quiberon peninsula, this 3-star hotel features low-slung architecture in natural materials and cultivates a discreet, much-appreciated lodge spirit. The lush garden features an outdoor swimming pool, heated in season. Inside, a spa area with pool, Jacuzzi and sauna creates a " Zen vacation home " atmosphere in stark contrast to the region's conventional seaside hotels. For lovers of megaliths and wild coastline, it's the ideal back-up base - and one of the few lodges of this standard in Quiberon Bay.

Where to stay? Lieu-dit Kerhueno, 56340 Plouharnel
Price: from €115 per night
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Carnac Lodge Hôtel © Dr © DR

Hôtel Les Maritonnes Café & Spa, Romanèche-Thorins, Burgundy

Romanèche-Thorins is at the heart of Moulin-à-Vent, nicknamed the king of Beaujolais - whose manganese-rich soil is said to explain the unusual longevity of its wines. The former coaching inn of Les Maritonnes, a member of the Teritoria community, reflects these roots in its red-and-white decor, and in a carefully-crafted cellar built around local vintages. The restaurant is rooted in regional flavors, and the 300 m² Spa des Vignes - heated outdoor pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and hammam - offers facilities that far exceed those expected of a 3-star establishment.

Where? 513 Route de Fleurie, 71570 Romanèche-Thorins
Price: from €145 per night
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Les Maritonnes © Dr © DR

Hôtel Ancre Marine & Spa Thalgo, Noirmoutier

The island of Noirmoutier, linked to the mainland by the Passage du Gois - a submersible causeway at high tide classified as one of the natural curiosities of the Atlantic coast.this 3-star family-run hotel offers a wellness address just a 15-minute walk from Luzéronde beach. With its maritime-style rooms decorated in lime and blond wood, Thalgo spa with jet pool, hammam and heated outdoor pool, the Ancre Marine delivers on its promise in an area where wellness hotel accommodation is still limited.

Where? 87a Route de l'Herbaudière, 85330 Noirmoutier-en-l'Île, France
Price: from €125 per night
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Le Mas de la Grenouillère, Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer

Near Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, between ponds, rice fields, equestrian centers and manades, this 3-star Provencal farmhouse offers total immersion in the Camargue. Its uniqueness lies in its motel-style architecture - low buildings, direct access on one level - and unexpected facilities in this protected natural area: beautiful outdoor pool, spa, sauna and gym, amidst the Camargue horses, flamingos and saladella that color the Rhône delta. A natural address without sacrificing comfort.

Where? 571 chemin Haut des Launes, 13460 Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
Price: from €145 per night

Hôtel La Marine, Île de Groix, Brittany

Groix, an island of 2,500 inhabitants just 45 minutes from Lorient by ferry, boasts one of Europe's only convex beaches: the Plage des Grands Sables, whose sand recedes towards the sea rather than the shore. Hôtel La Marine, set on the Port-Tudy quay opposite the fishing boats, is one of the few island addresses to offer such a high level of facilities: 14-metre heated outdoor pool in a walled garden, spa with sauna and hammam, rooms in a neat " ship's cabin " style, fishing restaurant. For an island of this size, it's truly exceptional.