HEALTH + WELLNESS
Natural pleasures at Les Prés d ' Eugénie
Until 1972 , the tiny town of Eugénie-les-Bains , which sits , quietly confident in the Landes department of south-western France , was known for its sulphur-rich spa waters . A straight road of simple shops and restaurants punctuated by a church at one end , the bells of which chime tunefully every 30 minutes , it was the last empress of France ( notably also Napoleon III ’ s wife ), Eugénie de Montijo , who gave both her patronage to the healing baths here in 1861 and her name to the postcard-pretty town . BY POLLY HUMPHRIS
But that was all before world-renowned chef , Michel Guérard arrived in town and developed the impressive Les Prés d ' Eugenie estate . A haven for everyone from recuperating Hollywood A-listers to health-conscious long-stay locals , the manor is a collection of three restaurants , a chic , 19th-century colonial-style hotel , and a rustic , 18th-century thermal spring spa . Flanked by Chinese windmill palms , the simple walk up to the hotel ’ s central L ' Impératrice wing makes it clear that you ’ ve arrived somewhere special ; embalmed in the heady scent of roses , verbena and jasmine , it is nature ’ s equivalent of a red carpet .
Following suit , the interior is appropriately grand and very luxurious , but without ostentation , and the rooms are the sort of rooms that , once the door is closed and you can stop pretending to be cool about the whole thing , make you start laughing to yourself in a fit of restless giddiness . Really spacious , with a walk-in wardrobe ; a huge bathroom with marble bath , gold twin sinks and lots of L ’ Occitane goodies ; and a bed plumped up with a thick mattress and countless pillows , my suite was resplendent . Stylishly decorated by Michel ’ s wife , Christine , it takes a skilled eye indeed to make something look so ‘ French ’ without force , but she has done it with aplomb ; the indulgent touches of gold blending seamlessly with lots of white wood for a restful and elegant finish .
Hard to believe , it isn ’ t just the beautiful lodgings that guests in their thousands flock annually to Les Prés d ’ Eugénie for . Instead , they come here for the Minceur Essentielle programme , a top-to-toe wellness package devised by Michel Guérard and leading nutritionist , Dr Patrick Sérog , that cleanses mind , body and soul and is the result of years of extensive research combined with a shared belief that staying healthy and slim doesn ’ t mean abstinence from a pleasurable plate .
Usually adhered to for nine or 12 days , the three-phase Minceur Essentielle programme is absolutely bespoke to each individual and combines medical and dietary consultations with a calorie-controlled diet , hot spring treatments , and personal training sessions . Don ’ t expect to be slogging it out in a sweaty gym though – in keeping with the entire Les Prés d ’ Eugénie experience , the individually tailored exercise programmes are as sophisticated and effective as the countryside surroundings here and are often undertaken outside .
Likewise , the weight-loss agenda couldn ’ t be further from faddy , or flavourless food if it tried . Michel Guérard ’ s stamp of epicurean excellence is evinced in the three Michelin stars that his cuisine here has held for almost 40 years , and the menu sings with delicious-sounding dishes that even the most reluctant ‘ dieter ’ would jump at . We dined on zucchinis with fresh goat cheese from Adour to start ; skewer of monkfish , chicken and prawns for main ; and for afters , a tiramisu of raspberries picked from one of the estate ’ s many wonderful garden kitchens . All for 590 calories collectively . The fact that Guérard has found a way to include puddings across a series of menus that promise weight loss is a revelation , and each and every dish tasted as beautiful as it looked ; no one felt neither hungry nor deprived .
Of course , you can go the whole hog and throw calories to the wind with wild , buttery abandon too . And on day two of our gastronomic adventure we did just that . First , lunch at the phenomenal La Ferme aux Grives , a pastoral , stone-walled auberge but minutes from the main house in which a huge suckling pig roasting slowly on a spit takes centre stage . The meat was meltingly tender , packed full of flavour and served with a rich , creamy mash that would ’ ve made any calorie-conscious weightwatcher run for the hills , but that made me dive in , perhaps a little too greedily .
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