Mark Bibby Jackson checks into L’Hotel Barrière Le Westminster Le Touquet and falls in love with this Anglo-French gem on the Opal Coast.
For the past hundred years there has been only one place to stay on the Opal Coast in northern France. L’Hotel Barrière Le Westminster in Le Touquet exudes a timeless grandeur which if anything only improves with age.
The Anglo-Norman design hotel stands proudly opposite the Parc des Pins. As I drive up to the entrance, one of the staff offers to take my bags while another takes command of my car keys. This is most definitely five-star service.
The hospitality continues inside, as we are escorted to some seats while the formalities of check-in are taken processed and an offered glass of Champagne is gratefully accepted.
History of Le Westminster Le Touquet
The history of Le Westminster reflects that of the most entente cordiale between the two nations on opposite sides of the Channel – it is hard to imagine Brexit being signed off here. But this is where Britain’s most iconic film star was born. Sean Connery signed the contract to become the first 007 in 1960 at Le Westminster. With Ian Fleming and Roger Moore both having stayed here, the relationship between Bond and Westminster has stood the test of time.
Le Westminster opened in 1924 and soon became the place to stay on the Opal Coast. Edith Piaf, Marlene Dietrich, Jeanne Moreau and countless royals have stayed in the building named after Constance Edwina Cornwallis, the Duchess of Westminster. The duchess established a medical group inside a requisitioned casino, to look after the wounded British soldiers in the First World War.
Built according to the designs of architect Auguste Bluysen in just eight months, Le Westminster followed horizontal lines as opposed to the verticality much in vogue at the time in places such as New York.
Re-enchantment of the Westminster
Fast forward to 2020, and the hotel receives a complete renovation.
Interior designer Bruno Borrione chose to adopt a modern décor, which reflected the strong history of the building. “What could be restored or recreated has been,” he said of his transformation. “And if the project allows, contemporary responses have been introduced into the surroundings.” The hotel group describes it as the Re-enchantment of the Westminster. It might also be called a modern art deco classic.
Carpets, fabrics and furniture pay tribute to the great interior designers of the past century.
Walking to my room, I am struck by the exquisite carpets, and the Grecian sculptures waiting on each floor. Later on, I am informed the wallpaper is Versace. It comes as little surprise, for nothing is too small or too large for L’Hotel Barrière Le Westminster Le Touquet.
In my room, Avant Garde prints and retro furniture recreate the art deco period, while more modern touches such as the coffee machine and power shower ensure this is not just a period classic. My favourite touch is the alabaster smooth sculpture polar bear above the mini bar.
On a recent trip, a travel writer friend said one of his gripes was the hair dryer never worked. As he is follicly-challenged this lead to much laughter before he pointed out that it was his wife who had made the initial observation. Well, Mrs Mossack would have been most satisfied by L’Hotel Barrière Le Westminster Le Touquet.
My complaint was that hotel bathrobes never fitted me. I am 6’3” and not exactly built like a supermodel, so I am pleased to be able to walk to and from the spa at Le Westminster with my dignity intact clothed in the substantial robe provided.
Spa Nuxe
Le Touquet Paris-Plage developed its reputation at the start of the previous century as the place for Parisians to relax – it is only three hours from the French capital.
The epitome of the Belle Epoque, it was viewed as the place to be seen, not just for well-to-do Parisians, but also for travellers from across the Channel.
The future Edward VIII played the casino tables at here. HG Wells, Noel Coward and PG Wodehouse came here.
The modern Le Touquet still attracts many leisure tourists from the UK, drawn to the tables of Le Barrière across the road, as well as the golf courses and the vast open stretches of sand, ideal for windsurfing. But my idea of leisure is an hour or so of relaxation in the Spa Nuxe, with its sauna and steam room as well as six cabins offering a range of massages and body treatments.
I content myself with dips in both sauna and hammam before plunging into the beautiful 1920s indoor pool, surrounded by a fresco of palm trees just as the hotel is submerged within the trees of Parc des Pins and Le Touquet’s forest.
A Drink in the Bar-Deco
Thoroughly relaxed we head off into town to dine at one of the numerous excellent seafood restaurants in Le Touquet. Sadly, Le Westminster’s one Michelin star The Pavilion restaurant, run by chef William Elliott is closed for the winter during our visit. Judging by the high quality of the breakfast the following morning, it would have been most spectacular feast.
However, we return for a nightcap in the hotel bar. Le Bar du West merges both old and new. The exquisite wood panelling and bar counter stand just as they would when either Bond ordered his martini shaken not stirred, but they are accompanied by a vibrant fresco imagined by designer Borrione. This is the simple modernity of Le Westminster 2020.
It makes for a wonderful place to enjoy a final whisky – a single Scottish malt naturally – before retiring for the evening. The perfect end to the most wonderful day’s stay at L’Hotel Barrière Le Westminster Le Touquet. I must return to enjoy The Pavilion restaurant – after all You Only Live Twice.
L’Hotel Barrière Le Westminster Le Touquet
For further information, click here. To discover more abouit what to do in Le Touquet or Pas-de-Calais, read Mark Bibby Jackson’s Riding the Storm in Pas-de-Calais France – Travel Begins at 40 or surf the official tourism website.
