Looking for a comfortable place to stay in Bordeaux, France, in a quiet area but easily walkable to all parts of the city? Casa Blanca B&B in Bordeaux’s Chartrons district is the perfect place to use as a home base to explore the area. My husband and I certainly thought so when we visited Bordeaux. The B&B’s five en-suite guest rooms were designed with comfort in mind. Besides the physical comforts, there’s also the owner’s welcoming hospitality and wealth of knowledge of the area. While staying in Bordeaux, we explored the historic city, took a day trip to St. Emilion (about a 45-minute drive), and spent another day visiting wineries in the Bordeaux region. Staying at Casa Blanca offered a perfect location from which to visit key sites in the region.
CASA BLANCA B&B: 39 rue de la Course, Bordeaux, France | website | + 33685727611
DISCLAIMER: My husband and I have stayed in many hotels, inns, and other properties in our travels, but a few stand out above the rest — this is one of them. Although I highlight this property we enjoyed, we have not accepted free trips, endorsements, or gratuities. All the opinions, along with the photographs (unless otherwise noted), featured on this page are my own. I simply share this property profile because of its unique location and hospitality, so I think others may also consider staying there. Happy travels!
Why Casa Blanca B&B?
- There are five comfortable guest rooms, each with king-size beds and well-appointed bathrooms.
- Gildas, the owner, grew up in the area and knows Bordeaux. He offers excellent suggestions for activities and dining.
- Gildas offers various services, including drives to and from the train station or airport, walking and bike tours of Bordeaux, as well as guided visits to area wineries. We arranged a walking tour with him on the afternoon we arrived to get a good lay of the land. Two days later, we spent much of a day with Gildas; he took us to three wineries for private tours and booked us at a beautiful restaurant (at a winery/resort). That experience is one of the most memorable of our time in Bordeaux.
- The included breakfasts start mornings off well. When we visited, we had freshly made pastries (croissants were fabulous), fresh fruit, and a choice of yogurt with granola or eggs (cooked however we wanted).
- Casa Blanca aims to please its guests. You can arrange for a basket of picnic items, a tray of tapas to enjoy in your room, and even dinners at the B&B.
- The location in the Chartrons district is perfect – a quiet area with restaurants, cafés, and wine bars a short walk away. Casa Blanca is less than a five-minute walk to the Jardin Public, the enchanting public garden we enjoyed at the beginning or end of our daily adventures. Walk a little further, and you’re in the Saint-Pierre district, the historic heart of Bordeaux dating back to the 12th century.
- It’s a charming property that Gildas purchased in 2015 and renovated. Key elements of the original design (like the wood floors, moldings, doors, and fireplaces) were retained. A greenhouse was added several years later, and it’s now a cozy, calming space.
- There’s some common space – with a sofa, tables, and chairs – for guests to relax on the ground floor.
- The guest rooms are furnished with mini-bars, bottles of wine and snacks (for purchase), plus coffee and tea stations. (I appreciated the electric water kettle to make hot water for my morning tea; too often, a coffee machine is expected to heat water for tea – but the coffee taste always seems to be in the tea.)
Hospitality Focus: Recipe
Here’s a one-layer chocolate cake from Casa Blanca that’s easy to make and delicious. It’s a perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea (or coffee).
Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- hand mixer
- 1 saucepan or microwave to melt chocolate
- 1 round cake pan
Ingredients
- 8 oz dark chocolate
- 2/3 cup butter melted
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 eggs
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate (in a double boiler on the stove or in a glass dish in the microwave).Mix the eggs and sugar; add the melted butter.Add the melted chocolate and the flour. Mix well. Pour into a greased round cake pan.Bake at 300°F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Things to Do In and Around Bordeaux
One of the significant advantages of visiting Bordeaux is that there’s plenty to do in town, and it’s entirely walkable. The city has interesting museums and historical sites to visit, the relaxing Jardin Public (public garden) to spend some time strolling through or picnicking at, along with plenty of dining and entertainment options.
In addition, Bordeaux is surrounded by popular wine appellations and vineyards to visit, plus it’s a good home base from which to explore the Atlantic Ocean coastline with the amazing Dune of Pilat – the tallest sand dune in Europe – near Arcachon (about an hour’s drive to the west) or the charming medieval Saint-Émilion village and its surrounding wineries (about an hour’s drive to the east). You could easily spend a week in Bordeaux – there’s much to see and do.
Final Thoughts
When my husband and I travel, I research all lodging options, including hotels, short-term rentals, and B&Bs. Casa Blanca B&B seemed like the ideal place for us in Bordeaux. And indeed it was. We stayed in the large guest room, which provided plenty of space to relax: a sofa and two chairs, a desk, a large bathroom with a soaker tub (ahh!), and the small balcony where we enjoyed sipping wine after dining out, reminiscing about the day’s activities. On some evenings, like when we had a large lunch at a cafe in Bordeaux’s historic downtown hub, we relaxed on our balcony and munched on nibbles we purchased while out during the day. We had a relaxing stay and so appreciated Gildas and his team’s hospitality.
