Hotel in Escalles France - 2 nights, spa & 700m from the sea!

The way to think about this setting is to close your eyes, picture a cliff, and then multiply by 1,000 - so breathtaking you feel like you’re at the edge of one world and beginning of another. Cap Blanc Nez and Cap Gris Nez cliffs are located in a coastal nature area called ‘Site des Deux Caps’, featuring on every French person’s bucket list and the kind of place you can expect sandy snoozes, plentiful platters of seafood, beach-facing bars, and bikes to hire for wind-in-your-hair exhilaration. At certain spots on a clear day you can even see the south coast of England, a reminder that you’re both close to home and a million miles away.

If you’d agree that nothing stirs the soul like coastal walking, we recommend you take the path from the top of the cliff right down onto Wissant beach, voted one of the best beaches in France, no doubt on account of marram grass dunes, neverending white sands and idyllic picnic spots (that taste even better when they’re made for you at the hotel!). Back at the hotel, siestas are all the sweeter for the soundtrack of gulls, your complimentary champagne to clink glasses over, or, if you’ve still got itchy feet, the chance to go off exploring again by car to coastal villages like Audinghen and Tardinghen. All great memories to have as the last thing you think about before you put your head down tonight.

And what can we say about the Hotel Escale’s facilities? Sunloungers, luxury indoor pool, huge jacuzzi with a lovely view over the gardens, sauna and steam room - all in a radiantly modern décor of stone and gorgeous lighting. If you like, you can savour yet more romantic zen vibes by booking a massage for 2 with our trained therapists (let’s just say if it’s possible to have magic fingers, they’ve got them!). When you’re this relaxed the last thing you want to do is rush out to find dinner somewhere – and the beauty of your Escalles hotel in France is that there’s no need to do that since there’s a great restaurant on-site. Here there’s something for everyone: maybe a seafood platter if you like all things surf, or a ‘Carbonnade’ if you’re more turf – it’s an excellent classic dish of the region made by cooking beef in a rich beer sauce.

Oh, and one last thing. Before you cross the Channel back home, you should know about one of Calais’ lesser-known lovelies: did you know that the town’s famous for its lace? The state-of-the-art lace and fashion museum is a must (lace as modelled by none other than Kate, Duchess of Cambridge on her wedding day, don’t you know!) and do drop into the gorgeous ‘Idées Dentelle’ boutique for a souvenir of your perfect weekend break in Escalles.