Neo-Bordeaux: France’s wine capital goes bling-tastic without forgetting its roots

Bordeaux was bourgeois, now say bonjour to bling bling: maximalist decorator to the stars (and the Sultan of Brunei) Jacques Garcia has overhauled the former Grand Hotel de Bordeaux, recently re-opened as the Regent Bordeaux. The historic palace’s twenty-two suites, festooned in swags of royal blue, red, and gold Garcia-designed fabrics, may be the ultimate embodiment of ostentatious 19th-century style Français. Even the marble in the bathrooms has names like Brun Emperador and Rouge Napoléon. Regent Hotels’ first French property couldn’t have a more central location: it’s just across from the Grand Théatre, in the epicenter of the Triangle d’Or, Bordeaux’ haute shopping mecca. Even so, shopaholics need not leave the building: Fashion Avenue, the Regent’s in-house shopping arcade, is stocked with glam rocks by jewelers including Chopard and Boucheron and the latest from flash-fashion labels like Cavalli and Gucci. Prefer noshing to shopping? Brasserie L'Europe has a décor reminiscent of legendary Garcia-designed Parisian lunch spot Hotel Costes, with – it is Bordeaux, after all- a much better wine list. Follow with a decadent evening at the hotel’s nightclub, the Black Diamond, and you’ll be ripe for hotel spa Les Bains de Léa, with its bespoke treatments and products targeting overindulgence-induced puffiness.

Yearning for a taste of the Bordeaux region’s more traditional past? In September, Trek Travel will offer active oenophiles a bike tour with unprecedented VIP access to the Saint Emilion Harvest Festival, which dates back to medieval times. Pedaling through the storied vineyards of Saint Emilion, Pomerol, and Médoc is just enough sport to justify vinotherapy pit stops at the Sources de Caudalie and Michelin-starred meal breaks at Chateau Cordeillan-Bages. Cyclists will rehydrate regularly with unique wine tasting experiences including vertical flights and single-vineyard vintages. And then there’s the chance to make history: three members of the inaugural trip will become lifetime oeno-ambassadors through induction into Saint Emilion’s ancient society of wine judges, the Jurade.