The Secret Spa in this Paris hotel made this the perfect place to stay after running the marathon!
It was never the plan to run the Paris marathon. That was my brothers wish, however after his struggles with mental health he left us in December 2022. To help raise awareness for MIND, we decided to run it in his place. We had just 12 weeks to go from non-runner to marathon runner to help raise as much money as we could.
Given that we live in the UK, an overnight stay was essential so I started to look at where we could stay. The main thing was to stay somewhere central and comfortable. I stumbled across Hotel da Vinci and what a find it was. Communication was great, it was small and had a lovely feel to the place – it felt right, so I booked a two night stay. There was a mention of a spa on the website, however I didn’t look too much into it because we were only really looking for a base – however, what we uncovered was really special.
A secret spa, hidden in the basement of the hotel. What’s more, you were entitled to a complimentary visit for every night of your stay (correct when we stayed, it might be different now!). This was brilliant, we booked our slot for after we ran the marathon. Knowing that we had a 45 minute session to look forward to post run was the perfect way to unwind. And the icing on the cake, it’s private to you. Nobody else can use it while you’ve booked the slot. A really nice, unexpected bonus to this hotel.
The location was great too. Situated in the Parisian district Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Da Vinci Hotel is ideally located to many restaurants and elegant boutiques. It was a 45 minute walk to the ‘Arc de Triomphe’, the starting point for the marathon. We used this walk as the warm up, and afterwards it was the warm down. But you could easily get a taxi or bus if preferred.
The rooms were bouji, the breakfast was plentiful, a continental buffet with a good selection to cater for all and the staff were polite and friendly.
I’d recommend staying if you’re after typical French vibes, with the ability to relax and unwind. We’ll be back again! If you’d like help planning a trip to Paris, drop me an email. I work with many suppliers, and direct with hotels so can curate your perfect getaway.
Whilst running the marathon was a significant part of the initial grieving process after losing my brother, we managed to raise over £6,500 for MIND charity. A charity supporting those with their mental health needs. If you’re struggling, reach out to them, or any other charity to talk and seek help.
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