It is possible to enjoy a cocktail at the bar, in front of a giant crustacean. – E.Provenzano / 20 Minutes
Strictly speaking, it is a steak that you will dissect in the restaurant Zoology from Bordeaux. It has been over 20 years since the natural sciences were taught in this building in the Cours de la Marne which housed the Institute of Zoology at the University of Bordeaux. By transforming the place into a luxury hotel, the owners, Hélène and François Touber, agricultural engineers, were keen to sprinkle the establishment with nods to this unusual past. Their project won over the Euratlantique public planning establishment (EPA), which is restructuring the entire district, close to Saint-Jean station.
A tribute to the memory of the place
There is now a bar-restaurant, a rooftop, a spa and a luxury four-star hotel called the Zoologie hotel which had opened briefly in September 2020, and has been welcoming customers again for a few days. “We prefer that it not look like a reception, that it is not standardized” begins Stanislas de Sparre, director of the Hotel, during a visit to the press. To further mark the difference of his establishment, it was decided to give up magnetic cards for keys and to use fountain pens and blotting papers at the reception, to immerse customers “out of time”.
Customers are intrigued by the exterior of the building and inquire about what it houses. And once inside, she is not disappointed. “We tried to keep the little touches that allow us to remember the memory of the place, we installed a lot of animals,” says the director. There is the historical part dedicated to zoology and two other parts (in the more recent extension) devoted to botany and geology. “
Few historical elements have been preserved. The writings “comparative anatomy” and “embryogenesis” are among the exceptions. They were discovered “by chance behind slabs of marble”, and restored. Most of the animals and collector’s items were inspired by the history of the place without belonging to it. There is for example a collection of corals, bursts of king crab and lobster. Everything has been done in any case so that the building regains its splendor.
A roof terrace open to all
The restaurant with about twenty seats inside and about forty currently on the terrace offers a frequently renewed menu made with fresh and local products. No room is alike, but they are all spacious, upscale and with noble materials (waxed concrete, clay on the floor, etc.) Some 150 plant species have been planted in the hotel’s interior garden, to which some rooms overlook.
The bonuses of the establishment are a rooftop terrace which will open in mid-July and a 300 m2 spa, accessible from June 15. Both areas will be open to everyone and not reserved for hotel and restaurant customers. Escape guaranteed.