1913: Construction of the Villa Saint-Christophe

The history of our house was reported to us by Marthe Pincemy, who had opened the house in 1913 as an employee and was still doing so in 1970.

In 1913, therefore, Mrs. Dehillotte, a Nantaise, widow of a doctor, heard herself advise the seaside for one of her childrené dé health. She bought a piece of dune in La Baule and had a chalet built as shown on the postcard above. It is Ferdinand Ménard, a prominent architect, to whom we owe in particular the Hermitage hotel in La Baule and many other villas in La Baule, who is responsible for the building of the chalet.

From the children’s home to the boarding house

Giving à this cottage the name of the patron saint of travelers, we can think that she had conçu dés the départ project to welcome other children than his, and their parents. St. Christopher's will thus always have had a vocation of hospitality.

The ability to welcome children is a key factor in the success of the school.

As the capacity of the establishment increased, the main building was joined by a dining room in the east, whose mosaic frieze and window volumes are typical of the 1920s.

1920: La Villa Saint-François

In 1920, Mrs. Dehillotte bought back a neighboring piece of land on which a certain Doctor Joüon had built a gymnasium in order to popularize Swedish gymnastics.

She surmises this building, again with the help of Ferdinand Ménard, and christens it Saint-François. The ground floor retains the 4 meters under the ceiling necessary for the deployment of agrarian.

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1927: The Villa Sainte Claire

Always dynamic, Mrs. Dehillotte decided in 1927 to sacrifice the tennis court that stretched to the north in order to build a third villa, the construction of which she entrusted to Ferdinand Menard and which she named Sainte-Claire.

In doing so, she gave this hotel the rare characteristic of giving the stays one makes in these villas the impression of actually staying in a family home.

The 1930s

This is the golden age of the Saint-Christophe where, from the boughs to All Saints' Day, clients from Nantes and Paris flock. The three villas and their 40 rooms were not enough to meet the demand, so Mrs. Dehillotte rented out the surrounding villas, notably St-Luc, to the north. Each winter saw its share of work and improvements.

2005: Ker Janik

In 2004, the first real change since 1927, the owners acquired a fourth villa, Ker Janik, the oldest, built in 1912 for Lucien Georges Grand’Jouan. This acquisition and the work that followed allowed the addition of 14 pleasant rooms and a beautiful interior garden forming a harmonious whole.

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2013: buyout by Nadine Flammarion

In 2013, the hotel was bought out by Nadine Flammarion. As the owner of a hotel in Paris and another in Brussels, she fell under the singular charm of this unique hotel.

2016: rénovation of the Villa Saint-François

In 2016, the Villa Saint-François was renovated by architect Camille Flammarion. If the exterior remains unchanged to preserve the charm of its half-timbered facades, the interior space has been entirely redesigned.

The villa is now home to 9,000 people.

The villa is now home to 9 rooms, including the new Deluxe Rooms, the Apollinaire Suite and the James Joyce Duplex Suite.

2020 – The Saint Christopher joins the Beautiful Life Hotels group

Since February 1, 2020, we have joined the Beautiful Life Hotels group, a young hotel group founded by Gérard Jicquel, an entrepreneur from Rennes. This family group is in full development and brings together a dozen high-end establishments. Its ambition is to embody a certain French art of living, based on the values of beauty, good taste and a personalized service culture. Gérard Jicquel knows La Baule well, since whenever his schedule allows it, it is here that he comes to recharge his batteries. He admits that he has always had a crush on Le Saint-Christophe, which he used to admire on the way to the market. When he founded the Beautiful Life Hotels group, he naturally had the heart to acquire the beautiful 1900's house in La Rochelle.

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2021 – Rénovation completes

The St. Christophe has taken advantage of the 2020-2021 winter to get a makeover. The St. Clair, Ker Janick and St. Christopher villas in particular have benefited from a complete renovation. The renovation project, led by the architect Hervéacute Riaudet, is very respectful of the history of the house and its unique atmosphere, that of an authentic family home, chic and contracted. The decoration is marked by beautiful English influences, reminiscent of the golden age of the Balinese villages. Wallpapers by English publishers, family furniture, fabrics and patterns, all of which are a nod to the past of the Saint-Christophe, to offer an authentic, timeless and warm atmosphere.

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To cover the Baule of yesteryear: the La Baule Sepia website

A big thank you à La Baule Sepia for its old postcards retracing the history of our House. La Baule Sepia gathers more than 3000 old cards of La Baule covering the period 1879-1939. Mélanie, a passionate of old postcards of La Baule, has created this site to share her incredible collection. This site is a real pépite for all lovers of the resort.

So don't hesitate to browse his site to see more vintage views of the Saint-Christophe and La Baule in general.