EssenCiel et Spa (Domaine du Château des Pères)

The floating spheres of a manifesto hotel

At 25 minutes from Rennes, a hotel resembling a giant tree is redefining traditional hospitality. Suspended from its concrete branches, 36 exceptional bubbles offer a new way to escape the everyday. Behind this radical and poetic project is the bold vision of Jean-Paul Legendre, a Breton entrepreneur passionate about architecture, who dreamed of creating a place as powerful as it is liberating. Breaking away from conventions, he envisioned a habitable work of art, where each room becomes a perched refuge, open to nature and light.

Essen'Ciel et Spa is not just a hotel. It is an architectural response to a universal need: to retreat, to rise. Inspired by the structure of a tree and designed by l'Agence Unité, the central building stands in the vegetable garden of the Château des Pères, a 31-hectare artistic and botanical estate. Its spiral walkways lead to the suspended rooms, vast cocoons adorned with light wood and sky-inspired colors. Here, everything encourages contemplation. You view the landscape as if through a lens, from a giant oculus framing the edges, meadows, or the discreet silhouette of the neighboring château.

Once inside these floating spheres, a sense of silence takes over. A dense calm, conducive to introspection. No screens, little noise. Instead: minimalist decor, natural materials, and the rare sensation of floating out of time. The Nids Azur bubbles soar 28 meters above the ground, the Nids sur les Bois settle more modestly at 5 meters, while the Nids Essence rest on the ground for those who prefer stability over vertigo. Each room offers its own perspective, its own light, its own rhythm.

Below, the 300 m2 spa extends the sensory journey. The scents of mint and tea accompany you between the hydrotherapy pool, sauna, hammam with essential oils, and body treatments by Thémaé. The atmosphere is intimate, almost dreamlike. Water soothes, spaces calm, and treatments become a slow celebration of the present.

Here, art is never far away. Wander among monumental sculptures scattered across the park, discover the work of artists in residence or, if you wish, take part in a modeling or pottery workshop. Creativity flows freely here, as a natural extension of the architecture.

And then, there is the cuisine. At La Table des Pères, the estate's Michelin-starred restaurant, Chef Jérôme Jouadé crafts menus from the garden's harvest, paying homage to the seasons and the land. In the dining room, bay windows let the garden in, while dishes surprise with their precision and inventiveness. Two other venues complement the offering, blending bistro cuisine with reimagined family recipes.

This hotel project, born of a personal dream, has become a destination in its own right within just a few years. Jean-Paul Legendre no longer wanted to build the rational. He chose instead to construct a manifesto hotel, both sculptural and inhabited, answering the desire to do things differently, to travel differently. A successful gamble, awarded several international prizes upon its opening, including recognition as the 3rd most unusual hotel in the world.

Staying at Essen'Ciel et Spa means accepting to let go. To let yourself be carried by the gentle strangeness of a place that effortlessly disconnects you. You can come here for a weekend as a couple, an artistic retreat, or simply a moment for yourself. You'll leave with more than just a memory: a state of mind, that of a place inviting you to do nothing but be present, suspended in the landscape, the moment, yourself.

✩ Open year-round✩

From 140 EUR
Rates 2026, from €140 per night for two people in the Nid Essence, unlimited access to the spa included.

Breakfast, €20 per person



.::. 3 nests .::.



⊱ 4 rooms Le Nid Essence (26m2, twin or double beds), for those who prefer to stay on the ground, from €140

⊱ Rooms Le Nid Sur Les Bois (26m2, twin or double beds), 5 meters high to embrace the sensation of freedom, from €150

⊱ Rooms Le Nid Azur (26m2, twin or double beds) to truly take flight between 5 and 15 meters in height, from €165



4-star hotel with room service, 24/7 reception, restaurant, room service.

300 m2 spa on the ground floor of the hotel: pool with balneotherapy, sauna, hammam, balneotherapy, two treatment and massage rooms (by reservation)

Wide choice of creative workshops (pottery, sculpture, floral art, lacto-fermentation, plant design, ...) to be found on the workshop offers

Note: All prices are provided for informational purposes only and must be confirmed directly with the establishment.
1h from Nantes and 3,5h from Paris