Dax, Aquitaine's leading spa and France's second largest, owes its reputation to its thermal mud, whose anti-rheumatic virtues have been attested to since Antiquity - the hot fountain, in the heart of the town, gushes out at 64°C. Le Splendid, built in 1928 and listed as a historic monument, embodies the spa ambitions of the interwar period: monumental Art Deco façade, period stained-glass windows, grandiose volumes. The reopening under the management of the Vacances Bleues group has preserved these elements while articulating them with a 1,800 m² spa - aqua-sensory course, salt grotto, hammam - built on Roman foundations. The 149-room establishment also features a bistronomic restaurant that relies on local producers: duck, trout, asparagus and Landes foie gras.
