Facing the ramparts of Saint-Malo, Castelbrac overlooks the sea. On the cliffside, in perfect harmony with the landscape, the elegant establishment of today hides a baroque spirit and several metamorphoses. First born of the Belle Epoque and its "so british" seaside craze, it now invites you to recharge your batteries outside of time, in a magnificent listed site.
Castelbrac is a unique story. It began with two British families. The first were the Fabers, who played a leading role in the foundation of the seaside resort that Dinard became during the Belle Epoque. They had the villa built. Then came Colonel Lord Hamilton, hero of the Crimean War. He would have cried out when he saw the building for the first time: "Oh my God! What a bric-a-brac!
Charmed nevertheless, the soldier bought it and renamed the castle according to his first impression: "Villa Bric-à-Brac". As he undertook the work, ordering the addition of battlements, he gave the site a neo-medieval style, inspired by certain British castles.
In 1934, a new chapter was opened when the National Museum of Natural History acquired the building. Natural scientists moved in and from then on carried out important research. Among them was the famous Commandant Charcot.
In 1935, the Villa Bric-à-Brac was transformed into an aquarium. For decades, young and old alike marvelled at the spectacle of the marine specimens housed there, until the establishment was finally closed in 1992.
A native of the area and a lover of Dinard, Yann Bucaille, in turn, will perpetuate the history by buying, with his wife Lydwine, the Villa Bric-à-Brac and the Aquarium, in 2010. They restored the complex in strict accordance with its history and brought it back to life by opening a prestigious hotel in 2015*****.
Castelbrac now offers its guests an exceptional heritage and site.
