Ways to say it
| French | Note |
|---|---|
| lieu de vacances | masculine |
| resort | masculine |
In French, the term for a relaxing environment for people on vacation depends on the specific type of location you are describing. While lieu de vacances is the general term for a vacation spot, you might use station balnéaire for a seaside resort or station de ski for a ski resort. For a recreational resort, use domaine de loisirs. If the resort is a place that offers various recreational activities and often follows an all-inclusive holiday concept, it is called a club de vacances.
Which one should you use?
lieu de vacances is the standard, natural way to refer to a vacation spot in French. In contrast, resort is an anglicism used specifically in French to refer to high-end, luxury hotel complexes with many amenities. For locations that resemble small villages, the term village de vacances is used.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
If you wish to be formal, you can use complexe hôtelier to mean a resort. To specifically refer to a resort hotel, the formal term is hôtel de villégiature.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Both lieu de vacances and resort are masculine nouns.
Did you know?
- The adjective balnéaire in station balnéaire comes from the Latin word for 'bath', referring to the therapeutic tradition of sea bathing.
- The term station in station balnéaire and station de ski does not mean a train stop, but rather a center for a specific activity.
- The formal word villégiature describes the act of staying in the countryside for a season, reflecting an old tradition of escaping city heat.
Examples in context
- Vous avez déjà séjourné dans un hôtel de villégiature ?Have you ever stayed in a resort hotel?
- Ce complexe hôtelier propose des activités pour toute la famille.This resort offers activities for the entire family.
- On va passer nos vacances dans une charmante station balnéaire.We will spend our vacation in a lovely seaside resort.
- On se retrouve au centre de vacances pour profiter du soleil.Let's meet at the resort to enjoy the sun.
- J'ai réservé une semaine dans un village de vacances près de la mer.I booked a week at a vacation village near the sea.
- Ce domaine de loisirs possède un parcours de golf de renommée internationale.This recreational resort has a world-renowned golf course.
- C'est un lieu de vacances magnifique.It is a magnificent holiday resort.
- Nous cherchons un lieu de vacances calme.We are looking for a quiet holiday resort.
- Ce lieu de vacances est très célèbre.This holiday resort is very famous.
Example conversation
Hugo and Lea are planning their summer trip.
- HugoTu veux aller dans quel lieu de vacances ?Which resort do you want to go to?
- LéaJe préfère un lieu de vacances au bord de la mer.I prefer a resort by the seaside.
- HugoLéa, j'ai trouvé un endroit parfait pour nous.Lea, I found a perfect place for us.
- LéaSuper, montre-moi les photos !Great, show me the photos!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “resort” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
