Normandy, Brittany & the Best of the North_ With Paris (Fodor's) - Fodor's [22]
Le Manoir du Butin.
$$$–$$$$ | An archetypal fin-de-siècle villa, this gorgeous half-timber, dormer-roof manor welcomes you with a pretty green-and-white facade in the Anglo-Norman style. Perched on top of a small wooded hill 200 yards from the sea, the hotel offers guest rooms with appetizing views, all traditionally and tastefully furnished, and with modern marble bathrooms. The room on the first floor has a four-poster bed and its own balcony. The atmospheric restaurant (closed Wednesday; no lunch Tuesday and Thursday) specializes in seasonal fish dishes such as a light lobster consommé and braised freshwater cod. Pros: exquisite decor; sea views; stylish bathrooms. Cons: away from town center; no elevator. | Phare du Butin | 14600 | 02–31–81–63–00 | www.hotel-lemanoir.fr | 10 rooms | In-room: no a/c. In-hotel: restaurant, Internet terminal, Wi-Fi hotspot, some pets allowed | AE, MC, V | Closed Dec.–mid-Feb. | MAP.
NIGHTLIFE AND THE ARTS IN HONFLEUR
The two-day Fête des Marins (Marine Festival) is held on Pentecost Sunday and Monday. On Sunday all the boats in the harbor are decked out in flags and paper roses, and a priest bestows his blessing at high tide. The next day, model boats and local children head a musical procession. There’s also a five-day Fête du Jazz (Jazz Festival) in August.
DEAUVILLE-TROUVILLE
16 km (10 mi) southwest of Honfleur via D513, 92 km (57 mi) west of Rouen.
Twin towns on the beach, divided only by the River Touques, Deauville and Trouville compete for the title of Most Extravagant Norman Town.
Getting Here and Around
Trains to Deauville-Trouville (the station is between the two towns) from Gare St-Lazare in Paris (2 hrs, €29) often require a change at Lisieux. There are also buses to Deauville from Le Havre (1 hr, €6); Honfleur (30 mins, €2); and Caen (75 mins, €5). Buses run every two hours or so and are operated by Bus Verts du Calvados (08–10–21–42–14 | www.busverts.fr).
Visitor Information
Deauville-Trouville Tourist Office. | Pl. de la Mairie | 14800 | 02–31–14–40–00 | www.deauville.org.
EXPLORING DEAUVILLE-TROUVILLE
Deauville and Trouville have distinctly different atmospheres, but it’s easy (and common) to shuttle between them. Trouville—whose beaches were immortalized in the 19th-century paintings of Eugène Boudin (and Gigi, Vincente Minnelli’s 1958 Oscar-winner)—is the oldest seaside resort in France. In the days of Louis-Philippe, it was discovered by artists and the upper crust; by the end of the Second Empire it was the beach à la mode. Then the Duc de Mornay, half brother of Napoléon III, and other aristocrats who were looking for something more exclusive, built their villas along the deserted beach across the Touques (more than a few of these were built simply as love-shacks for their mistresses).
Thus was launched Deauville, a vigorous grande dame who started kicking up her heels during the Second Empire, kept swinging through the Belle Époque, and is still frequented by a fair share of Rothschilds, princes, and movie stars. Few of them ever actually get in the water here, since other attractions—casino, theater, music hall, polo, galas, racecourses (some of the world’s most fabled horse farms are here), marina and regattas, palaces and gardens, and extravagant shops along the Rue Eugène-Colas—compete for their attention. Fashionable avenues like Rue des Villas and Place Morny also entice. But perhaps Deauville is known best for its Promenade des Planches—the boardwalk extending along the seafront and lined with deck chairs, bars, striped cabanas, and an array of lovely half-timber