Normandy, Brittany & the Best of the North_ With Paris (Fodor's) - Fodor's [23]
Trouville—a short drive or five-minute boat trip across the Touques River from its more prestigious neighbor—remains more of a family resort, harboring few pretensions. If you’d like to see a typical French holiday spot rather than look for glamour, stay in Trouville. It, too, has a casino and boardwalk, an aquarium and bustling fishing port, a lively Sunday morning market, plus a native population that makes it a livelier spot out of season than Deauville.
WHERE TO EAT AND STAY IN DEAUVILLE-TROUVILLE
Fodor’s Choice | L’Essentiel.
$$–$$$ | FRENCH | A nice change from the grand, overly formal hotel dining rooms that dominate Deauville, the relaxed atmosphere and sensational cuisine at this contemporary eatery have made extremely popular. Chef Charles Thuillant, whose pedigree includes stints at two top Paris restaurants, focuses on a lighter, Asian-inspired cuisine, with Italian influences. Brimming with fresh, seasonal ingredients, the menu changes almost weekly. Dishes like lightly cooked salmon with paper-thin slices of green mango and a hint of lemon and pumpkin ravioli in a creamy parmesan broth bring this talented chef’s mastery to the forefront. A capacious terrace, a choice selection of excellent wines by the glass, and a €18 midday prix-fixe menu on weekdays make this the perfect place to linger. | 29–31 rue Mirabeau | 14800 | 02–31–87–22–11 | www.lessentieldeauville.com | AE, MC, V | Closed Mon. and Tues.
81 L’Hôtel.
$$$–$$$$ | Reopened in 2007 after an extensive renovation, this compact boutique hotel pours on the gloss. Happily, the nicer original features of the 1906 mansion remain—parquet floors, magnificent fireplace, stained glass windows, impossibly high ceilings—while the usual postmodern touches (faux crocodile chairs, silver furniture, shrouded chandeliers, ersatz-Baroque beds) were added. Although on a main road, 81 is set back enough so that the guest rooms are quiet. The top-floor suite, No. 132, offers a nice view of the famous racetrack and others sport a terrace. Eight beautifully appointed and spacious studios next door feel like you’ve snagged your very own designer apartment. Pros: catering facilities available for take-out meals; easy parking. Cons: a bit of a walk to beach. | 81 av. de la République | 14800 | 02–31–14–01–50 | www.81lhotel.com | 21 rooms | In-room: a/c, Wi-Fi. In-hotel: parking (free) | AE, MC, V | BP.
Continental.
¢–$ | Vintage daguerrotypes prove that this is one of Deauville’s oldest establisments (opened 1866) and its once-picturesque building—shoehorned into a triangle plot and topped with an elegant mansard roof—was painted by Eugène Boudin himself. The famed Impressionist wouldn’t appreciate the modern signs that now blemish the exterior, but inside renovations have created an inviting hotel: flowering plants, comfy new chairs, and snug but tranquil guest rooms make this a good bet, especially because it’s close to the train station yet within easy walking distance of the town center. In pricey Deauville, this is a real find. Pros: cheap; handy for train station. Cons: far from the beach; lacks character. | 1 rue Désiré-Le-Hoc | 14800 | 02–31–88–21–06 | www.hotel-continental-deauville.com | 42 rooms | In-room: no a/c, Wi-Fi. In-hotel: bar | AE, DC, MC, V | Closed mid-Nov.–mid-Dec.
Fodor’s Choice | Normandy-Barrière.
$$$–$$$$ | With a facade that is a riot of pastel-green timbering, checkerboard walls, and Anglo-Norman balconies, the Normandy has been one of the town’s landmarks since it opened in 1912. From the beginning it attracted well-heeled Parisians (many of whom appreciated the underground passage to the casino), but it has kept them coming as its grand salons have been transformed by Jacques Garcia—France’s self-styled chicest and most aristo decorator—and now overflow with needlepointed sofas, fin-de-siècle chandeliers, and opulent silks. The