I am doing my research in TripAdvisor and other places, but am wondering if there are folks here who would be willing to offer sugestions based on first-hand experiences.

We have rooms in London and Paris, but need five nights in the Normandy area, thinking Bayeux or Caen. However, I might not be aware of other places to investigate, as my knowledge of the region is limited, though growing by leaps and bounds every day! I would like for it to be nice enough (clean bathroom en suite, enough room to move about, better than absolutely shabby), but certainly do enjoy the charm and pleasures of being a guest in another culture (especially in France). We stay in three stars most of the time, as that reduces the possibilities of disappointment or complications, we feel. D'Argouges in Bayeaux has room only in the building in the garden, not the main house. Does anyone have experience with that? Many thanks in advance.

Are you looking only at Bayeux and Caen? If not, I highly recommend La Chaîne d'Or in Les Andelys. The village is charming and the hotel/restaurant just what you'd want from a country inn. It's set on the banks of the Seine, and some of the rooms' windows look out on the river.

High above the village are the ruins of a château built on the orders of Richard Coeur de Lion. Nearby are several abbeys and interesting villages to explore.

Les Andelys is about a two-hour drive from Charles de Gaulle airport. Rouen is about another hour or so, depending on whether you get lost coming into the town. We certainly did.

We just got back from 8 days in Normandy- we spent 2 nights at a wonderful country inn about 10 minutes outside Bayeux in a little village called Crepon- I would stay there again, for sure- Ferme de la Ranconniere- it's one of those old fortified farms- all stone buildings very atmospheric- rooms were cosy and comfortable and not too small- super clean- good beds. They include not only breakfast but dinner- the restaurant is very good- this was nice, since after a long day of siteseeing it was great to have dinner at the hotel, while still feeling that the meal was special. All three generations of our family loved this place- they have a website- give it a google and see if it appeals to you.

Since my next destination to France will be Normandy, I'm interested in this thread. And the Ferme de la Ranconniere really looks lovely (I just got on their website). I, too, want to stay in or near Bayeux for a few days, (besides going to Honfleur, Rouen, etc.) I love places like that in the countryside, where you can also eat dinner. The rooms on the website looked beautiful. And Underhill, I'm also interested in La Chaine d'Or. I have your great itinerary, which will be a great help in my planning!

hi Sue- we loved Normandy- my husband's ancestors are from there- we travelled around quite a bit-
the rooms on the website for Ferme de la R. are naturally their most photogenic- ours were not quite so swanky but very cute and comfy- and the price was great with the inclusion of dinner.
If you like true country elegance- check out the Chateau de Bouceel- mon dieu! It's in a little town called Pontorson just on the mainland from Mont-St-Michel. Just fab- but breakfast only. No restaurant- just luxurious gorgeousness.

We stayed at Châteaux de Sully Route de Port en Bessin several years ago. It was very nice and elegant right outside Bayeux. try this link:
www.chateauxhotels.com
Bayeux is very small and you may tire of it in 5 nights. Normandy is amazing.

Bayeux may be small....but not that small. If the purpose of the Normandy visit isto see the historic Normandy of WWII nothing could be more convenient.Any town larger would be out of the way. If Caen is larger it is also quite DULL in comparison.
As for the Hotel D'Argouges the extension accommodations are newer so I don't imagine it should be a problem.

Are you driving? If you are driving, definitely consider Deauville and Trouville, seaside, charming towns in the Normandy Region.

we loved Trouville, too- just spent an afternoon there but my husband and I both were taken with it- that's somewhere I would definitely like to stay for a few days.

Another vote for Bayeux and the hotel d'Argouges!

La Chaine d'Or is a lovely country inn, as Underhill says, but if D Day beaches, etc., are on your agenda, it is too far away to use as a base for those sites. I can see staying there for a night or two when exploring that part of Normandy.

Some restaurant recommendations:

Bayeux: Le Petit Bistro
Honfleur: Le Bouillon Normand
Beuvron-en-Auge: Le Pave en Auge, a charmingly appointed restaurant with good food
Caen: Le Bouchon de Vaugueux, at 12 rue de Grandorge-fun little place, very crowded, but with excellent bistro food.

Definitely don't stay in Caen - it's big and relatively unattractive. Bayuex, IMO, makes a perfect base for seeing the main sites of Normandy.

I don't know anything about the rooms at the Hotel d'Argouges in the building in the garden, but for what it's worth we loved our stay at the Château de la Bellefontaine right on the outskirts of town.

Caen isn't a place I'd want to stay in, but there are some things there of considerable interest--such as the Abbaye-aux-Hommes and the Abbaye-aux- Dames. The latter has an exquisite church, the Eglise de la Trinité, dating from the 11th century.

Also in Caen are a number of good museums and the Mémorial.

We stayed at La Ferme de la Ranconniere a couple of years ago. Very nice, and especially convenient to the Arromanche landing beach and museum. They have rooms at the farm itself and others down the road. We preferred the former, as closer to their restuarant. We had one of the more expensive rooms. Plenty of space. The furnishings were antique, a bit heavy but not overhelmingly so. A very pleasant greeting on arrival, but otherwise the service wasn't much noticeable, the desk often not staffed, for example -- which is always fine with us. The feeling was more of being a guest at a friend's country estate, with the run of the place. The restaurant is a large plus, since the inn is in the countryside. As I recall, the food was traditional and hearty. You are likely to have more memorable meals in Normandy, but it was good. And the whole package very reasonably priced.

You have ample time to do more in Normandy than visit the battle sites. Our favorite town in Normandy is Honfleur, preferably in mid-week, unless you are going in the early spring or late autunm, and our favorite lodging there, aside from our home, is the Cour St. Catherine, a lovely bed and breakfast inn in the historic district: giaglis.com

Here's another vote for Chateau du Sully outside of Bayeux. My husband and I stayed there in 2001 for a Normandy visit and enjoyed it so much that we had my parents stay there this June. My parents were delighted with the choice, thought the rooms were lovely and the food very good.

Have a great trip!

Mamafish, We had a wonderful trip to Normandy in 2004 and stayed at the hotel d'Argouges. We had a room in the garden which I definitely did not like! It had no charm, was furnished like a motel, and smelled of lysol all the time. I think the rooms in the main house are much nicer and have some charm. The location is convenient and parking on site is a plus but I wouldn't stay in the annex (garden is a misnomer). I would suggest staying somewhere outside of Bayeux (Chateau du Sully looked very nice). The area near the American beaches is much more attractive than further along by the British landing areas. There are many farmhouse inns and chateaux hotels that are close to WWII sites. We took a WWII sites tour with a delightful Dutchman. he and his wife run a Band B in their chateau which looks great. Can't remember the name of his company but check it out on the internet and look for a dutch name.
Caen has a great WW II museum you shouldn't miss but was largely destroyed and rebuilt after the war and so is less attractive. I second the recommendation of Le Pave du Auge in Bevron=sur-Auge. It is a michelin starred restaurant but very relaxed and friendly. The town itself is the classic Normandy village. Enjoy your trip!

Peggy

Do you mean the Caen Peace Memorial museum? Although it is "modern", it is quite attractive and very well done.

Also, I don't think Le Pave en Auge has a Michelin star; I had lunch there in May and remember no mention of that, nor is it on their website. It is a lovely restaurant in Beuvron-en-Auge.

One reason I liked staying in Bayeux was that we could walk lots of places and not have to drive everywhere.

mamafish, about 5 years ago we stayed at the Argouges in the rooms across the garden (parking lot), I remember the room was fine, very quiet as they faced the courtyard. As I remember breakfast was brought to our room each morning. The location was perfect for our days exploring the area. Have a great trip. Deborah