Calais and beyond...
 

I have always received great advice from the forum and hope to get set in the right direction once again. We will be arriving in Calais by Eurostar via the Channel Tunnel early May. Our plans are to pick up a rental car there and continue on to the sights in Normandy. We have reservations made in Bayeux for the following 4 days but as we arrive at 3pm, and need to spend time picking up our vehicle, we would like to find a nice place that doesn't require a drive for that one night. We are early 70's and feel our day will be challenging enough without a drive to Bayeux.I was looking at an overnighter in Dieppe. That way we could start off the next day with a stop at Entretat on our way to Bayeux.That would also save us backtracking to visit there.Does Dieppe sound like a reasonable stopping point that day?...any alternate suggestions?...and any hotels to recommend? We are booked into Villa Lara in Bayeux so that has been addressed.
Thankyou

You might want to consider stopping overnight in Fécamp, on the Alabaster coast. It's a 2-1/2 hour drive. The next morning you can drive through Étretat on the way to Bayeux. You can spend your first night at someplace like Le Clos des Hautes Loges, 7 km from Etretat, or Le Grand Pavois, opposite the Port in Fécamp You can be there in time for dinner.

You might be interested in reading about the Haute Normandie in one of Maribel's newsletters: www.maribelsguides.com/Haute_Normandie.pdf

Thankyou 'Robert' I presume you feel Dieppe may not be an ideal locale or are you thinking this is a more convenient in terms of driving time for the following day?
Thankyou for the link.

Minx, you may like Arras, it has two enormous market squares with rebuilt (the town was much mucked about with during 1914-18) medievel buildings. There is an Ibis in the centre of town but also some more traditional hotels and B&Bs plus some fine dining. If you park in the square check out that there are no signs that tell you not to as the markets take up the parking spaces and in the morning you may find your car buried in a stall.

Fecamp is a pretty little place but I'd avoid Dieppe.

Fécamp is considered the beginning of the Alabaster coast, where Claude Monet and others painted the cliffs. Spending the night there will allow you to drive down the coast to Étretat before heading to Bayeux. If you could make Deauville it would be nice, but then you would miss the Alabaster coast.

In 2011 we stayed in a Gite for a week that was located between le Touquet Paris Plage and Boulogne sur Mer. Both of these cities are a lot closer to Calais than the others mentioned. Of the two, we preferred Le Touquet. There are lots of accommodations there - but I don't have any first-hand knowledge about them since we stayed in a Gite.

We enjoyed a scenic and leisurely drive along the Cote d'Opale - between Calais and Boulogne sur Mer.

We loved Arras with it's two beautifully-preserved town squares - but that might be a little out of the way for you.

We're not big fans of Deauville - we think the other resort towns in that area are have more interesting architecture (which is a "bid plus" for us).

We really enjoyed the Alabaster coast - which we actually visited from our gite in Normandy.

Closer to Fecamp, Veules les Roses is a charming small village and might be a good place to stay for the night if you are OK with driving that far from Calais. St Valery en Caux is also interesting. Here is a write up I did about this region that's part of my Normandy & Brittany itinerary. The stars** reflect the rating given to the site in the Michelin Green Guide. I have added a plus (+) or minus (-) if I think the site is better or worse than the Michelin rating. If you would like the entire itinerary, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach a copy to the reply e-mail. I've sent itineraries to over 5,000 people on Fodors.

.......then west to the pretty village of Veules les Roses*+. Look up VEULES LES ROSES in the GG. This is a very charming village on the coast. Pick up a walking itinerary at the tourist office & spend a couple of hours wandering around – you’ll love this village.

After Veules les Roses, head southwest along the coast. We stopped at several towns/sites along the way – but there wasn’t anything that I would recommend until you hit Etretat***- (see the GG). Don’t visit the town. First head up to the Falaise d’Amont** and admire the views. Then head into town, park the car wherever you can (difficult), and spend an hour so walking up to and around the Falaise d’Aval***. This is a fantastic spot with great views of the cliffs. There is a picture in the current GG.

Stu Dudley

>>(which is a "bid plus" for us)<<

big plus

Okay...after deciding on Fecamp and booking a hotel, my hubby has decided it's too far to drive when we arrive in Calais. He is looking at a stay in Ault...does anyone have any thoughts on this idea???

Staying in Ault will limit your hotel choices to one. I would look at Cayeux-sur-Mer, the Hotel Hidden Bay, or Le Chateau des Lumières in Saint-Blimont , where you can relax for the evening.