JulieVikmanis

I am planning a 14 night trip to Normandy and Brittany that I want to split among 4 bases, spending 3 or 4 nights in each. We love seaside villages but want to be somewhere where there is enough going on that we can amuse ourselves for 3 or 4 nights without repetition.

First stop will be Clos Normand in St. Aubin sur Mer on the coast above Caen, probably 4 nights. It's very small but we stayed on a previous trip and DH loved it. We know what to expect here.

Second stop will be St. Malo. It might be a bit crowded. (We'll be going in July or August) but I like the buzz and there's plenty of seaside everything. I'm looking at Alba, Alexandra, Beaufort and Oceania there. Anyone have personal experience to offer to help me decide?

Third stop will be Concarneau. I took one look at the website for Les Sables Blancs hotel there and decided I wanted to stay there.

Fourth stop (before a one night probably to get back to Paris for a flight out) will be in the Morbihan area. Here again, I have seen a hotel on the web and pix of its harbor and town that look terrific-Petit Hotel des Hortensias in La Trinite sur Mer, big time yacht harbor, apparently. The place only has 6 rooms but it looks utterly charming. It's a long shot but if anyone has stayed there and can give me a first hand report, I'd really appreciate it. Also interested in Le Galet and Le Lodge Karisper there--and especially in the town. Is it cute harbor and nothing more? Or will I find enough charm overall to hold our attention for 3 days (following daily day trips, of course)? Or should I go for the much larger town of Vannes where I've been looking at Le Roof hotel there.

I would appreciate any feedback on the hotels I've listed (or others in the same locales) and some assessment in particular of the relative merits of La Trinite sur Mer vs. Vannes.

Thanks for any guidance you can provide.

StCirq

It's been a few years, but we absolutely loved Vannes. On the other hand, I never could warm up to St-Malo (though I know others rave about it).

We found the interior of Brittany to be fascinating.

jamikins

Hi Julie,

Check out our trip report on Brittany...we were there for a week

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...ikins+brittany

We stayed 1 night in Dinard (which we much preferred to St Malo...St Malo was destroyed in the war and rebuilt to look like it did originally..which was done VERY well...but we just didnt fall in love with it!

We then moved to Mont St Michel, where we stayed ovenight...which I highly recommend. We arrived at 3pm and it was SOOO busy, even in May, that we could barely walk up the one road to our hotel! But after 7pm it totally cleared up...and in the morning we got up early and were alone in St Michel!!!

Then we moved to Dinan...which we loved. In hindsight we would have stayed here for like 4 nights and done day trips.

Then we moved to St Caradec in the interior which was nice, and we visited Rennes and the Pink Granite coast and did cooking lessons.

Then finally 2 nights in Vannes, which was great.

Good luck, there is so much to see!

J

JulieVikmanis

Thanks to both of you. I'm counting this as two votes for Vannes (and I do intend to do day trips to the interior, have always wanted to see Josselin and I'm sure as I do more reading I'll find lots more) and two votes pretty much against St. Malo. We have been there and I liked it but I can see drawbacks to actually staying and basing there. I'll explore Dinard and Dinan--even if it's not on the sea.

Do either of you recall Le Roof in Vannes. I think it's a drive from town. Do you recall parking being plentiful or at least possible in town?

We're going to detour past Mt. St. Michel. We've been there a couple of times, staying on the Mont the last time. IMO, it's a place that tourism has spoiled and they haven't found a way to deal with it yet. I think timed entry may be the only answer long term,

Jamikins, thanks for the link. I remember reading your report. Now I'll reread it with even greater interest--and look at all the pix.

Thanks for your help and opinions. I value them.

stfc

Put me down for Vannes as well. The Gulf of Morbihan is attractive too.

jamikins

Hi Julie,

I agree with mont st michel...if you've already been no need to stop.

We had no problem parking in Vannes. We did have a car.

Enjoy the research and the trip...it is a lovely area!

SuQue

Jamikins:The cooking class in St. Caradec sounded wonderful.

StCirq

Wow! I've never heard of anyone mentioning St-Caradec before. We rented a cottage there for a week, and it was delightful.

SuQue

Jamikins: We really want to go to BRittany. What is the name of the BnB wher eyou took cooking classes. Sounds great.

Underhill

Vannes is very nice, and I agree with StCirq about the interior of Brittany: beautiful and interesting. We also did not like St-Malo--Dinard is better, with its Victorian structures--but Dinan is a fine example of original architecture well preserved.

jamikins

H SuQue...here is the website of our B&B

http://www.beautifulbrittany.com/en/index.html

JulieVikmanis

OMG, I just realized that I've been confusing St. Malo with La Rochelle. And I'm actually another person who doesn't see the charm in St. Malo (though I do like La Rochelle.) So for sure, I'll be looking to Dinan in that area as a base. Thanks for waking me up.

iris1745

Hi Julie; A little web site on Josselin, a town we loved. chateaujosselin.com When in Concarneau, Quimper is another great place to visit. INFO on Mont St. Michel. The French hope to solve the 'decay' problem at Mont St. Michel [tourists and silting]. The silting is caused by the dam built decades ago when the causeway was constructed. A new dam with better water flow is almost complete. Then the causewway and the old dam will be dismantled. A walkway will be constructed that will allow the water to flow underneath and reduce most of the silting that has accurred. This walkway will be almost a half mile away and will allow walking and a small type shuttle bus. The parking will then be at the outer edge of the salt marsh grass. The French hope that this will help to keep tourists below the 3 million currently visiting. Project is slated to be complete in 2015. ENJOY Iris

JulieVikmanis

Thanks, Iris. I've wanted to see that chateau ever since I read an article with a picture of it in Gourmet magazine a good 15 or 20 years ago. I had no idea that it had such extensive gardens. What a bonus. This time we get there for sure.