Anthony

Glad to be of help to anyone interested in these places.

Lisa

Anthony,

Yes, I'm very interested! We are leaving for the same itinerary next week. Most interested in Bayeux and Honfleur: hotel and restaurant choices, must see towns (especially any on the Route Fromage), and anything else you'd like to share!

Also, any restaurant fav's or disappointments in Paris?

Thanks so much,

Lisa

John H

Heading to Bayeux in September. Curious as to any places for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also, where did u stay and how did u like it? Were u able to get a self-guided tour map for the D-Day beaches, and if so where? Finally, what other towns in Normandy did you visit that you would particularly recommend?

Thanks.

john

Anthony

Lisa,

In Bayeux we stayed at the Hotel Chateau Bellefontaine. It is on the fringe of Bayeux, in a rustic setting. Cows stare at you from behind the fence next door. Grounds are nicely landscpaed. For the $130/night cost well worth it. Rooms are large and sunny. The best meal we had was at the Lion d'Or. Also good was Le Petit Normand.

The highlight here is the D-Day beaches. The American Cemetery sits on a bluff right over Omaha Beach. This is a must. Also see Point du Hoc near by. See the D-Day film in Caen nearby of the invasion. Shown on a split screen, with no narration, it shows both sides getting ready and then the actual invasion.

We are not cheese eaters but I did enjoy the Calvados. Great way to end the day.

As to Paris we stayed in the Marais District. We do not eat in three star restaurants. The average bistro is fine. In the past we have eaten in Bonfinger, a seafood bistro near the Bastille, that is very good. This time we dined in the l'Orangerie on Ile St. Louis, an upscale gem.

For tea nad light lunch repast try Marige Freres in the Marais, 4e- a great place.

John,

We purchased Major Holt's guide. There are a number for sale at modest price in Bayeux. We also visited Honfleur, a nice fishing village. I would recommend the restaurant L'Absinthe-excellent. Lot of nice little bistros. Huge crowds when we were there two weeks ago for Pentecost holiday. The all wooden, 15th century church, St. Catherine's, is well worth a look.

As I noted above, the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach is not to be missed. If you can, see the Caen film first. We will never forget this part of our trip.

Good luck!

Lisa

Anthony,

Exactly what I was looking for! We will be staying at the Bellefontaine too, so it was great to get your recommendation. Ditto on the restaurants rec's. Going straight into my file.

Since you did not mention a hotel in Honfleur, I am assuming you stayed in Bayeux the entire Normandy trip? If so, how long does it take to drive from Bayeux to Honfleur? I have good maps, but it's not the same as hearing an actual report.

Thanks again,

Lisa

Elsa

Lisa - We just got back a couple of weeks ago also. Our hotel in Honfleur was the L'Ecrin. I can only speak for our room, but after 2 nights I was glad to move on. It was not in the main house, but rather in an adjacent dwelling. The walls were painted a fushcia color, the ceiling was low (and also painted fushia), and the head board was covered in the same matching fabric as the drapes. That might be nice in your own home, but not in a bedroom where greasy heads rest up against the headboard - if you get my drift. However, the location is very convenient to the town (maybe an easy 5 minute walk) and the staff are very nice. We also ate at L'Absinthe and found it to be excellent! There was another restaurant we ate at that was connected w/a big hotel in town (rec. by the guy at L'Ecrin) and the food was ok, but ALL the wait staff hurried around like they were trying to get out of a burning building. We've never seen anything like it. As diners, we felt exhausted by the time we left. By the way, the place was not even 1/2 full and there were enough wait people to handle us w/o rushing around so.

Lisa

Elsa,

We are staying at L'Ecrin as well! I will have to watch out for the fuschia room!

And that's two rec's for L'Absinthe (along with others from earlier posts). That's good enough for me.

Thanks for the info. It will be put to good use.

Lisa

Judy

I stayed at L'absinthe for 2 nights in March,truly enjoyed it. They have 2 restaurants, the informal one (around the corner of the hotel) is quite good too and much cheaper.

StCirq

Just another plug for the Bellefontaine in Bayeux. We very much enjoyed our stay there and thought the place was a good bargain.

Lee

We will be in Bayeux in Oct. as part of a 18 day trip. We're staying Chateau Bellefontaine thanks to the comments on this board.
Is it advisable to SPEND A DAY in Honfleur or would it be too much of a rush? What is the DRIVING TIME between Bayeux & Honfleur? The traffic shouldn't be bad at all the end of October--I would think.
One day we plan to see the tapistry in Bayeux & the museum in Caen & the next day hope to find a full day tour of the battle sites, etc.
Yes,I know we could do that day on our own, but given the amount of driving we're going to do & out age, I thought this would be a good idea.
Any thoughts on the above?
If there's any left over time, what other towns near by do you recommend. Has anyone done any of the 'CHEESE towns?
Thanks , as always.

Anthony

The driving time between Bayeux and Honfleur is about an hour, mostly on A-13. Once you get off A-13 roads are narrow particularly on D513 that runs parallel to the coast. I regretted the big car that I rented.

We stayed at the Cheval Blanc in Honfleur. Nice location, polite staff but kind of pricey. We were there on Pentecost weekend and it seemed half of France was also in town. There are boat cruises, etc. We did not explore other villages but I sure there are a lot of nice little places nearby.

From Honfleur it is about three hours to Paris.

Lisa

Anthony,

Thanks for the driving times! Exactly what I wanted to know. That makes our planning easier.

Lisa

Jeanne

I will be in Paris at the end of October and was thinking of taking the train to Bayeux for 2 or 3 days. I could take in the tapestry and D Day memorials in Bayeux. Do you know if there is a bus or train to Honfleur (probably via Caen)? Any thoughts on this?

John H.

Anthony,

Thanks for your information. Quick follow-up:

1) Can you describe roughly the cost of the meals at Lion d'Or and Le Petit Normand and what they included? (Was this for lunch or dinner? Did u order a la carte or prix fixe menu? Did it include a bottle of wime?) Also, is Le Petit Normand right in Bayeux?

2) Similarly, can you highlight rough meal cost at L'Absinthe and whether you ate in the formal or informal restaurant? And, are reservations suggested? (We are 6 traveling in September).

Many thanks.

John H.

Lee

Still would like to find out about driving to Honfleur from Bayeux.
We'll be in Bayeux in Oct. for 4 nights, which really only gives us 3 1/2 days. Do you think that taking up a full day to spend in Honfleur is too much or should we see some of the cheese towns instead? We want to see the tapistry of course & the Caen Museum & I'm leaning toward a 1/2 or full day regular tour of the WWll sites as we're interested in history & would like to get the extra information. We don't like to 'run around' too much , hence my Honfleur question.
Before Bayeux we're doing a night each at Giverny & Rouen, when we leave Bayeux will spend most of the day at MSM on our way to Dinan for 4 nights & then 3 nights in Quimper before dropping of the car & going on to Paris.
Would like some feedback.

Ttt

TTT

Leslie

Anthony,
My husband and I are going to Normandy next month. We are staying at the Chateau de Sully outside Bayeux. We were also thinking of staying at the Mercure Cabourg Grand Hotel. Can you tell me anything about these two hotels?
Thank you. Leslie

Judy

If I may answer some of the questions above:

The are frequent buses from Caen to Honfleur during weekdays.

I have tried the fixed menu at L'absinthe,the best one 48(?) euro with 5 courese including lobster,very good value, At the informal bistro, lunch menu (3 courses from 12 Euro) O.K., dinner menu (around 25 euro) came with mini seafood platter as starter was really good.

Anthony

To answer the various questions as best I can:

-John, Cost of dinner at the Lion D'Or for two about 120 euros including a separate bottle of wine. We ordered from te prix fixe menu. This is an excellent restaurant. Le Petit Normand costs some what less and is located right in Bayeux, near the Cathedral. Friendly service.

-L'Absinthe in Honfleur costs about 100 euros for two from prix fixe including a separate bottle of wine. The first night we could not get reservations for the formal (inside) restaurant but got a table for the outside (informal) by getting there at the opening, seven p.m. There are no reservations for this part of the restaurant. We have only been there in May. Reservations not a bad idea. This is a quality restaurant--service is professional and friendly. The maitre d' who slightly resembles Tony Randall is a Paris-trained waiter and he is excellent.
-Lee, Honfleur is a pretty little village. Its market is Saturday morning. It is an hour's driving from Bayeux. See the all-wood Cathedral. Dine at L'Absinthe--make reservations.
-Do see the Caen film and the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach while in that area.
-Leslie, Passed the two hotels you noted. Can not comment upon them.