You may be interested in my Normandy and Brittany phototravelogues:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-p4ospj

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-24d4pe

Stu, of course you're right. And, of course sometimes two different rooms in one hotel could be incredibly different.

Hi,
I agree that not everyone is satisfied with every place they stay. However, with the exception of one person, the reviews were pretty poor or average, especially siting that the rooms, for the price, were really tired. I will be interested in other people's reviews.
jjashworth

I too sympathize with you about the poor state of the dollar. We've been to both Normandy and Brittany, and I have to say Brittany is our favorite.

To save money, try to locate yourselves a bit off the ususl tourist path; you'll see savings in spades. The advice about renting a gite is the best you will get as far as money savings. and, you can often do a rental of less than a week if it is not high season. We have frequently found owners who will rent to us for 4 or 5 nights. With a car you can base yourself strategically for day trips. We love the French markets and charcuteries that have prepared food for picnicing or reheating back at your gite.

I'm bookmarking this for Stu's great itinerary - to print out later - for my June trip to Brittany.
Can't wait!

If you need a place to stay in Giverny (instead of Chain d'Or in Les Andelys), I would recommend a B&B, Le Clos Fleuri. http://giverny.org/hotels/fouche/ The rooms are apart from the main house, and each has its own terrace overlooking the gardens. It is within walking distance of Monet's gardens. We drove from CDG and spent our first night here. It was very relaxing and helped us relax after the long flight.