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Please help me show my picky in-laws a wonderful time in Normandy!

Please help me show my picky in-laws a wonderful time in Normandy!

Old Apr 10th, 2006, 08:20 AM
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LG - I honestly don't remember. he picked us up in his minivan from our hotel and we spent a full day - first stop was his home and the 'map room' where he gave a lot of background info and had a cup of tea. Then out the remainder of the day with a stop for lunch. we got to the American Cemetery just as they were closing so he offered to come back the next day again for no additional charge! I would venture that it was about $300e for the day (plus the half day) for 4 of us. Not a low price but worth every penny! We saw the German, British and American cemeteries, Pointe du Hoc, Longues Battery, Omaha Beach, Mulberry harbor, etc. on the "American version". We arrived at the American Cemetery as it opened in the morning with the haze and dew still there. Breath taking and beyond moving... my dad and uncles fought in WW2 so it holds very special memories for me. When we visited Omaha beach, I told him that it sort of bothered me to see kids running, dogs catching frisbees etc on a place that I think of as almost holy ground. His response was...Madam, it is due to those sacrifices that we can have children playing here today. I still get tears in my eyes when I think of it. There is a plaque overlooking one area of the beach that has not been changed since 1944 - gives you an idea of exactly what the GI's faced. We also took our then 13 and 15 year olds out at dawn and had them run from the water's edge up the beach and to the dunes. WOW!!!!
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Old Apr 10th, 2006, 01:57 PM
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In Honfleur, lunch or dinner at l'Absinthe might well please, but be sure to check their closing day(s)and of course reserve ahead. In addition to the Ferme St. Simeon, you might want to check out the better-located Maison de Lucie.
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Old Apr 10th, 2006, 02:59 PM
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I'm in the minority here, but Honfleur didn't do a thing for us. I was disappointed because I'd heard it so highly recommended.
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Old Apr 10th, 2006, 04:10 PM
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Julies,

I'm at the other end of the spectrum. First visited Honfleur two decades ago and never really left it in spirit. We have a part-time home there. It's differences that make the world go round.
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Old Apr 10th, 2006, 06:54 PM
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If your FIL is a history buff and your MIL loves the "finest" things, I would stay two nights at the Château de Sully and skip the visit to Mont St. Michel.

Two days is hardly enough to see all there is to see of the Battle of Normandy sites, certainly if you include half a day at the Caen Memorial (which you should).

The accommodation on the Mont is not luxurious, and although an overnight stay can be magical after the hordes have left, it may not be to your MIL's standards.

So I would recommend that you spend Wednesday night at Honfleur, Thursday and Friday at the Château de Sully, and then Saturday night at somewhere between Bayeux and Brussels. One place you might consider is the Château de Montreuil in Montreuil, althought there are many others. (Montreuil is not too far from Agincourt if your FIL is interested in seeing that site). Look in Karen Brown's guides or the Relais et Châteaux website for some ideas.
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Old Apr 10th, 2006, 10:59 PM
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Very good advice re. Mont St. Michel.
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Old Apr 11th, 2006, 03:31 AM
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If your father-in-law is a real history buff, he knows what he wants to see. You should not make his plans. Get the old D Day Map, some of the tour people and ask him how he would like to do it. I have done it all and that is what I would prefer..to do it my way!!

You make the arrangements for a nice place to stay... Sully or Audrieu are both good spots.....
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Old Apr 11th, 2006, 03:07 PM
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You already have a lot of recommendations, but here is my two centimes. We have friends in Normandie and always stay with them. To thanks them for their hospitality we take them for diner and a night at a chateau near Bayeux.

Here is the link for the Chateau de Goville.

http://www.chateaugoville.com/index_fr.html
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Old Apr 11th, 2006, 04:42 PM
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I've been researching hotels in Normandy for an upcoming trip. Chateau de Sully looks great and gets good reviews. LuckyLuc, thank you for mentioning the Chateau Gonville - it looks lovely, and so reasonable.

JulieV, please do a trip report after your Normandy trip - I love your reports!
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Old Apr 11th, 2006, 04:52 PM
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Can someone point me towards a hotel on the opposite end of the "finest things" for my two sons and me? I've been following posts and holding back making ressies, but I think Bayeux will be just what we need for 3 days.
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Old Apr 11th, 2006, 11:29 PM
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Crepes,

This is "book learning" rather than experience, but I think the Hotel d'Argouges at 21 rue St-Patrice may do it. An 18th-century hotel particulier in the center of town - calm, at the back of a paved courtyard, doubles 65 to 95 euros (2004 prices). You can check it out on TripAdvisor.
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Old Apr 12th, 2006, 08:27 PM
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To LGBooker & Crepes,
Have been to Normandie twice and agree with those who recommend basing near Bayeux. Lovely town and easy driving to many sites including MSM.

The Memorial Peace Museum in Caen is a must, also the D-Day museum in Bayeux. Arromanches offers views of the Mulberry Harbor as well as a well-done film in the round.
For a reasonably priced hotel in Bayeux I can recommend the Churchill, clean, good staff, nice bathrooms. Could not get a room at the Hotel d'Argouges where a friend stayed.
Love the cathedral in Bayeux as well. I could easily spend a week in this part of France.

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Old Apr 12th, 2006, 09:40 PM
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A couple of years ago we stopped at the small city of Villedieu-les-Poeles on the way to Le Mont St. Michel. It is where much of the copper cookware comes from in France and is definitely worth a visit, even just to see all of the shops with gleaming copper pots hanging outside. We spent about two hours just strolling the shopping district, but you could spend less and still have lots of time for the Mont. We also found that most of the shops had a small area with factory-seconds, and we were able to pick up several beautiful items with tiny flaws at great savings.

http://www.ot-villedieu.fr/accueil_gb.jsp

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Old Apr 12th, 2006, 09:52 PM
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In reading over the posts again I just saw that you are thinking about not going to Mont St. Michel afterall. We spent five days in the Normandy area (camping, so I can't recommend a hotel too) but we all agreed that MSM was a highlight of the trip. We did it, the City of Copper, and a lovely drive through the countyside with stops for cider and cheese sampling all it one day and still made it back to the campground near Bayeaux before dark. I'm somewhat of a history buff too and we felt that the day added so much to our perspective of the area.

Have a great time, and maybe I can pick your brain about Brussels and area sometime. We are newly arrived back in Wiesbaden and want to spend more time in Belgium this time.
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Old Apr 13th, 2006, 08:57 PM
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You are nuts if you visit Normandy and don't go to Mont St. Michel! It is truly one of the most amazing places I've seen. Venture out during the day and stay the night to avoid the crowds--I promise you won't be sorry. Sure the D-Day beaches are neat to see, but they pale in comparison. I do highly recommend the American Cemetary and Bayeaux though. In MSM we stayed at www.auberge-saint-pierre.fr it was nice, but I'm not sure if up to your MIL's standards.
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Old Apr 14th, 2006, 03:12 AM
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There is no doubt that Mont St Michel is a wonderful sight to see, and that it is best visited by an overnight stay.

However, it seems to me that this is not the point here. The OP is planning a short trip to Normandy, driving from Brussels, with in-laws who are (1) interested in the D-Day beaches, and (2) a lover of the "finest things".

My advice was, and remains, to skip MSM on this trip. as there is hardly enough time to do justice to the historical sites, and the accommodation on the Mont is hardly luxurious.

As the OP lives in Brussels, there will be plenty of occasions to enjoy MSM later, sans in-laws.
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Old Apr 14th, 2006, 05:16 AM
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Like the other posters above, I strongly suggest that you take your father-in-law to the Peace Museum in Caen. It is excellent. Even though he is a history buff, he may not have heard of it.
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Old Apr 14th, 2006, 06:12 AM
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I haven't got to this area myself, but I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Bayeux Tapestry...now THAT's what ladies who had access to the finest things DID in the 11th & 12th centuries...isn't it?
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Old Apr 14th, 2006, 06:51 AM
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LG Booker

As well as the Château de Sully, you might want to consider the Château d'Audrieu, a luxurious château-hotel between Bayeux and Caen. Here's their website:

http://www.chateaudaudrieu.com/uk/navigation.htm

For your history buff father-in-law, the Château has recent historic interest as a site where the 12th SS Division (the Hitlerjugend Division) murdered a number of Canadian and British prisoners of war. Although the hotel does not publicise it, there is a commemorative plaque to their memory on the grounds.

For interest, here's the story:

http://tinyurl.com/p9fud
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Old Apr 14th, 2006, 01:13 PM
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My husband did not like the idea of skipping MSM...he really wants to see it at night. So we'll be spending one evening there after all...I think at Relais? After all, it's our trip too Does anyone know of a great restaurant there with a nice view of MSM?

We are allowing two days for D-day beaches and the museum in Caen and a one day in Honfluer.

Thanks again for all the great info!
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