4 Best Hotels in Normandy, France

This inn is a popular spot due to the fact that it’s in a half-timber 15th-century building adjacent to the ramparts and has its own garden restaurant (half-board rates are available). The adjoining Croix Blanche has another nine rooms and dining patio with awesome views.

One of Normandy's most magnificent hôtels particuliers (family mansions) is also Rouen's finest hotel. Long a landmark on the Place de la Pucelle, this storybook vision of a Gothic urban palace—with soaring stone pinnacles and a tower made for a sleeping beauty—was initially built in 1506 for William the Red, leader of the powerful Le Roux family. From the Cour d'Honneur (where guests can enjoy their sunset drinks), enter the front door to be fast-forwarded to the 21st century: the lobby is all slick monolithic stone with a vast glass atrium and a regiment of black leather sofas. Upstairs, the guest rooms range from minimalistic Modern and Tradition (with lovely touches of period woodwork) to the most expensive Prestige (in which the brickwork bathrooms are beauts). The property also has a gourmet restaurant, a café, and a terrace bar, as well as an expansive spa with an indoor swimming pool, sauna, and steam bath.

Mont-St-Michel’s most famous hostelry can be tough to book: after all, its historic restaurant is the birthplace of Mère Poulard’s legendary soufflé-like omelet. Set in adjoining houses, the hotel itself is linked by three steep and narrow stairways. La Mère Poulard's location, right by the main gateway, is very convenient—just don’t come expecting any views.

From the look of this charming, ivy-covered, Anglo-Norman château—complete with storybook tower, private park, and lovely sea vistas—it is easy to understand why Monet, Proust, Offenbach, and other greats accepted invitations here. Built overlooking Étretat by a rich Parisian couple in 1862, the Belle Époque house has guest rooms that are spacious, comfortable, quiet, and individually furnished, with the emphasis on "individual"—vast swaths of red fabric, decorator mirrors, and antique gramophones are some flamboyant accents, while other rooms are stylish enough for Maison Française. For a spectacular view, request the Sarah Bernhardt suite, the Impératrice Eugénie room, or the Isadora Duncan room overlooking the pool. In the evening retreat to one of the estate's several restaurants, including the classic Restaurant Gastronomique or Racines, led by Togolese chef Senda David Waguena in the kitchen and Hissein Mahamoud handling dessert.