3 Best Hotels in Honfleur, Normandy

The story goes that this 19th-century manor house was the birthplace of Impressionism and that its park inspired Monet and Sisley—neither of whom would have dismissed the welcoming mix of elegance and down-home Norman delights inside, where rich fabrics, grand paintings, and Louis XVI chairs are married with rustic antiques, ancient beams, and half-timber walls; the result casts a deliciously cozy spell. Guest rooms are opulent, with pastel colors, floral wallpaper, antiques, period accents, and all the modern conveniences. Those in the thatch-roof converted stables are quieter but have less character. Be aware, however, that the high prices have more to do with the hotel's reputation than with the amenities it offers. Under chef Matthieu Pouleur, the sophisticated restaurant, Les Impressionistes, selects the noblest regional products from land and sea; the Normandy-specific cheese board does justice to the region, as does the eight-course gastronomic menu. A second restaurant focusing on seafood, La Boucane, is located in a thatch-roof building painted by Claude Monet in 1867.

An exceptional, adults-only splurge, this hotel is an oasis of elegant calm in the center of bustling Honfleur. The 17th-century building was once home to painter Henri de Saint-Delis; now it offers nine guestrooms, each overlooking an exquisite private garden. Though it does offer (a not cheap) breakfast buffet, meals and spa services are otherwise handled at Ferme Saint Simeon, its sister property. 

Set atop a small wooded hill 200 yards from the sea, this gorgeous half-timber, dormer-roof manor has a pretty green-and-white facade in the Anglo-Norman style, plus accommodations that promise sweeping views. Guest rooms are traditionally and tastefully furnished, and all have attractive modern marble bathrooms; the first-floor room has a four-poster bed and its own balcony. There's also a spa suite that sleeps two, and a beachside residence in traditional Norman style that sleeps 12. The atmospheric restaurant presents a seasonal range of gastronomic dishes.