Etretat or HONFLEUR as a home base?

I've been to Etretat and Honfleur, not Dieppe. I loved both cities. For me, the two are too far apart for day trips. However, i think I have a lower threshold for what I consider day trips and I'm more willing to change bases to avoid long daily rides in a car. When we drove to Etretat from Honfleur we stopped in Sainte Adresse on the coast, it was a place Monet and others painted.

Thank you. The plan is to base in one of those two. Let’s say it will be Etretat. Explore Etretat ( hole day there) and the next morning drive to Dieppe( maps show a little over an hr). We are trying to make it there on the Market day), spend morning there and then move back towards Etretat along the coast with stop in Fécamp and Benedictine abbey , return to Etretat late evening , spend the night and then next day visit HONFLEUR with the stop you mentioned. It shows 45 min drive between HONFLEUR and Etretat.
Does it make sense?

We visited both during a day from Rouen. Honfleur was a delightful small town and in retrospect I wish we had spent more time there. Etretat was an even smaller town as far as tourism goes; basically a quarter-mile walk along the shore and cliffs at either end that were favorites of Impressionist artists. So if it was me the choice would be Honfleur.

Sorry have to ask, why are you writting Honfleur in capitals???,?

Personally, I would skip Dieppe: the town has nice 'bones' but is looking a bit tired... So does Fécamp, but somehow I found Fécamp more interesting (the Palais Bénedictine is fun!).
I would only go as far as Varengeville, which has a stunning cemetery overlooking the sea, and a lovely garden (bois des Moustiers).

And for practicality purposes, I would choose Étretat or Fécamp as a base, since they are central to the region you want to visit.

At Varengeville, the Manoir d'Ango is very interesting.

I wanted to second Le bois des Moutiers, one of my favorite gardens in France (designed by Gertrude Jekyll, so an English-style garden in France) but when I looked online just now, Google says it's permanently closed. Apparently it's been sold.

Wikiepedia has this to say: "Visitor numbers declined and by 2011 maintaining the estate had become increasingly difficult for Antoine Bouchayer-Mallet, the then owner, to manage. The inheritance laws of the Code Napoléon meant that ownership was legally divided between 11 people (descendants of the original owners), and in the next generation there would have been many more. The estate was sold in 2019 to a businessman, Jérôme Seydoux, who began major restoration. It is not known whether or when the site will be reopened to the public."

Le Monde has worse news: "Ever since his [Jerome Seydoux's] wife Sophie fell in love with the place, he has embarked on a range of colossal renovations, entrusting the building to famous designer Jacques Grange and the gardens' layout to Madison Cox, a renowned landscaper... "

I'm glad I have my memories, and lots of photos.

But the clifftop chapel nearby and the Manoir d'Ango are both well worth visiting.

Oh no! That's too bad about the Bois des Moustiers, but well, Manoir d'Ango sounds like a good call alternatively (never been).

Honfleur…….delightful place and well worth your stay there!

Can you recommend any hotels in Honfleur. Havin problem finding any that has an air conditioner 😂
If not in Honfleur itself may be something close to it.
I found a lot more in LaHavre but wound want to do that city:((
Thank you

Hotel L’Absinthe….right in the middle of the businesses near the water and a wonderful place to stay……

That was my first choice . Unfortunately not available for our days

You may not need A/C in Honfleur in May. Historically doesn’t look like it gets that hot and if it gets to the mid 70’s, it drops 20 degrees at night. Ocean breezes?

We stayed at La Cour Sainte Catherine demeure de charme. It was lovely. Our room was huge and we had views of a lovely courtyard from the charming dormer windows. Breakfast was excellent and included in the room rate. I highly recommend.

We were there in September. I was quite warm and the room was cool. I would guess that they have AC