Where to stay in Mont St Michel?

Definitely stay on the island you can. It's a completely different experience from day trip, and the photos in the evening and at night are spectacular. I stayed at Hotel mere poulard (sp?). It's probably the most expensive lodging on the island… It was the only room available when I booked. But it worked well. It's an interesting old building, and it also is the first building you see when you enter the island. That means you don't have to drag your luggage up the hill. Expect the lodgings to be rustic. And do book early. I was there on weekdays in May, and almost everything was booked up a few months ahead.

Shelby,

when i go back, there wont be any question of where i will be staying.

happy trails.

@Ray - where might that be?

Stay on the island. Be sure to pack light because you will be carrying your bags from the shuttle stop uphill to your hotel--and the cobblestones can be rough on wheeled luggage. The only hotel on the island that is still family-run is Hotel du Guesclin. I haven't stayed there, but it sounds fine in Rick's book.

We stayed at a hotel just off the island but in walking/ free shuttle distance. Advantage was we drove right up to the hotel, no carrying bags. Lovely view of the mount. Easy shuttle ride from early morning to late night, so you can visit after the tour busses have gone. (We went out to look at the high tides cutting off the island. ) I believe the name was Relais du Roi.

@ Andrea,

" @Ray - where might that be?"

On the island of course.

its like going to Carcassonne and not staying inside.

happy trails.

Thanks for the clarification.

We stayed on the island and were very glad we did. It was gorgeous walking around in the evening. We stayed at Hotel le Mouton Blanc - it was OK; nothing special but it was clean and the bed was fine.

We stayed at the Hotel du Guesclin. It's a place to stay. Nothing fancy. Definitely it is worth staying on the island for one night. Pack light as suggested before. The tourist crowds leave about 5 pm leaving the narrow lanes much more manageable. Visiting the Abbey in the evening is a must. You can visit it in the daytime with the crowds or in the evening (in summer) twilight when the Abbey has music and mood lighting. Whole different experience. Be ready to hike many steps and uneven surfaces. Wear a good pair of walking shoes.

Just so there is a dissenting voice, there are dozens of beautiful medieval towns in Europe. This is a very attractive one, but not the only one. If you are going to make a second or third trip to Europe in your lifetime, you might not need to sleep on this island. If you make a dozen trips before you start your "bucket-list", you certainly don't have to. Certainly, if it makes your travel schedule work, sleep on or beside MSM. If you have a car and more flexibility, you might do better to move on. It's a personal choice, not a cosmic truth.

We stayed at Hotel le Mouton Blanc, I would stay there again.The sign was a bit hard to find, I remember that we walked right past it the first time. Hotel room was about what you should expect in a building hundreds of years old, unusually shaped with a good bed & a modular bathroom unit. There was some confusion when we arrived in our car about parking, at that time there was a special parking area for hotel guest but we misunderstood about this and parked further away than necessary (they even wrote the code on our copy of the reservation but we did not realize it until later!).
Anyway we had a blast staying there, definitely recommended if possible. We also happened to be there at peak ("spring") tide which in this case was in September (there is a website for this)! We spent the early evening watching the tides come in and the tourists rush to get their cars out of the lower lot before it was too late. By the end there were sailboats slowly sailing where there had been only sand before. We found a Rick recommended restaurant on a stone terrace that overlooked the sea for a late seafood dinner. After dinner we meandered around the ramparts and up to the entrance to the abbey, which is dramatically lit at night. Afterwards we took some pictures of Mont St Michel from the causeway.
The next morning the tides were high again, I remember seeing one perplexed middle-aged woman stopped before the flooded regular entrance to the village, apparently unaware of the alternate "secret" entrance. We were able to get into the abbey right when it opened so it was uncrowded, I also remember seeing street sweeping machines hundreds of feet below cleaning the mud from the lower parking lot, beeping as they went, the sea mists still swirling about the ocean.
All and all a memorable experience!

Also stayed there in Nov. and although I am sure not as busy as summer it was still busy in the day. I can't imagine going there and not staying on the island if you have the chance. It was a very special experience....and you never know if you will return. I stayed at Mouton Blanc...rooms were nothing special but the location was amazing.

Thank you so much for your feedback, everyone. Having discovered this forum has made planning so much easier!

Definitely spend the money to stay on the island. If you have a car, you can get parking information as well as the parking lot code from your hotel. Then you take the shuttle to the bridge (under construction). Take the minimum amount of luggage with you because once you exit the shuttle it is still a fair walk to the island. Once on the island, the street is steep, so luggage can be a burden. We just took one small bag. We risked leaving the other bag in the trunk. It was OK. We stayed at the Auberge Saint Pierre because it was available. It was fine. Once all the many people leave at the end of the day, the evening is enchanting. This is a special place worth exploring. We arrived about 4 pm and left about 11 am the next day. It was a perfect stay.